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Pro Bono Contact |
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| Pro Bono Contact Name | Katie Cronin |
| Pro Bono Contact Title | Pro Bono Counsel |
| Pro Bono Contact Phone | 816.691.3272 |
| Pro Bono Contact Email | [email protected] |
| Is the pro bono information indicated here firm-wide or specific to one office? | Firm-wide |
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| % Firm Billable Hours last year | 3.44% |
| Average Hours per Attorney last year | 45 |
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Pro Bono Participation |
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| Percent of associates participating last year | 100% |
| Percent of partners participating last year | 77% |
| Percent of other lawyers participating last year | 84% |
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Average hours |
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| Average hours per associate last year | 55 |
| Average hours per partner last year | 30 |
| Average hours per other lawyer last year | 124 |
| What percentage of attorneys performed more than 20 hours? | 51% |
| What was the number of actual pro bono hours contributed by the organization in the prior calendar year? | 22,901 |
| Does the organization maintain a written pro bono policy that sets forth the organization's commitment to pro bono? | Yes |
| How does the organization define what constitutes pro bono legal work? |
Pro bono service refers to activities of the firm undertaken normally without expectation of fee and not in the course of ordinary commercial practice and consisting of: (i) the delivery of legal services to persons of limited means or to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental and educational organizations in matters which are designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; (ii) the provision of legal assistance to individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure or protect civil rights, civil liberties or public rights; and (iii) the provision of legal assistance to charitable, religious, civic, community, governmental or educational organizations in matters in furtherance of their organizational purposes, where the payment of standard legal fees would significantly deplete the organization's economic resources or would otherwise be inappropriate. |
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Organization pro bono hours goals |
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| Does the organization set annual goals regarding the minimum number of pro bono hours to be contributed by the organization? | Yes |
| If yes, what is that annual goal? | 3% of the firm's total billable hours or 60 hours per attorney (consistent with the expectations of a signatory to Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge) |
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Attorney pro bono goals |
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| Does the organization set individual attorney goals regarding the minimum number of pro bono hours to be contributed? | Yes |
| If yes, what is that annual goal? | 50 hours per attorney in keeping with the American Bar Association's Model Rule 6.1 on Voluntary Pro Bono Public Service. |
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Advancement/compensation |
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| Is an attorney's commitment to pro bono activity considered a favorable factor in advancement and compensation decisions? | Yes |
| If yes, to what extent? | Attorneys may count up to 50 hours of creditable pro bono toward their billable hour target each year. Outstanding pro bono contributions, by hour and/or impact, are considered as a factor in discretionary bonuses. |
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Pro bono support services |
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| Are full-time support services (word processing, online research Lexis/Westlaw, out of pocket costs) available for pro bono representation? | Yes |
| If so, are there any limitations? |
None |
| Are associates provided written evaluations of their work on pro bono matters? | Yes |
| Does the organization employ one or more of the following structures to manage its pro bono program and to provide training and guidance to participating attorneys? (Check all that apply): |
Full-time attorney in a dedicated pro bono coordination/oversight role Pro Bono Committee Non-attorney administrator |
| How is pro bono work assigned/distributed? |
The majority of pro bono work stems from the firm's own 30-year-old medical-legal partnership with the Community University Health Care Center in Minneapolis, MN, or is referred to the firm by partner legal services organizations. Pro bono work is distributed and assigned by the firm's full-time Pro Bono Counsel and Pro Bono Attorney, with administrative program support provided by a Pro Bono Specialist. In addition, the firm's Pro Bono Committee helps to identify and support local pro bono opportunities in all of the cities and regions where we have offices. |
| If an attorney is permitted to bring a pro bono case for possible consideration by the firm, who makes decisions about whether the firm will handle the matter? (check all that apply) | Other |
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Enabling pro bono or public interest work |
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| Does the organization provide any of the following to enable its attorneys to participate in pro bono activities or work in a public interest setting? (Check all that apply): | Other |
| If so please describe |
Attorneys in Stinson's Minneapolis office accept pro bono matters from the firm's medical-legal partnership with the Community University Health Care Center in Minneapolis, MN, and attend client meetings in that setting. Attorneys in various offices participate in eviction advice and representation and accept public defender and federal court appointments. |
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Summer associate pro bono opportunities |
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| Are pro bono opportunities available for summer associates? | Yes |
| Additional comments (Please use this space to provide any additional information about your organization's pro bono program including any special recognition or awards the organization has received for its pro bono work.) |
In 2022, Stinson continued its pro bono efforts to abate institutional and structural racism and its downstream effects. The firm had more than 17 partners serving as Working Group representatives or chairs on the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance. Stinson submitted amicus briefs in cases involving racially-biased jury deliberations and rental policies. In Kansas City, a real estate team secured a precedent-setting Chapter 353 tax abatement plan for a historically Hispanic and low-income neighborhood to protect longtime residents from drastic property tax increases and to mitigate gentrification. A nuisance lawsuit is helping an urban neighborhood association fight dangerous conditions posed by an LLC operating near homes and public spaces. Another team is investigating racial bias in welfare fraud enforcement. 2022 Awards and Recognitions Firm Awards
Individual Recognition
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| What are some of the areas in which your organization has performed pro bono work in the past year? |
Stinson's 2022 pro bono included significant litigation and transactional efforts in a variety of areas:
Stinson continues to prioritize the "everyday" legal needs of low-income Americans, and much of the work in this area stems from referrals from the firm's 30-year-old medical-legal partnership in Minneapolis. Civil liberties work included more than 2000 hours devoted to Election Protection efforts and nearly 900 Stinson hours devoted to a post-conviction case the firm is co-counseling with the Midwest Innocence Project. The firm continued its longstanding commitment to pro bono immigration but with a 2022 focus on meeting the legal needs of relocated Afghan families and individuals in the communities where we have offices and beyond. This was accomplished through clinics and longer-term full representation matters. The firm's transactional attorneys continue to support local organizations through our annual Nonprofit Legal Clinic in partnership with the Mid-America Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and other referral sources and our representation of partner neighborhoods in Kansas City, St. Louis, and Minneapolis. |
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Fellowship sponsorship |
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| Does your organization sponsor split public interest summer and/or post-graduate fellowships? | Case-by-case |
| Public Interest Fellowship Comments | |