In the Community
At Brooks, Pierce, McLendon, Humphrey & Leonard, LLP, we know that our success depends upon the talent and dedication of our attorneys and professional staff.
Many of our attorneys and professional staff have held, or now hold, a variety of leadership positions, serving on boards of bar associations, boards of education, various arts organizations and numerous charitable, civic and religious organizations, and have often been recognized for their long-standing commitment to community service.
Pro bono service is not just a professional obligation.
It strengthens our communities, and it enhances the lives and legal practices of those who serve. We strongly encourage our attorneys to become involved, to be committed in and take responsibility for our communities, and to help make our communities a better, fairer place to live. We expect our lawyers to represent our pro bono clients with the same degree of excellence, integrity, skill, and motivation as with our firm's higher-paying clients.
We have a Pro Bono Committee to assist our lawyers in their pro bono endeavors. This committee acts as a liaison to Legal Aid or other legal resource organizations to match referred low-income clients with firm attorneys. The committee does not screen potential pro bono clients, however, and, except in the highly unusual case of an extraordinary time commitment, committee approval is not required for an attorney to take on a pro bono project. Recognizing that each lawyer's pro bono commitment is his or her own, our firm does not dictate the number of hours or the manner in which this commitment is to be fulfilled. Our view of pro bono service derives from the firm's basic philosophy.
Our lawyers were instrumental in creating and implementing the 50B Project, an award-winning project of the Young Lawyers Division of the North Carolina Bar Association that provides pro bono legal assistance to victims of domestic violence who are seeking protective orders from North Carolina courts. Our lawyers also have staffed legal hotlines and served on the Advisory Council of Legal Aid of North Carolina, Greensboro Office. Through Legal Aid, other legal resource organizations, or our own personal and professional associations and contacts, we have provided pro bono legal services to individuals in all kinds of cases and conflicts, including employment and housing, environmental, and consumer rights.
Brooks Pierce lawyers provide significant pro bono legal services to a number of local, regional, and state nonprofit entities, civic and educational organizations, and religious institutions. Our lawyers often participate as board members or officers of these and other charitable organizations.
