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Firm to Associates: Pro Bono Hours Count Toward Billables Total

New York Lawyer
February 27, 2006

By Kellie Schmitt
The Recorder

Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher has awarded its first Frank Wheat Memorial Award in recognition of pro bono efforts, part of the firm's recent efforts to boost its overall emphasis on pro bono work.

Over the past year, Gibson, Dunn has concentrated efforts to formalize its pro bono policy, resulting in a 49 percent increase in overall hours from the prior year, according to partner Scott Edelman, who is serving as the firm's national pro bono chairman.

"We decided we wanted to step up to the plate and remind people that doing pro bono is an important part of a lawyer's obligation to the community," Edelman said. "We've always had a lot of lawyers doing pro bono on their own initiatives, but never had an official policy to encourage people who weren't self-encouraged."

In prior years, the firm limited the number of pro bono hours that counted toward a lawyer's annual billing target. Now, there's been a publicity drive -- through meetings, a newsletter and pro bono fairs -- to spread the word that the hours do count, that there is no cap and that the firm will pay costs related to pro bono cases. The administrative process for tracking hours has also been improved, Edelman said.

Also, for the first time, Gibson, Dunn has signed the Pro Bono Institute's challenge, which encourages lawyers to conduct 60 hours of pro bono work a year.

So why is Gibson, Dunn so focused on pro bono work?

"Enlightened management," Edelman said "Our current management has an enlightened view of the importance of this kind of thing."

The 2006 team award went to Denver-based of counsel J. Gregory Whitehair and associates Monica Loseman and Jonathan Warner for their work on a Fourth Amendment case that resulted in an opinion setting a clear standard of conduct for arresting officers who enter private residences.

This year's individual award went to Washington, D.C., associate Mark Vlasic. Vlasic was recognized for his work as one of five international experts who helped train a team of judges from the Iraqi High Tribunal on international and criminal law in preparation for the trial of Saddam Hussein.

The award is named after the late Frank Wheat, a former Gibson, Dunn partner who was committed to community service and pro bono work.

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