Main US office location: 1155 Avenue of the Americas New York, NY 10036 www.whitecase.com (212) 819-8200 THE STATS No. of Attorneys: 2,006 No. of Offices: 37 Chairman: Hugh Verrier Who s Who Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Patrick Rickerfor Global Pro Bono Manager (212) 819-7805 patrick.rickerfor@whitecase.com work/administering pro bono program: 100% Louis O Neill Pro Bono Counsel & Director (212) 819-8345 louis.oneill@whitecase.com work/administering pro bono program: 100% Elizabeth Black Global Manager of Social Responsibility (202) 719-2333 elizabeth.black@whitecase.com work/administering pro bono program: 75% Pro Bono website (if different from main site): www.whitecase.com/social-responsibility/our-pro-bono-practice Does the firm have a pro bono committee? No How does the firm decide whether to take on a pro bono matter? New pro bono matters must be approved by the Conflicts and New Business Department and the Global Pro Bono Practice, which will consult as needed with partners whose location, practice or area of expertise is relevant to the proposed matter. 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 2014? Asylum; Bankruptcy; 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; HIV/AIDS advocacy; Homeless advocacy; Immigration; Indigent criminal defense; International human rights; Juvenile justice reform; Nonprofit corporate law; Nonprofit incorporation/tax exemptions; Nonprofit intellectual property; Parole hearings; Police misconduct; Prisoners rights; Social security law; Probate law; Public benefits; Real estate transactions; The arts and historic preservation; Veterans benefits/appeals; Voting rights Are there areas of law in which, as a matter of policy or practice, your firm does not perform pro bono work? If so, please indicate the specific areas below. If not, please select none. None THE SCOOP Does the firm have a written pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2014, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Acumen Advocates for International Development ECPAT International Conservation International 486
The Legal Aid Society of New York Médecins Sans Frontières PILnet: The Global Network for Public Interest Law SOS Children s Villages TrustLaw Women s World Banking List up to three pro bono matters/representations that are highlights (e.g., a Supreme Court case). Staten Island Surveillance Our lawyers in New York, working with The Legal Aid Society, obtained a preliminary injunction in October 2015 barring the City of New York and the Department of Correction from operating surveillance cameras in the attorney-client interview rooms at the new criminal courthouse in Staten Island. An associate successfully argued the case in court, and the briefs were drafted largely by associates. The cameras had prevented defendants from having free discussions with their lawyers, compromising a vital aspect of the legal process. Our lawyers argued that the placement of the cameras inside the interview rooms would violate the Sixth Amendment rights of detainees. The placement of the cameras also violated a 1992 class action agreement which provided for interview booths for prearraignment detainees to consult privately with counsel in the courthouse on Staten Island. ECPAT International White & Case helped NGO ECPAT (End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes) conduct the first global study of substantive and procedural law related to online child sexual exploitation (OCSE). Associates took a substantial role on research, choosing countries of interest to them and producing thorough country-specific reports. This 92-country effort, entitled Global Study of Laws Relating to Sexual Exploitation of Children Online, provides an accurate assessment of the legal landscape on OCSE around the world, highlighting best practices and identifying legal gaps across multiple jurisdictions. ECPAT has used the study to fine-tune its interventions from country to country, strengthening anti-ocse legislation and enhancing the ability of law enforcement to prosecute offenders. The impact of White & Case s research goes far beyond this one organization. ECPAT has used the findings to inform the advocacy papers and expert advice it presents to regional and international child-rights groups. It has widely disseminated the Global Study, sharing it with child-focused regional bodies and international organizations, from the African Committee of Experts on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child. ECPAT s Head of Program, Marie-Laure Lemineur, has commented that White & Case s involvement has led to better law and more robust protection of children. Sweet Briar College Faculty and Staff Our lawyers in Miami and Washington D.C. achieved a successful settlement for the faculty and staff of Sweet Briar College, a 100-year-old women s college in rural Virginia, after the college s board unexpectedly announced in the spring of 2015 that the college was not financially viable and would soon close. The faculty and staff stood to lose their jobs and in some cases their homes, and certain professors also faced loss of tenure, a lifetime achievement. White & Case challenged the Board s right to terminate professors tenure based on the college s purported financial straits, and began preparing for litigation, which involved significant document discovery, depositions and multiple hearings. The process eventually moved to mediation and settlement discussions at the request of Virginia s Attorney General, who had also intervened in the case. The firm s advocacy was critical in obtaining a settlement agreement that permitted the college to remain open for at least one academic year and required several Board members to resign and be replaced by new leadership. White & Case secured severance packages for faculty and staff that had left the college following the closing announcement, as well as those faculty and staff that remained, in the event the college closed within the following academic year. Associates from the Financial Restructuring and Insolvency and Litigation groups worked closely with partners in those practice groups and with members of Sweet Briar s faculty and staff throughout the representation. While the ultimate future of the college remains uncertain, Sweet Briar College remains open and, according to reports, received a recordbreaking number of applicants this past year. BY THE NUMBERS What is the total number of hours that lawyers at your US office(s) spent performing pro bono legal services, as defined by the law firm pro bono challenge, in 2014 and 2015? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. 2014: 47,268 2015: 51,729 What was the attorney headcount in your firm s US office(s)? As of December 31, 2014: 563 As of December 31, 2015: 598 Using the number of attorneys listed above, what is the average number of pro bono hours per attorney in your firm s US office(s) during the following years? 2014: 84 2015: 87 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. 487
What percentage of attorneys employed in 2014 and 2015 in your firm s US office(s) did at least 20 hours of pro bono work during that calendar year? 2014: 69% 2015: 69% 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? If so, are those evaluations taken into account in determining salary or bonuses?, they are taken into account in determining salary and bonuses Are those evaluations taken into account in determining advancement within the firm? Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? If so, what is the requirement and to whom does it apply? All summer and first-year associates must do pro bono work 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? If so, what is the maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? 200 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 training is available through the legal service providers from which we accept cases and a training calendar is maintained on the firm s intranet page. The firm also hosts several of these training sessions each year. In addition, senior lawyers with experience in relevant pro bono fields provide formal and informal trainings to our junior lawyers. 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 work in 2014 and 2015. Please round to the nearest hour and include numbers only: do not use commas, decimal points or labels. Total hours summer associates spent on pro bono work: 2014: 3,124 2015: 6,532 Average hours per summer associate spent on pro bono work: 2014: 53 2015: 65 Percentage of summer associates in your firm s U.S. office(s) engaged in pro bono work: 2014: 90% 2015: 91% Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Summer associates are assigned pro bono matters based on their interests. In addition, the New York office participates in domestic violence and nonprofit externship projects specifically designed for summer associates. Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? If so, please describe the established program(s) and their duration, if applicable. Acumen Fund: White & Case offers an 8 to 10 week secondment to pro bono client Acumen, a nonprofit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty. Her Justice: Lawyers can spend three months at Her Justice, a nonprofit that serves low-income women who need free legal services in matrimonial, family and immigration law. Legal Aid Society: White & Case provides lawyers an opportunity to participate in a criminal aid externship and a rotation in the Legal Aid Society s General Counsel office. 488
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 applicable. White & Case is the International Rounds sponsor and a global partner of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition. In addition to the International Rounds, White & Case sponsors Jessup competitions in Belgium, Brazil, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Georgia, Hong Kong, Poland, Russia, Slovakia, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Washington, DC. The firm also supported the travel for teams from Ghana and Hungary to attend the White & Case International Rounds. For each of the past six years, more than 70 lawyers and staff in our New York office have participated in the Law Firm Legal Diversity Pipeline Program run by Street Law. Our lawyers teach lessons about the law to 95 students at Cristo Rey High School followed by a day at the office where they participated in mock trials and depositions and take a tour where each group visits with four lawyers or staff members in their offices. Volunteers from the New York office s Business Women s Initiative helped local public high school girls prepare for college interviews and the college application process as part of a Young Women s Leadership Network event. 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 Los Angeles office adopted a family for the holidays through the Children s Hospital of Los Angeles Holidays from the Heart Program. The New York and Washington, DC offices ran a drive for school supplies for children in homeless shelters with Operation Backpack. Volunteers in Tampa, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC built houses in underserved areas with Habitat for Humanity. The New York office also: Participated in the work-study program at Cristo Rey New York High School in East Harlem Organized an annual holiday toy drive for children at St. Barnabas Hospital Built and donated bicycles to local military families with the USO Held employability workshops for low-income individuals with StreetWise Partners Climbed a 42-story building as part of the Her Justice event to raise funds for victims of domestic violence Volunteers in Washington, DC also: Read to elementary students as part of the Everybody Wins! DC literacy program Participated in the 19th Annual Maryland Polar Bear Plunge raising funds to benefit the Maryland Special Olympics Renovated school playgrounds and parks with Playworks DC and DC Parks and Recreation Held food and clothing drives for Bread for the City and Gifts for the Homeless. Please list special recognition or awards your firm has won in the last three years for its pro bono work. Received the 2016 John H. Pickering Award from the Pro Bono Institute for our global pro bono program. Received The American Lawyer s Lifetime Achievement Global Citizenship Award for its extraordinary support of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court competition. Recognized by The American Lawyerr with its Global CSR Program of the Year award in 2015 for our collaboration with the Kingdom of Bhutan to create the country s first law school. The Thomson Reuters Foundation honored our work over the past five years with a special Anniversary Award given to the firm which has done the most for the first five years of TrustLaw, its pro bono clearinghouse. New York partner Owen Pell s ten-year body of work with the Auschwitz Institute for Peace and Reconciliation to prevent genocide received a Standout commendation by the Financial Times in the social responsibility category of the FT European Innovative Lawyers 2015 report. Our work on the Global Health Investment Fund won a Commended rating for its innovation by the Financial Times in the social responsibility category of the FT North America Innovative Lawyers 2014 report. Work on anti-terrorist vetting procedures earned a Commended ranking for its innovation by the Financial Times in the social responsibility category of the FT Innovative Lawyers 2014 report. Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. You might want to touch on some of the following issues: firm s pro bono philosophy; procedures for undertaking pro bono; assignments; staffing of pro bono cases; general volunteering opportunities (outside of legal services); salary structure as it relates to pro bono work and billable hours or bonuses; international pro bono; opportunities; pro bono hours by office or region, including overseas. White & Case has been taking on important pro bono work since the firm was founded in 1901. Today we are one of the largest providers of pro bono legal services in the world. In 2010, we named pro bono one of our 14 global practices. This step puts pro bono work on par with our commercial practices in the leadership, focus and management that we bring to bear. Under the leadership of Brussels partner and EU-law litigator Jacquelyn MacLennan, our global pro bono practice focuses on three areas: providing access to justice, promoting good 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. 489
governance and the rule of law, and serving the world s leading non-governmental organizations. More than 110 partners worldwide serve as pro bono leaders who help guide and develop the practice. White & Case s integrated global footprint is distinctive and gives shape to our pro bono work. We offer many cross-border projects that provide all our lawyers the opportunity to work on international issues regardless of where they sit. All our offices and more than half of our lawyers worldwide (including many in countries where pro bono is a relatively new concept) worked on a pro bono matter in 2015, dedicating approximately 86,000 hours to pro bono legal services. 490