New York lawyers take the pledge

This enormous commitment of time, energy, and money to the public good deserves the highest levels of praise and respect. This is truly "walking the walk."

30 Firms Sign City Bar Statement Pledging Lawyers Will Log 50 Pro Bono Hours a Year New York Lawyer November 30, 2005 By Thomas AdcockNew York Law Journal

Thirty of the 55 large Manhattan law firms asked by the New York City Bar Association to endorse its aspirational "Statement of Pro Bono Principles" did so yesterday. Included in the statement is a pledge that signatory firms perform 50 or more hours per lawyer per year. A "substantial majority" of those hours should be in the cause of civil legal help for poor people — or about 30 hours, said Bettina B. Plevan, city bar president. That figure coincides with the 30 hours of annual pro bono service to the poor long advocated by Volunteers of Legal Service. ********************* The signatory firms to the city bar's statement include: Arnold & Porter; Bryan Cave; Carter, Ledyard & Milburn; Chadbourne & Parke; Clifford Chance US; Debevoise & Plimpton; Dewey Ballantine; Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson; Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher; Heller Ehrman; Hogan & Hartson; Holland & Knight; Hughes, Hubbard & Reed; Kaye Scholer; Kelley, Drye & Warren; Kirkland & Ellis; LeBoeuf, Lamb, Greene & MacRae. Also, Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw; Milbank, Tweed, Hadley & McCloy; Morgan, Lewis & Bockius; Morrison & Foerster; Patterson, Belknap, Webb & Tyler; Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison; Proskauer Rose; Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood; Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett; Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom; Stroock & Stroock & Lavan; Thelen, Reid & Priest; and Weil, Gotshal & Manges.

The full article is here.