Vinson & Elkins LLP. locations Fannin Street Suite 2500 Houston, Texas Phone: (713)

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1 1001 Fannin Street Suite 2500 Houston, Texas Phone: (713) locations Austin Dallas Houston New York Palo Alto San Francisco Washington, DC Abu Dhabi Beijing Dubai Hong Kong London Moscow Riyadh Shanghai Tokyo MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES THE STATS No. of Attorneys: 628 No. of Offices: 16 Chairman: T. Mark Kelly Managing Partner: Scott Wulfe Hiring Partner(s): Doug Bland EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Patty Harris Chief Talent Officer Phone: (713) Careers website: Corporate Employment, Labor and OSHA Environmental Finance Intellectual Property International Litigation Regulatory/Public Policy Restructuring and Reorganization Tax, Benefits and Compensation 633

2 Who s Who Does the firm have one or more pro bono coordinators and/or partners? If so, how many? 1 For each of your pro bono coordinators and/or partners, 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 Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Ellyn Haikin Josef Pro Bono Counsel Phone: (713) ejosef@velaw.com Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? Quarterly Please describe the composition of the committee. V&E s Pro Bono Committee is made up of over 30 partners, including partners from the Firm s domestic and international offices. THE SCOOP Does your firm have a written 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? Vinson & Elkins maintains a list of Preapproved Pro Bono Providers. Attorneys are welcome to take matters from these providers, without receiving specific approval from the Pro Bono Committee. These preapproved providers include legal service providers in all of our office communities that provide pro bono opportunities in typical pro bono subject areas. In order for an attorney to take on a pro bono project or matter that is not from a preapproved provider, the attorney completes a form memorandum that is submitted to a matter approval subcommittee of the Firm s Pro Bono Committee for approval. Additionally, the Firm s Pro Bono Committee and Pro Bono Counsel consistently look for innovative and impactful pro bono opportunities in our communities to provide to our lawyers. 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 2010? Arts and historic preservation, Asylum, Civil rights, Community economic development, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Disability benefits, Domestic violence, Education, Elder law, Employment, Environment, Fair housing/tenants rights, Family law, First Amendment and constitutional issues, Homeless advocacy, Immigration, Indigent criminal defense, International human rights, Juvenile justice reform/children s rights, Nonprofit corporate law, Nonprofit incorporation/tax exemptions, Nonprofit intellectual property, Prisoners rights, Probate law, Public benefits, Real estate transactions, Social Security law, 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? No List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2010, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas Human Rights Initiative Ayuda Texas C-Bar Legal Aid Society of DC Catholic Charities New York Legal Aid Group Texas Civil Rights Project List up to three representative examples of your firm s pro bono matters since Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. V&E lawyers obtained a complete win for a pro bono client, a veteran who had previously been denied medical benefits. Our client served as a paratrooper in this U.S. Army and now has substantial health problems as a result. V&E appealed his case to the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and got the benefits denial vacated in its entirety. V&E recently won asylum for their client (Mr. S), a native and citizen of the Republic of Maldives, an archipelago of about 1,000 islands in the Indian Ocean Vault.com Inc.

3 The application, which was several hundred pages and included more than 70 exhibits, sought asylum for Mr. S who, beginning in 1995 and lasting until 2010, was systematically confined, persecuted, and tortured at the hands of the Maldivian government because of his political beliefs and association with a democratic political party organized by his brother. Throughout his confinement, Mr. S was assaulted almost daily and regularly deprived of food and sleep. His torture and persecution also included waterboarding, brutal beatings, long periods in forced stress positions, and physical and sexual abuse of his family members within viewing and hearing distance. Mr. S had no opportunity to speak to legal counsel during his confinement, never saw the inside of a courtroom, and was never even charged with a crime. His persecutors still hold positions of power in the Maldivian government and have continued to subject his family members to arrest, physical abuse, and murder as recently as three months ago. Mr. S is married to Ms. N, who also received asylum through the application prepared by the V&E team. The two have four children together, all of whom escaped persecution in the Maldives and are now naturalized citizens of the United States. One of their sons is a United States Marine, who has served combat duties in Afghanistan and Iraq. Now that Mr. S has obtained asylum in the United States, he can similarly establish a life safe from his persecutors, free from fear that they will harm him again. Despite all that he has suffered, Mr. S continues to support the ideals of his political party, and openly advocates for a transparent, democratic government in the Maldives. V&E donates considerable pro bono time to providing legal services to non-profit corporations to assist them with a variety of legal matters, including mergers and acquisitions, real estate, employment and other general counsel work. This work can be exemplified in our work for Big Brothers/Big Sisters of Texas. BBBS is nation s largest volunteer supported mentoring network, making meaningful, monitored matches between adult volunteers and children ages 6 through 18. BBBS develops positive relationships that have a direct and lasting effect on the lives of young people. V&E represented BBBS in the merger of BBBS of North Texas and BBBS of Houston. This merger was a landmark event for the national organization and resulted in the largest BBBS organization in the country. 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. V&E, together with the University of Virginia Law School Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, was retained by the Nevada Commission on Ethics, the small independent state agency charged with enforcing the state s ethics laws governing public officials, to seek review of a Nevada Supreme Court ruling striking down on First Amendment grounds a provision of the state ethics law requiring government officials to abstain from voting on matters in which they have a personal interest. In this case, a member of a city council failed to recuse himself from voting on a casino development project although the casino was represented by the manager of the official s ongoing reelection campaign, was the campaign s largest outside vendor, and also was his close friend. The Nevada Supreme Court held that elected official to cast legislative votes and thus recusal statutes were subject to strict scrutiny. V&E s lead counsel and the Clinic persuaded the Supreme Court to grant certiorari. After full briefing and argument, the Supreme Court unanimously reversed. Although most federal courts of appeals had held that a legislator s vote was protected speech under the First Amendment, the Supreme Court agreed with V&E and the Clinic that a legislator s authority to cast a vote is not personal to the legislator but belongs to the people; the legislator has no personal right to it. Accordingly, rules requiring legislators to abstain from matters in which they had a potential conflict of interest did not implicate any personal First Amendment right to free speech. This case presented the Supreme Court of the United States with its first opportunity to determine whether a legislator s authority to cast a vote is protected by the First Amendment. The case has direct implications for numerous federal, state, and local laws requiring public officials to disqualify themselves from acting on matters in which they, a relative, an employer, or a business associate have an interest. V&E recently obtained summary judgment for Avi Adelman, a community activist and blogger for the Lower Greenville community of Dallas. Mr. Adelman has maintained the blog Barkingdogs.org since 1999, where he publishes articles of interest to people in his neighborhood. As part of his efforts to bring awareness of crime problems facing the neighborhood, Mr. Adelman published a series of articles about a bar called Lost Society. The articles described a series of legal problems related to Lost Society, including the bar s alleged violations of the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code, various city ordinances, and other laws. After unsuccessfully demanding that Mr. Adelman remove the articles from his blog, Lost Society and its owner sued Mr. Adelman in Dallas County court for defamation and business disparagement. Lost Society also sought a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction forcing Mr. Adelman to remove articles about Lost Society from his blog and refrain from publishing any additional articles about the bar or its owner. The court denied the requested injunctive relief in April Several months later, the owner of Lost Society was arrested on drug-related charges, and the bar was permanently closed. V&E attorneys then filed a motion for summary judgment on behalf of Mr. Adelman in February V&E lawyers argued on behalf of Mr. Adelman at the summary judgment hearing on April 27, That same day, the court granted Mr. Adelman s motion, ordering final judgment against Lost Society and its owner on all of their claims against Mr. Adelman. V&E attorneys obtained a significant pro bono appellate victory before the First Court of Appeals of Texas on behalf of our client, a mother who was the victim of domestic violence and who lost all rights of access to and visitation with her biological child while attempting to extricate herself from her abuser. V&E was retained after trial to challenge an adverse jury verdict that found (1) two non-parents should be appointed as managing conservators of the client s child and 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. 635

4 (2) the client should not be appointed managing conservator or even possessory conservator of her son, leaving her with no right to visit or even contact her son. Representing her pro bono on appeal, V&E argued that the evidence at trial was both legally and factually insufficient to support the jury s verdict and that the client should be appointed sole managing conservator of the child. The First Court of Appeals agreed that there was no evidence to support the jury verdict and reversed and rendered judgment, ordering that the client be appointed sole managing conservator of her child approximately six years after the child was removed from the client s custody. The end result is that a mother will be reunited with her son. 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 2010 and 2011? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. Total number of pro bono hours in 2010: 18,540 Total number of pro bono hours in 2011: 27,769 What was the attorney headcount in your firm s U.S. offices? Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2010: 638 Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2011: 628 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 2010: 29 Average number of hours per attorney in 2011: 44 What percentage of attorneys employed during 2010 and 2011 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 2010: 31 40% Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2011: 41 50% 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? No 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? What is the maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? 100 hours, but additional credit is given on a case-by-case basis. 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? Pro bono matters are treated by the firm exactly the same as any other client matter, and associates working on these matters have available to them a full range of training opportunities. Vinson & Elkins has its own significant in-house professional education department, and pro bono subject matters are a regular part of the curriculum of Vinson & Elkins in-house training. New associates receive information and training about the firm s pro bono program shortly after their arrival at the firm. For particular substantive areas of pro bono work, such as political asylum and family law matters, specialized training is available either through in-house training from V&E staff or through external speakers hosted by V&E. Additionally, V&E supports its lawyers attending outside training opportunities as it relates to their pro bono matters or areas of interest. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? Please indicate how many total hours and average hours per person your summer associates spent performing pro bono in 2010 and Total hours summer associates spent on pro bono work 2010: 1, : 2, Vault.com Inc.

5 Average hours per summer associate spent on pro bono work 2010: : 20 Percentage of summer associates in your firm s U.S. office(s) engaged in pro bono work 2010: 46% 2011: 52% Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Over the last several years, V&E has developed its own Summer Associate Research Program, in which Summer Associates are given the opportunity to draft research memos for a variety of V&E s pro bono partner organizations. These memos are then used by the organizations to conduct trainings, propose legislation and engage in impact litigation. Our commitment to our summer associates involvement in pro bono is demonstrated also by our Public Interest Split Summer Program in which summer associates may apply to work half the summer at Vinson & Elkins and the other half at a public service organization while being paid by Vinson & Elkins. Finally, we have also provided the opportunity for our summer associates to complete pro bono requirements of their respective law schools by completing additional weeks in their summer associate program and focusing solely on pro bono work during those particular weeks. Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? Please describe the established program(s) and their duration, if applicable. Since 2007, has assisted the City Attorney for the City of Grand Prairie, Texas with misdemeanor prosecutions. To date, V&E s attorneys have tried over 400 jury and bench trials and assisted in the negotiation of numerous plea agreements. The program offers invaluable training opportunities to V&E s litigators, who handle all aspects of each trial and receive post-trial feedback from the City Attorney and municipal judges. Because the experience is so beneficial, litigators from all of V&E s Texas offices frequently travel to Grand Prairie to participate. The program occurs each Thursday and requires only a one-day commitment. The City of Grand Prairie also benefits from the partnership, as V&E s assistance has allowed Grand Prairie to clear its case backlog. 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. Parallel to its commitment to pro bono work, Vinson & Elkins has always had deep involvement in the communities in which its lawyers live and work. V&E has partnered with law school clinics to provide pro bono work in those communities, and has partnered with law schools to assist in their fundraising efforts and other community-related programming. Vinson & Elkins has always been and continues to be incredibly supportive of law-related community organizations and law schools, helping to provide the support and pipeline for law students into the legal community. 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. In addition to all of V&E s law-related community activities, V&E supports and offers opportunities to its lawyers and staff participate in other volunteer activities in the community. Some examples of this work include, building houses with Habitat for the Humanity, staffing holiday parties at the HAY Center for foster youth, volunteering at local food banks, and participating in apprenticeship and mentoring programs in middle and high schools. Please list any special recognition or awards your firm has won since 2010 for its pro bono work. November 2012: V&E was awarded the Angel of Freedom award from the Human Rights Initiative for the work that they have done in their political asylum work. October 2012: V&E received an award from the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program for V&E s commitment to pro bono work on behalf of clients in need in the Dallas community October 2012: V&E lawyers received an award from the Texas Civil Rights Project for their tireless and dedicated work on behalf of a wronged Texas prisoner April 2012: Vinson & Elkins was awarded the Harris County Bench Bar Pro Bono Award for outstanding contributions to pro bono legal services during February 2012: V&E received the Houston Bar Foundation award for Outstanding Law Firm Contribution to the Houston Volunteer Lawyers Program for 2011 March 2011: Dell, Inc. selected Vinson & Elkins Austin office as a recipient of Dell s Inaugural Pro Bono Law Firm Award Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. V&E lawyers are guided by the principle that pro bono clients like all of our clients should be fully and effectively represented. As a result, we devote significant time and financial resources to the legal needs of persons who cannot afford to pay for representation. V&E s pro bono initiatives provide our lawyers an opportunity to connect with the human side of the practice of law. From senior partners to first-year associates, in both our domestic and international offices, our lawyers apply their skills to personal passions and make lasting impacts in the communities in which they live and work. Each year, nearly 30,000 hours of free legal service are provided to those in need by V&E lawyers. Our pro bono work comes from 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. 637

6 many sources from attorneys interested in specific issues, to legal service providers who work each day to improve the lives of those in need, to partnering with clients to assist the underserved. Whether we re helping to reunite mothers and children, assisting Holocaust victims in the U.S. with obtaining restitution from the German government, or representing veterans and active duty military personnel with legal problems, V&E s long tradition of pro bono work has grown over the years to become a broad and diverse practice area. The strength of V&E s pro bono program is deeply rooted in the firm s core principles and is sustained by our lawyers personal dedication to service. In 2008, V&E added a full-time Pro Bono Counsel, Ellyn Haikin Josef, to assist the firm s Pro Bono Committee with both program facilitation and related projects. In January of 2012, Vinson & Elkins named Harry Reasoner, Former Managing Partner, as the Firm s Pro Bono Chair. Throughout Harry s nearly 50-year legal career, he has devoted several thousand hours of legal services to some of the most highprofile and important pro bono cases. As V&E s most notable pro bono champion, Harry Reasoner continues to encourage lawyers to do their part to make a difference in the lives of individuals and communities Vault.com Inc.

The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.

The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving. Albert Einstein At Sullivan & Cromwell, we have a long tradition of encouraging pro bono involvement by our lawyers