One Arizona Center 400 E Van Buren Street Phoenix, AZ 85004 Phone: (602) 382-6000 www.swlaw.com THE STATS. of Attorneys: 407. of Offices: 9 Chairman: John J. Bouma locations Costa Mesa, CA Denver, CO Las Vegas, NV Los Angeles, CA Phoenix, AZ Reno, NV Salt Lake City, UT Tucson, AZ Los Cabos EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Natalie Steimel Director of Attorney Recruiting & Diversity Phone: (602) 382-6276 MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES AgriFinance Alternative Dispute Resolution Antitrust Appellate Bankruptcy & Reorganization Business & Finance Commercial Finance Commercial Litigation Construction Data Center Education Election Emerging Business Employee Benefits & Compensation Energy & Utilities Environmental Financial Services/Litigation Franchise Services/Litigation Gaming Government Relations HealthCare Immigration Indian Infrastructure Development & Project Finance Insurance Intellectual Property & Technology Internal Investigations & Regulatory Compliance International Labor & Employment Mergers & Acquisitions Mining Oil & Gas Pharmaceuticals & Medical Devices Privacy & Data Protection Product Liability Litigation Professional Liability Litigation Public Utilities Real Estate & Commercial Finance Renewable Energy Retail & Franchising Safety & Health Securities Litigation & Investigations Tax-General Federal Tax-State & Local Trusts & Estates Venture Capital & Private Equity Water White Collar Defense & Investigations Zoning & Land Use 587
Who s Who Does the firm have one or more pro bono coordinators and/or partners? If so, how many? 1 Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Joshua Grabel Partner, Chair of Pro Bono Committee Phone: (602) 382-6280 Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? Monthly Please describe the composition of the committee. The committee is comprised of over 20 attorneys representing our nine offices. The firm s chairman is a member of the committee. The committee s membership is equally divided between partners and associates. THE SCOOP Does your firm have a pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? How does the firm decide whether to take on a pro bono matter? All matters proposed to be undertaken by the firm or an individual attorney on a pro bono basis must be reviewed and approved by the chair of the pro bono committee. Has the firm signed on to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge? What are some of the areas of law in which your firm has performed pro bono legal work since 2012? Bankruptcy, Civil rights, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Domestic violence, Employment, Fair housing/tenants rights, Family law, HIV/AIDS advocacy, Homeless advocacy, Immigration, Indigent criminal defense, International human rights, Juvenile justice reform/children s rights, Police misconduct, Prisoners rights, Probate law, Real estate transactions, Veterans benefits/appeals Are there areas of law in which, as a matter of policy or practice, your firm does not perform pro bono work? ne List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2012, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Volunteer Lawyers Program Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program (VITA) Arizona StandDown and the Veterans Court National Veterans Legal Service Program The Public Law Center of Orange County Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada 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. Todd Weeks was incarcerated at Saguaro Correctional Center (SCC) where he participated in an inmate grievance system (protected under the First Amendment) to express concerns of SCC s conditions and staff behavior. The staff was upset about his grievance frequency and issued a disciplinary report. He was found guilty of violating prison rules and sentenced to 60-days confinement. Upon his release, he continued to grievance his treatment. Todd received another disciplinary report and was again sentenced to 60-days confinement. Based on the disciplinary reports, the state rescinded Todd s parole and he spent an extra 10 months in jail. Representing Todd in his civil rights action against his jailers, we found an expert witness on incarceration and prison grievance procedures that shifted litigation in Todd s favor - a former inmate who completed law school but was denied the ability to practice due to prior conviction. The parties successfully negotiated a confidential settlement. We filed a brief on behalf of ARTICLE 19: Global Campaign for Free Expression, a human rights group in London, urging the U.S. Supreme Court (SC) to grant review in Moloney v. United States. Moloney concerns the right of journalists and researchers whose materials are located in the U.S. to object under First Amendment and procedural law to a foreign law enforcement request for confidential source material. Working with Boston College, the researchers had compiled an oral history of the Troubles in rthern Ireland, promising their subjects confidentiality to avoid retaliation. UK authorities sought production under a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty ( MLAT ) and the First Circuit ruled that the researchers had no right to object. Our brief paints the SC as an international outlier in its failure to set a clear standard for source protection and the right to be heard on related objections, especially for newsgathering in conflict areas. Consistent with our dedication to working with veterans, Snell & Wilmer is pursuing civil conspiracy and racketeering claims for a wounded Vietnam veteran defrauded in a hold hostage scheme by a moving company. The Knouses hired 588 2014 Vault.com Inc.
the company in MA to store their items in a conditioned facility and to deliver everything once they settled in AZ. Their items were not stored properly, and the moving company charged thousands of dollars in storage and moving fees over and above the original agreement to ship them to AZ. Upon arrival, the belongings had been subject to substantial water damage, even ruining some of Mr. Knouse s Marine Corps honors. Although state and federal agencies found the hold hostage scheme egregious, they chose not to prosecute, waiting for a larger case. Snell filed an action on their behalf on vember 2012, trial is preliminarily set for Fall 2014. 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 2012 and 2013? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. Total number of pro bono hours in 2012: 19,297 Total number of pro bono hours in 2013: 23,383 What percentage of attorneys employed during 2012 and 2013 in your firm s U.S. office(s) did at least 20 hours of pro bono during that calendar year? Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2012: 51 60% Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2013: 51 60% 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? Are those evaluations taken into account in determining salary or bonuses?, they are taken into account when determining salary., they are taken into account when determining bonuses. Are those evaluations taken into account in determining advancement within the firm? Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? Does the firm give billable hour credit for pro bono work? Visit www.vault.com 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. 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? PRO BONO POINTS What training opportunities are open to associates working on pro bono matters? The firm believes in supporting the pro bono efforts of its attorneys through training and also believes that pro bono service is an excellent opportunity for attorneys to grow their practice. The firm closely supervises pro bono matters and offers in house trial advocacy programs and other training to attorneys preparing for their trials and appellate arguments. The firm also has a comprehensive in house CLE program for first and second year attorneys, which extends to every facet of litigation skills. This training supports the pro bono litigation work the firm s attorneys perform. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Summer associates are encouraged to assisting with the wide variety of pro bono matters on which the firm works. This is reflected in the high percentage of summer associates working on pro bono matters, which range from appeals on behalf of indigents, to landlord-tenant matters, to helping incorporate not-for-profit groups. For example, each summer the director of the Maricopa County Volunteer Lawyers Programs lunches with our summer associates. Summer associates are then not only permitted but encouraged to accompany firm attorneys staffing the project. 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. Part of Snell & Wilmer s ongoing commitment to diversity is to award scholarships to diverse undergrad students with an interest in law. These scholarships pay for an LSAT preparation class and test registration. 589
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. Our goal is to encourage and promote the involvement of attorneys and staff in each of our offices in community and civic organizations. Snell & Wilmer employees volunteer with the following: Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Denver Salvation Army S.A.F.E. House, Inc. Las Vegas Fat Boy 5K Race Variety The Children s Charity Aid for AIDS of Nevada Marty Hennessy Jr. Tennis Foundation Communities in Schools Utah Shakespeare Festival Three Square Food Bank American Cancer Society & American Liver Foundation Rotary Club of Reno Sunrise Charitable Foundation The Shade Tree Nevada Art Museum Puerte Learning Orange County Youth Sports Foundation Project Shortstop OC Bar Foundation s Project Self Suits for a Cause Women Helping Women Second Harvest Boys and Girls Club of Garden Grove Orange County Justice Center Child Abuse Prevention Center St. Mary s Food Bank Alliance s 31st Avenue Facility American Heart Association Arizona Humane Society HLAP/UMOM Shaw Elementary Working Poor Tax Credit Salt Lake City The House of Hope Head Start Better Business Bureau Good Neighbor Award Special Olympics Primavera Men s Shelter Lunches Flowing Wells School District Tu Nidito Casa de Los Ninos Box Tops for Education Ronald McDonald House Patronato San Xavier Please list any special recognition or awards your firm has won since 2012 for its pro bono work. Snell & Wilmer minated for Law Firm of the Year by Colorado Lawyers Committee Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education Names Three Snell & Wilmer Attorneys as 2014 Top Pro Bono Attorneys The American Jewish Committee Honors Snell & Wilmer Partner Matthew Feeney with Judge Learned Hand Community Service Award Snell & Wilmer Selected as Finalist for Phoenix Chamber s 2014 Impact Awards Don Bivens Inducted Into Maricopa County Bar Association Hall of Fame Phoenix Business Journal Names Snell & Wilmer Attorney Manuel Cairo as 2013 Diversity Champion Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education Names Two Snell & Wilmer Associates as 2013 Top Pro Bono Attorneys Better Business Bureau of Southern Arizona Honors Snell & Wilmer with the 2013 Good Neighbor Award Snell & Wilmer s Denver Office Meets Pro Bono Goal For Second Consecutive Year Lindsey Martinez Obtains Recovery For Clients in Pro Bono Human Trafficking Case Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. Snell & Wilmer attorneys also consider Pro Bono activities an important professional responsibility. Snell & Wilmer strongly encourages all attorneys and paralegals to commit at least 50 hours per year to some type of Pro Bono activity. Snell & Wilmer recognizes that efforts devoted to Pro Bono legal services, and the cause in question, may vary greatly from attorney to attorney. The time spent on approved Pro Bono work is credited toward each attorney s or each paralegal s annual performance goals and, therefore, it is considered, along with time devoted to client matters, for purposes of evaluation and compensation. Snell & Wilmer, with some amplification, has adopted the ABA definition of Public Interest Law.. This definition includes 590 2014 Vault.com Inc.
only traditional legal services; it does not include the time that attorneys devote to civic and professional activities of a service or business development nature. Snell & Wilmer defines Pro Bono activities as legal services provided to the poor, or legal services provided to those organizations who provide services to the poor. These Pro Bono legal services include: Poverty Law: Legal services in civil or criminal matters of importance to a client who does not have the financial resources to pay a customary legal fee. Civil Rights and Public Rights Law: Legal services concerning rights of individuals, or a significant segment of the public as a whole, where it is inappropriate to charge the client a customary legal fee. Representation of Charitable Organizations: Legal services to charitable, religious, civic, governmental, educational, or similar organizations that provide services to the poor. Visit www.vault.com 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. 591