Commitment. First-year associate Sonny Haynes and accomplished. family law practitioner Mary Craven Adams joined forces

Transcription

1 Commitment First-year associate Sonny Haynes and accomplished family law practitioner Mary Craven Adams joined forces on a termination of parental rights claim. t just to fight against abuse, neglect, and abandonment, but for the constancy of social and material environments key to the self-identity of a child who flourishes in the 21 st century. Mary Craven Adams, Partner Business Litigation, Winston-Salem, NC Sonny Haynes, Associate Product Liability, Winston-Salem, NC WOMBLE CARLYLE SANDRIDGE & RICE, LLP 0312_7129 CA DC DE GA MD NC SC VA 2012

2 WOMBLE CARLYLE SANDRIDGE & RICE, PLLC One West Fourth Street Winston-Salem, rth Carolina Phone: THE STATS. of attorneys: 532. of offices: 12 Managing Member: Keith W. Vaughan LOCATIONS Winston-Salem, NC (HQ) Atlanta, GA Baltimore, MD Charleston, SC Charlotte, NC Greensboro, NC Greenville, SC Raleigh, NC Research Triangle Park, NC Tysons Corner, VA Washington, D.C. Wilmington, DE EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Beth Keasler Director of Entry-Level Recruiting Phone: address: MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES Antitrust Bankruptcy/Creditors Rights Clean Technology/ Renewable Energy Corporate Intellectual Property International Labor & Employment Litigation Real Estate Tax Technology Trust & Estates Vault.com Inc.

3 WHO S WHO Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Cal Adams Pro Bono Committee Chair Phone: cadams@wcsr.com Tripp Greason Pro Bono Director Phone: tgreason@wcsr.com Does the firm have a pro bono coordinator(s) and/or partner(s)? If so, how many? 1 For each of your pro bono coordinator(s) and/or partner(s), please specify how much of his/her time is spent on pro bono work and/or administering the firm s pro bono program. Pro Bono Coordinator/Partner 1 All of his/her time Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? Monthly Please describe the composition of the committee. Chair Reid C. Adams, Jr. ( Cal) and Pro Bono Director Murray C. Greason, III ( Tripp ) lead the committee. The pro bono committee is an all-lawyer committee with 22 members (15 Members / Of Counsel, 7 Associates). The committee includes at least one Member-level lawyer from each office. THE SCOOP Does your firm have a written pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? Has the firm signed on to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge? What are some of the areas of law in which your firm performed pro bono legal work in 2009 and 2010? Bankruptcy, Civil rights, Community economic development, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Domestic violence, Employment, Fair housing/tenants rights, First Amendment and constitutional issues, Immigration, Indigent criminal defense, Juvenile justice reform/children s rights, nprofit corporate law, nprofit incorporation/tax exemptions, nprofit intellectual property, Probate law, Real estate transactions, The arts and historic preservation, Veterans benefits/appeals List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners in 2009 and 2010, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation Legal Aid of rth Carolina Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law rth Carolina Center for nprofits Helping Up Mission Delaware Volunteer Legal Services NC LEAP (rth Carolina Lawyers for Entrepreneurs Assistance Program) Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children National Center for Mission and Exploited Children List up to three representative examples of your firm s pro bono matters. Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Womble Carlyle advocates the best interest of the child as attorneys for the guardian ad litem defending appeal of trial court orders that terminate the parental rights of abusive, neglectful, or absentee parents. Womble Carlyle advocates for victims of domestic violence on both the civil and criminal sides. Womble Caryle advocates for the changemakers referred by the Lex Mundi Pro Bono Foundation. These social entrepreneurs take an entrepreneurial approach toward solving local, regional, national, or global problems. List up to three pro bono matters that are highlights (e.g., a Supreme Court case). Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. We represented a young woman who fled her home country after having been persecuted, kidnapped, and tortured because of her religious beliefs and ethnicity. She was granted asylum. BY THE NUMBERS What is the total number of hours that lawyers at your U.S. office(s) spent performing pro bono legal services, as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, in 2008, 2009 and 2010? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. Total number of pro bono hours in 2008: 12,116 Total number of pro bono hours in 2009: 11,487 Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 687

4 Total number of pro bono hours in 2010: 11,467 What was your attorney headcount in your firm s U.S. offices: Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2008: 526 Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2009: 537 Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2010: 532 Using the number of attorneys listed above, what is the average number of pro bono hours per attorney in your firm s U.S. office(s) during the following years? Average number of hours per attorney in 2008: 23 Average number of hours per attorney in 2009: 21 Average number of hours per attorney in 2010: 22 What percentage of attorneys employed during that calendar year in your firm s U.S. office(s) did at least 20 hours of pro bono work in 2009 and 2010? Percentage who did 20+ hours of pro bono work in 2009: 21-30% Percentage who did 20+ hours of pro bono work in 2010: 21-30% SUPERVISION AND EVALUATIONS Is there partner supervision on all pro bono matters? Do partner supervisors or, if applicable, senior associates provide written evaluations of associates work on pro bono matters? Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? Does the firm give billable hour credit for pro bono work? Does the firm have a maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? Does the firm consider pro bono hours when determining bonuses? N/A 688 PRO BONO POINTS What training opportunities are open to associates working on pro bono matters? Womble Carlyle hosts in-house, CLE-eligible training opportunities for When Duty Calls (pro bono assistance for veterans of U.S. Armed Forces with service-connected disability claims with Department of Veterans Affairs), Domestic Violence Victim Advocacy, Hague Convention (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children), Immigration / Asylum (National Center for Refugee and Immigrant Children), and landlord - tenant / fair housing matters. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? What pro bono opportunities are available for summer associates? Please indicate how many total hours and average hours per person your summer associates spent performing pro bono work in 2009 and Total hours summer associates spent on pro bono work 2009: : Average hours per summer associate spent on pro bono work 2009: : 19.6 Percentage of summer associates in your firm s U.S. office(s) engaged in pro bono work 2009: 48% 2010: 82% Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Womble Carlyle encourages each summer associate to work on at least one pro bono matter during the summer. Summer associate opportunities typically include domestic violence victim advocacy, landlord/tenant, veterans service-connected disability, and business advice to nonprofits or entrpreneurs. Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? What other law-related public interest and community service programs (that are not pro bono as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge) do you offer and manage? For example, list any law school collaborations and public interest scholarships, auctions at law schools, monetary support, or fellowships. Womble Carlyle and the Mason Small Business Development Center (SBDC) at the Mason Enterprise Center at George 2012 Vault.com Inc.

5 Mason University are providing a helping hand to small business owners of limited economic means in Project Thrive. This project helps qualified small business owners address the legal challenges involved in a new business venture and throughout a business life cycle from forming a corporate entity to negotiating a lease. Through this program, Womble Carlyle lawyers provide eligible entrepreneurs and business owners with advice and resources, free of charge, to overcome legal roadblocks and to resolve business problems. The firm s Operation Access program was developed to provide legal expertise from experienced attorneys to members of our community who are or aspire to be business owners. Best of all, this advice is absolutely free of charge to prospective business owners who qualify for this program. Operation Access is designed to help business owners address legal and related business challenges that arise during the life cycles of their entrepreneurial ventures and professional pursuits. Operation Access provides business owners with access to legal advice and other resources that can help them resolve problems and overcome challenges. Working in conjunction with law school students who intern at the firm, we offer a broad and deep Operation Access team. Operation Access provides law school students with an unparalleled experience to collaborate with Womble Carlyle attorneys on a pro bono basis. What non-law related volunteer opportunities does your firm offer? For example, list any work with high school students and non-legal volunteerism for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Womble Carlyle is active in community service throughout the firm s region. Many of our lawyers take leadership positions on the boards of non-profits, state agencies, legal service providers, and chambers of commerce. Womble Carlyle staff and lawyers also participate in various elementary school tutoring programs, Red Cross Blood Drives, Food Bank drives, work with N Street Village in D.C., and Habitat for Humanity wall builds. were honored for their pro bono work on behalf of Passage Home, a Wake County charity that works to end homelessness and poverty. Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. Mr. B.S. Womble once said, Everything that is good about your life came out of this community, and you owe it back. Leon Rice later remarked that, My becoming active in good works outside the firm was consistent with firm tradition, and the firm encouraged it. Womble Carlyle s long history of community service could be understood as the firm s response to Mr. Womble s imperative. And our pro bono practice is consistent with the firm s long-term commitment to community service, and we have an encourage pro bono in each of our offices. The firm encourages our attorneys to fulfill their Pro Bono commitment by providing legal services to persons of limited means or to organizations whose purpose is to assist persons of limited means. In addition to pro bono work, many of our lawyers continue to migrate into community service leadership roles on nonprofit or government agency boards, in classsrooms, or as soup kitchen volunteers. At the core of our pro bono practice is the belief that law firms such as ours should be at the forefront of increasing access to legal services for the underprivileged. Pro bono work provides a valuable public service and contributes to the personal and professional development of our attorneys. We are working to enhance the firm s pro bono commitment and to create an atmosphere in which all of our lawyers will meet or exceed the pro bono goals set by the ABA, the Pro Bono Institute, and our local bar associations. A full time lawyer Pro Bono Director manages the firm s pro bono practice and works with the Pro Bono Committee Chair to monitor the firm s progress in reaching our pro bono goals and to ensure proper supervision and administration of the firm s pro bono practice. Please list any special recognition or awards your firm won in 2009 and 2010 for its pro bono work. In 2009, Womble Carlyle attorneys Peter Duffley and Liz Riley are helping those who help others. The two Raleigh attorneys Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 689