After spending the day assisting low-income seniors in Napa with estate planning, helping to walk them through the morass of paperwork that involves end-of-life legal choices, Fenwick associate Ari Fink called his mother to check that she had her own papers in order. “Do you have a will?” he asked her. “Do you have an advanced healthcare directive?”
These were some of the questions that came up in Fenwick’s most recent Justice Bus pro bono effort on June 29. Fink, a second-year tech transactions associate, traveled to Napa as part of a group of 15 Fenwick associates and summer associates to provide legal aid to seniors at the City of Napa Senior Activity Center. The group traveled via the Justice Bus, which transports teams of lawyers and law students to isolated and rural California communities in a program run by the San Francisco legal nonprofit OneJustice.
Fenwick & West secured political asylum for a pro bono client of the firm—a minor fleeing violence in Guatemala—who suffered persecution and faced future persecution in his home country.
Rural Immigrant Connect uses videoconferencing to connect pro bono lawyers in the Bay Area and Silicon Valley with immigrant clients in California's Central Valley, some of whom have fled violence in Central America and desperately need representation.
“It was a privilege to help our client find safety and a new life in the U.S.,” Schomp said. “The Fenwick team empowered the client to be his own best advocate. We’re thankful for Fenwick’s support on the project as a whole. It’s extremely encouraging to see a firm so dedicated to pro bono work.”
By: Julie Park, Director of Pro Bono, Fenwick & West LLP
Crowdsourcing has galvanized large numbers of activists and enthusiasts around everything from artisanal businesses to urban planning to climate change.
It’s no surprise that innovative thinkers in the legal community are applying the concept to help address the needs of the underrepresented. Lawyers gathering this month at the 2017 South by Southwest® (SXSW) conference in Austin, Texas, say the potential of crowdsourcing to expand access to justice to vulnerable communities is immense.
Fenwick-sponsored Equal Justice Fellow Renée Schomp, who runs OneJustice’s Rural Immigrant Connect project, is one of the panelists slated to share their experience with pioneering collaborative, crowd-driven approaches to legal advocacy.
Schomp’s Rural Immigrant Connect project connects immigrants in California’s Central Valley with ongoing legal representation from Bay Area-based pro bono attorneys through in-person and virtual technology communication.
California, with its sizable immigrant population and significant number of working lawyers, has a particular need. The state is home to the largest immigrant population in the United States (10.3 million people) and leads the nation in the number of immigrants who are eligible to become citizens (an estimated 2.5 million).
California also has the country’s largest lawyer population. With over 166,000 licensed, active lawyers, the state’s legal system should be uniquely positioned to meet the legal needs of immigrants through a robust and proactive pro bono system.
However, the vast majority of California’s lawyers work in urban and metropolitan areas, making it challenging for them to connect with immigrants in isolated and rural areas of the state.
At SXSW, the panelists will discuss the challenges and promise of disruptive, crowdsourced models for providing legal assistance to vulnerable populations throughout the global community.
Part of the "Social Impact" track of SXSW, the panel showcases the future of advocacy and new approaches to making justice accessible to all.
Panelists include:
Jennifer Gonzalez, Torchlight Legal
Renée Schomp, OneJustice, Fenwick & West LLP Equal Justice Works Fellow
Rafael Baca, R. Baca Law Firm PLLC
Stephen Manning, Immigrant Law Group PC
The “Crowdsourcing Justice” panel takes place at SXSW in Austin, Texas, on March 13, 2017, from 2-3 p.m. PT.
The State Bar of California encourages each attorney to contribute at least 50 hours of pro bono legal services annually. While at first it may seem challenging to fit 50 hours of pro bono work into your already hectic schedule, volunteering even small amounts of time throughout the year adds up to one huge difference to those in your community. Incorporating pro bono work into your legal practice is manageable when you keep the following 5 tips in mind:
5. Find a cause: Sometimes it’s easier to make time for a cause about which you’re already passionate. If you need help connecting with an organization that supports an issue you care about, the California State Bar and local bar associations – such as the Bar Association of San Francisco and the Santa Clara County Bar Association – typically have pro bono resource pages connecting lawyers to volunteer opportunities and legal service providers in a wide variety of arenas.
4. Do what works: Pro bono opportunities vary in length and scope; some opportunities only require an hour a week, or one weekend a month. Examples of opportunities requiring only a minimal time commitment are:
drop-in legal service clinics;
issue-specific workshops, such as tax preparation or immigration assistance; and
programs that connect clients to attorneys via webcam, offering much-needed legal services over a virtual platform.
Every hour helps a person in need!
3. Join a list: If there is a legal services organization or program with which you enjoy volunteering or of which would like to become a part, sign up for its e-mail listserv to stay up-to-date on pro bono opportunities and developments. Instead of spending your time searching for pro bono work, opportunities can arrive directly to your inbox!
2. Make a case: Keep in mind the business case for pro bono: working on pro bono matters enhances your skills as a lawyer, helps you build relationships both within and outside of the legal community and showcases corporate social responsibility for your law firm or company.
1. Take a step back: Remind yourself of the value of your legal skills and the great need for legal services both locally and nationally. Lending a hand as an advocate will assuredly not only make you feel good about the work you do, but also inspire those around you to do the same. This feeling can make it easier to turn pro bono work into a priority.
Hailey Teton, a UC Hastings College of the Law alum, is an associate in the Litigation practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. She focuses her practice on a broad variety of litigation matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Hailey has been involved with social justice organizations for over 10 years. She was the Senior Managing Editor of the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal, and is interested in improving access to education for low-income and minority students. She currently volunteers through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Pro Bono Program, representing a pro se litigant in connection with his appeal. She enjoys living and working in the Bay Area legal community, as its members are truly dedicated to improving the community around them through pro bono legal services and support.
From Monday, October 20, 2014 through Friday, October 24, 2014, Fenwick celebrated the American Bar Association’s National Pro Bono Week. This annual celebration focuses the nation’s attention on the increased need for pro bono services and celebrates the outstanding work of lawyers who volunteer their services throughout the year.
The Fenwick spin on Pro Bono Week began with a Monday kick-off breakfast, followed by a panel of attorneys on Tuesday sharing what they’ve learned about client service through their pro bono work. The panelists – from various practice groups – shared their experiences working on a broad range of matters, from prisoners’ rights cases, to corporate and intellectual property counseling, to rule of law initiatives overseas. Another panel of firm attorneys spoke on Wednesday about their diverse pro bono projects, covering both transactional and litigation work. That same day, Fenwick participated in a Share of Cost Clinic in Redwood Shores, helping low-income and disabled seniors qualify for affordable health care coverage.
On Thursday, litigators from Fenwick’s Seattle office discussed their pro bono case Jafar v. Webb, in which the Washington Supreme Court established that indigent litigants are entitled to a waiver of all court fees and charges, helping to ensure equal access to justice. That afternoon, Fenwick hosted a pro bono happy hour to celebrate all of the firm’s pro bono efforts during the prior twelve months. The week concluded with a guest presentation on the growing field of animal law by an attorney from the Animal Legal Defense Fund, followed by a presentation on volunteer opportunities by the Humane Society Silicon Valley.
Many thanks go to Fenwick’s Pro Bono Team for planning such a wonderful week of programming to celebrate all the excellent work that the firm does for its pro bono clients and for various communities around the country!
Emily Gische, a UC Hastings College of the Law alum, is an associate in the Intellectual Property practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. Emily focuses her practice on a broad variety of trademark matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. While attending law school, Emily was the Executive Articles Editor of the Hastings Law Journal. She competed in the Saul Lefkowitz Moot Court Competition, focused on trademark and unfair competition law, in which her team won the Dolores K. Hanna National Best Brief Award. She also served as a Judicial Extern to The Honorable Kathryn Werdegar of the Supreme Court of California and the Honorable James Larson of the United States District Court in the Northern District of California. In her free time, Emily enjoys lacrosse and road biking.
“We make a living by what we do, but we make a life by what we give,” Winston Churchill once said. One of my resolutions after passing the California bar was to do some good, especially to those who are less fortunate, in a concrete way using my training and experience. So when I had a chance to volunteer at the East Bay Stand Down 2014 to help veterans obtain the benefits to which they are entitled, I signed up right away.
The East Bay Stand Down is a consortium of community organizations of San Francisco Bay Area that provides a four-day event every other year with a primary goal to serve military veterans who have served our nation. This year, Fenwick & West LLP teamed up with non-profit veteran services organization Swords to Plowshares to help veterans claim the benefits to which they are entitled. I took a day away from the patent prosecution world to learn to give back to this most deserving client base of veterans and walked away with the joy of giving and inspiration.
War causes wounds and suffering inside and beyond the battlefield. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) estimation, within the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties, there are over 7,000 needy or homeless veterans. Nationally, it is estimated that over 250,000 needy and homeless veterans are on the streets on any given night. However, applying VA benefits is a difficult and confusing process. Many veterans are not even aware of their entitled benefits. Compounding the difficulty of the benefit application, those veterans who did not receive fully honorable discharges may be ineligible for most VA benefits.
With four hours of online training on the basics on VA benefits, discharge upgrades and veteran cultural competency, I arrived at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton Saturday morning, September 13, 2014, excited and a bit nervous. It was really hot figuratively and literally. Figuratively, I was immediately warmed up by the enthusiastic volunteers at the registration desk and many more around the fairground, whose smiling faces read “welcome!” It was literally hot (over 90° F) especially after I proudly put a staff volunteer shirt on.
Swords to Plowshares staffed a walk-in clinic with volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law school students from the San Francisco Bay Area. I teamed up with another volunteer attorney and was thrilled to help two Vietnam-era veterans in the morning shift. We listened to their stories and the cultural, educational, psychological and economic barriers they faced in their transition to the civilian world. We brainstormed with them and helped them recall the pivotal – sometimes painful – events from many decades ago that may help their benefits claims. One such brainstorm session lasted three hours! We missed the delicious lunch provided by the event organizer, but were very happy to help the veteran fill out those lengthy and complicated application forms. When he left the clinic knowing his benefit application was ready to go, he shook our hands tightly with touching gratitude on his face. I deeply felt the joy and power of giving.
With a half donut in my stomach, I went back to the afternoon shift and doubled my joy of giving to two more Vietnam-era veterans, including a female veteran at a similar clinic specially set up for female veterans by Swords to Plowshares. On one hand, my heart was so heavy when I listened to her struggles that I barely could hold my tears; on the other hand, I was so inspired by her determination to restore dignity, hope and self-sufficiency not only to herself but also to her fellow female veterans in need. When she hugged me at the end of her session, I felt the difference, be it small, I may have made in her life, by just patiently listening and filling out some legal papers for rebuilding her life.
As many pro bono attorneys before me can attest, there are countless reasons to do pro bono work: feeling good, connecting with people and learning effectively, in other words, making a difference. There is no doubt I can achieve these goals from my job. However, through this pro bono work, I feel very fortunate to be a lawyer and among the few who can make the legal system work for people who give us all they have – gratitude. On the way home, I remembered why I went to law school, but this time with assurance.
Helen Li, a Santa Clara University School of Law alum, is an associate in the Intellectual Property practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. Helen concentrates her practice on the drafting and prosecution of U.S. and international patent applications for clients in computer engineering technologies with a focus on video signal compression and computer networking. Before joining Fenwick, she worked as a software engineer for several Silicon Valley-based technology companies. Helen is fluent in Mandarin Chinese. At pro bono clinics, she not only volunteers as an attorney but also as an interpreter. Helen loves playing ping pong.
A veteran, by definition, has survived war. Plans for what comes after a soldier falls find welcome pause in the ordinary demands of life. But even an ordinary life must end someday. It must be a shock, then, for some veterans who sacrificed, served and survived for their country, to find themselves too poor to plan for a dignified end. Where is the justice in that?
The Justice Bus, carrying a squad of volunteer lawyers, wound itself through the foggy hills of San Francisco, past the Golden Gate Bridge and through the hills of the Northern Bay Area towards its final destination in Ukiah, Mendocino County. Travelling through the town with fellow and former colleagues from Cisco and LinkedIn, we took note that the town was small but tight-knit – a homecoming parade marched through the streets with thunderous marching bands and Instagraming teens in tow.
Fenwick, Cisco, and LinkedIn volunteers ride the Justice Bus to rural Ukiah, California.
Disembarking the bus, we were greeted by a cozy Veterans Memorial Building, replete with American flags and welcoming faces. The staff at OneJustice – a legal services organization dedicated to increasing access to justice in rural and isolated communities – had organized the event well: food and full canteens awaited us. They trained us, coached us and thanked us. The veterans who we were tasked with helping had already been screened and informed of the process. It was orderly and disciplined – soldier-like.
Meeting the veterans provided a stark reminder of the challenges they continue to face long after their war draws to a close. We met poor veterans. Cancer survivors. Those without family and those who had lost them. Without many resources, these veterans were having a difficult time planning their wills and outlining their end-of-life care. They worried that they would leave their loved ones with misery instead of security. To put it simply, they did not have peace of mind.
In teams of two, the Justice Bus volunteers helped bring comfort to these veterans. Attorneys walked veterans through form wills, personalizing and improvising as they went along. Veterans had land to be partitioned and pets to be taken care of. Similarly, attorneys helped veterans make the hard choices with regards to end-of-life care.
Fenwick Justice Bus Volunteer Marion Miller
One would think this would be a somber process, but it was just the opposite. One veteran recommended an amazing museum in the Presidio dedicated to conscientious objectors. Another told us one of the dirtiest jokes I had heard in a while (not to be repeated here). These were kind folks who were happy to be interacting with us and getting the help they deserved.
We served 24 veterans that day, but our impact was greater and went deeper than that. By serving these veterans, we impacted the lives of their families. We honored their service and their legacy. And we made sure that the poorest in our communities can leave this world with security and dignity. Hopefully we found a small measure of justice in that.
Amir Hassanabadi, a UC Berkeley (Boalt Hall) alum, is an associate in the Corporate practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. He focuses his practice on a variety of corporate matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. A champion of pro bono at the firm, Amir donates his time to Legal Services for Entrepreneurs, leading workshops on business law basics and providing limited-scope representation to low-income small business owners and entrepreneurs who serve underserved communities. He also shares his expertise with pro bono clients such as Shabeh Jomeh (a Persian networking and charitable group) and Pacific Community Ventures (a nonprofit that creates economic opportunity in low-income communities). Amir speaks Persian/Farsi and is an avid member of the Fenwick bocce ball team.
Every year, the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA) honors a cadre of attorneys whose outstanding service and achievements advance the cause of equal access to justice. This year, in recognition of Fenwick & West’s integral involvement in the 2013 roll-out of the Virtual Pro Bono Clinic (VPBC), NLADA awarded its Beacon of Justice Award to Fenwick and partner law firm DLA Piper at the annual gala in Washington, DC. This prestigious award is designed to honor law firms that have devoted considerable resources to creating and implementing innovative strategies to improve life outcomes for low-income people.
This award represents the work and time of many volunteers who helped bring to fruition the virtual clinics, which enable online document exchange and remote meetings. During 2013, at least 30 Fenwick attorneys contributed more than 200 hours to creating and implementing the VPBC. And in 2014, the reach of the VPBC continues to expand. To date, Fenwick attorneys have contributed 134 pro bono hours to the clinic, and they have served at least 206 community members. Congratulations to the Fenwick & West attorneys whose continuing dedication to this project earned Fenwick national recognition for its pro bono efforts: Phil Haack, Malcolm Katz, Jane Kim, Liza Kostinskaya, Brian Lahti, Liwen Mah, Pam Reid, and Michael Saunders.
Thinking about this award and looking at the numbers, it amazes me how far we have come in using technology to increase access to justice; but I am also reminded of how far we have yet to go. I look forward to seeing the numbers - the number of volunteers, the number of clinics, the number of counties and even states that adopt this virtual clinic model - grow in the coming years.
Betsy White, an alum of UCLA School of Law, is an associate in the Litigation practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. She focuses her practice on commercial and intellectual property litigation, with an emphasis on patent infringement, copyright, and trade secret misappropriation disputes. An avid supporter of pro bono, Betsy received the firm's 2011 Pro Bono Associate of the Year Award for her work with the Domestic Violence Limited Scope Representation Project, as well as the Pro Bono Client Service Award for her participation in the Citizen Schools Program, which brings relevant learning experiences to middle school students in low-income neighborhoods.
When I graduated from law school, I knew that I wanted to get involved in pro bono work to try to do my part to minimize the justice gap, as many people lack meaningful access to lawyers. Throughout law school, including my internships in federal and state courts, I consistently noticed how common of an experience it is for regular folks to feel the real consequences of the justice gap. In particular, low-income Americans often cannot afford an attorney, and thus they are shut out of the courts before even given a chance to present their legal issues. Many people lack the resources to effectively navigate the complicated legal issues associated with home foreclosures, evictions and restraining orders, just to name a few recurring issues.
While as a young lawyer it can feel intimidating to provide services directly to clients in need, the mutually beneficial relationship in pro bono work more than makes up for this initial fear. New lawyers gain valuable skills, and those in need gain valuable legal representation and advice. It’s a win-win!
Involving yourself in pro bono at the beginning of your career establishes a pattern of giving back to those in need in your community. It also provides an opportunity to expand your skill set in ways your regular practice might fall short. When participating in pro bono work as a junior lawyer, it’s helpful to keep these 5 tips in mind.
Bring a friend: Many pro bono programs and services match up two or more attorneys to help provide clients with services. This approach is not only a great way to collaborate with other lawyers and brainstorm creative ideas and provide thorough legal advice, but it also gives you an opportunity to meet others in the legal profession. Additionally, pro bono service providers are always looking for more volunteers; so be sure to grab a law school classmate or colleague, and bring him or her along with you.
Ask questions: Don’t be afraid to ask questions! Program supervisors and more experienced attorneys working in pro bono programs are always there to help and answer whatever questions may come up. These supervisors and attorneys are often experts in the field. Learning to ask the right questions is a worthwhile experience for you as an advocate, and helps program supervisors improve the services they provide clients.
Take the time to reflect: If you ever feel like you’re too busy to fit pro bono work into your otherwise hectic schedule, take a moment to reflect: Legal professionals have skills that others do not, and even a small amount of your time can make a huge difference in someone’s life. Don’t forget the warm feeling you get when you know you’ve used your skills as a lawyer to help someone in need.
Spread the news: When you have a positive experience working with a client or an organization, make sure you spread the news! Tell other attorneys and legal professionals at your law firm, share with your alumni association, or offer to write an article for the organization with which you worked. Many lawyers get involved with pro bono work once they’ve heard about another lawyer’s great experience with that group or service.
Keep in touch: Consider returning to the organization or program for which you volunteered. If you have multiple opportunities to help at the same places, your ability and qualifications to effectively engage in that type of legal work will continue to improve. Who knows, you may even be inspired to become an advocate for those pro bono causes!
Hailey Teton, a UC Hastings College of the Law alum, is an associate in the Litigation practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. She focuses her practice on a broad variety of litigation matters to support clients in the high technology and life sciences industries. Originally from Santa Barbara, California, Hailey has been involved with social justice organizations for over 10 years. She was the Senior Managing Editor of the Hastings Race and Poverty Law Journal, and is interested in improving access to education for low-income and minority students. She currently volunteers through the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals Pro Bono Program, representing a pro se litigant in connection with his appeal. She enjoys living and working in the Bay Area legal community, as its members are truly dedicated to improving the community around them through pro bono legal services and support.
By: Jeremy Kazzaz, Summer Associate, Mountain View
As a 1L I competed in the school-wide and regional client counseling competition. At the competition student-actors play the part of first time clients walking into your law firm and our task as competitors was to build a relationship with the client, listen to his or her story, and pick out the relevant facts to be able to advise them accordingly. The client counseling competition was one of my favorite extracurricular activities as a student, so imagine my delight in finding out that our pro bono service day with Fenwick would be a real, live version of the client counseling competition.
The first Justice Bus trip of the summer that Fenwick associates volunteered for was focused on a substantive area of law working with parents to craft or dispute educational plans for their children with special needs. For this trip, legal aid nonprofit OneJustice prepared us volunteers to hear about any civil legal issue that the scheduled and walk-in clients are facing in a general clinic format.
Eight Fenwick summer associates, two Fenwick associates, three Google legal interns, and five LinkedIn attorneys and legal interns took a day away from the corporate world to give back to our Northern California community, expecting the unexpected.
With coffee and bagels in hand (necessary pro bono tools), we boarded the Justice Bus on Friday, July 25 to cruise up to rural Marin County. We staffed a walk-in clinic with Legal Aid of Marin, an organization that provides access to the civil justice system to low-income, vulnerable and otherwise underserved residents of Marin County.
We were thrilled to have the opportunity to provide a wide range of legal services to those in need. The service day also gave us the opportunity to tackle problems that we wouldn’t encounter as corporate associates. Highlights included helping a local resident with a consumer protection and elder abuse issue, aiding a family with landlord disputes, and a longtime social worker with employment disputes.
All in all, we were able to help 13 Point Reyes Station locals. The moment that left the biggest impact on me came toward the end the day. Once I had fully advised a client on the substantive housing law issues she faces, seasoned Fenwick Associate Robin Reasoner joined me in laying out basic negotiation strategies and tactics to empower the client to negotiate a favorable new lease agreement for the home the client’s family has resided in for nearly a decade. We crafted a game plan that I have no doubt she will implement in the coming weeks in negotiations with her landlord.
Community service has always played a big part in my life from building roofs with the National Park Service in middle school, organizing social activities for the elderly in an assisted living home in high school, and as of late, teaching legal research and writing basics to inmates serving long sentences in Michigan’s only women’s prison. I am proud to be at a firm that is as committed to pro bono work as I am.
Fenwick's team of volunteers included Summer Associates Amanda Baratz, Jessica Benzler, Ari Haber, Jeremy Kazzaz, Zach Lerner, Liwen Mah, Robin Reasoner, Travis Robertson, Victoria Wong, and Michael Xu, Associates Liwen Mah and Robin Reasoner, and Pro Bono Coordinator Bonnie Lau.
Jeremy Kazzaz, a rising 3L at the University of Michigan Law School, was a summer associate in the Corporate practice group at Fenwick & West LLP. He has volunteered with low-income applicants to Michigan’s unemployment insurance, taught legal research and writing to inmates at Michigan’s only women’s prison, and spent his 1L summer working with student startup companies at Michigan’s Entrepreneurship Clinic. Before law school, Jeremy briefly lived in Israel on a kibbutz, or communal farm, and served as a paratrooper for the Israeli Defense Forces. As an undergraduate at Washington University in St. Louis, he was an active member of U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill’s successful campaign, and later took a semester off to work for her on Capitol Hill. In his free time, Jeremy enjoys listening to podcasts on double speed, visiting microbreweries, and biking.
At Fenwick & West, we are proud of our commitment to the community and to our culture of making a difference in the lives of individuals and organizations in the communities where we live and work. We recognize that providing legal services is not only an essential part of our professional responsibility, but also an excellent opportunity for our attorneys to gain valuable practical experience, learn new areas of the law and contribute to the community.
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