Our Commitment To Pro Bono - A Core Value (Brochure)

Quarles & Brady LLP has for many years demonstrated an enthusiastic commitment to the provision of pro bono legal services. We consider it our duty to help to ensure that justice is available to all persons, regardless of income, and we strive to provide quality legal representation for those in our communities who are least able to pay, yet most in need of those services. It is ingrained in our Firm culture.

That dedication and commitment constantly drives us to do more. Rather than be satisfied with the already high level of pro bono representation we provide, we search for other ways, more projects, to which we can direct our resources. It is our intent to set the bar higher.

For instance, with eagerness and enthusiasm, we are a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, which is administered by the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project, of which we are a member. We have “challenged” ourselves to contribute, at a minimum, an amount of time equal to three percent of the Firm’s total billable hours, or 60 hours per attorney, to pro bono work. Additionally illustrating our commitment to the "challenge," we offer the unique distinction of providing hour-for-hour credit to our attorneys for their pro bono service. Attorneys from all of our offices take part in the challenge.

Quarles and Brady has received both office and firmwide honors in the pro bono area. Examples of firmwide pro bono merits, include:

• In fiscal year 2009, we recorded 27,890 pro bono hours. This was equal to
  4.4 percent of our billable hours.
  
  
• We opened 322 new pro bono files in fiscal year 2009 and, including our clinic work, served approximately 600 individuals and 175 organizations.
  
  
• Every year, we offer incoming first-year associates, in the summer before they start with the Firm, the opportunity to be paid by Quarles & Brady to work at organizations that provide legal services to the poor. In 2009, we had seven attorneys in that “externship” program.
  
  
• We ranked 4th nationally in the Best Pro Bono Program category in the influential VAULT survey.
  
  
• In the last three years, 18 Quarles & Brady attorneys have won awards and recognition for their pro bono work.

The pro bono highlights below are categorized by office. Click on the links below to view specific office highlights:

Chicago
Madison
Milwaukee
Naples
Phoenix
Tucson


Chicago

• Thirty-nine Chicago attorneys provided pro bono services in the 2009 fiscal year; they averaged 98 pro bono hours.
  
  
• Pro bono hours for Chicago attorneys increased 78 percent in the 2009 fiscal year.
  
  
• Fifteen associates and four partners recorded over 50 hours of pro bono in firm and individual pro bono hours combined.
  
  
• Chicago’s pro bono attorneys represented over two dozen organizations in the 2009 fiscal year, including the Shriver Center and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. They also represented individuals on a pro bono basis regarding guardianships, landlord-tenant, immigration/asylum and estate planning.
  
  
• Chicago attorneys were active participants in the Firm’s pro bono criminal appeals program by taking cases on referral from the Court of Appeals, 7th Circuit.
  
  
• Jennifer Dorn and Donna Moore were “loaned” to organizations on a part-time basis to provide pro bono legal services — Community Economic Development Law Project (Jennifer) and Lawyers for Creative Arts and the Chicago Bar Association’s Mental Health Pro Bono Panel (Donna). Donna also established a legal clinic — Straight Justice — which provides legal consultations to individuals in minority and underpriviledged areas.
  
  
• Brooke Krekow, incoming associate, completed an externship with Lambda Legal. 

Madison

• All Madison partners recorded pro bono hours in the 2009 fiscal year — the only partner group in the Firm to do so.
  
  
• Pro bono hours for Madison attorneys increased 82 percent in the 2009 fiscal year; they averaged 87 pro bono hours.
  
  
• Eight associates and four partners recorded over 50 hours of pro bono in firm and individual pro bono hours combined.
  
  
• The office became an active participant in the Dane County Family Court Assistance Project. They provided a wide variety of pro bono legal services in virtually all areas of law, including transactional work for organizations and representation of individuals in the areas of asylum, civil rights, Social Security disability, family law, labor and employment and domestic abuse.
  
  
• Christina Choi was “loaned” to Domestic Abuse Intervention Services to provide pro bono legal representation on a part-time basis.

Milwaukee

• Pro bono hours for Milwaukee attorneys increased 35 percent in the 2009 fiscal year; they averaged 74 pro bono hours.
  
  
• Fifty-six associates and 14 partners recorded over 50 hours of pro bono in firm and individual pro bono hours combined. The Milwaukee office had the highest percentage of associates who did so (66 percent).
  
  
• Sixty-one percent of all pro bono hours in Milwaukee were recorded by non-litigators.
  
  
• Our Milwaukee office received the Exceptional Pro Bono Partnership Award from the Volunteer Lawyers Project.
  
  
• We also received the Hope Award from the Task Force on Family Violence, Wisconsin.
  
  
• The office continued its association with the Marquette Volunteer Legal Clinic, staffing the Wednesday night walk-in clinic at the Spanish Center’s Hillview Building. Office lawyers also continued to work at the Family Justice Clinic at the Milwaukee County Courthouse, and as part of a task force securing temporary restraining orders for domestic abuse victims.
  
  
• Milwaukee attorneys began working in the guardianship clinic at Children's Hospital and with the Legal-Medical Partnership at the Downtown Health Center. Our partners in this partnership are Children's Hospital, the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University.
  
  
• Mike Gonring was elected Lawyer of the Year by the Milwaukee Bar Association for his pro bono service.
  
  
• Katie Perhach was elected Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by the State Bar of Wisconsin.
  
  
• Ruhee Divgi and Matt Vogel received pro bono awards from the African American Alliance for their legal work on behalf of the organization.
  
  
• Marcus Wester worked for two months, half time, at Centro Legal, providing free legal services in family law to those in need. Spencer Larche (Catholic Charities), Ann Martin (Milwaukee Justice Center), Kelly Turenne (Legal Aid Society foreclosure project) and Katrene Zelenovskiy (Kids Matter) were “loaned” out on a part-time basis to provide legal services to the poor.
  
  
• Five incoming associates worked as "externs" in the summer of 2009: Chris Russell and Luke Kohtala in Catholic Charities' immigration law program; Eric Van Schyndle at the Legal Aid Society; Leah Stoecker at Legal Action of Wisconsin and Allie Cimpl-Wiemer at the State Public Defender.
  
  
• We continue to be one of Habitat for Humanity’s top contributors, providing hundreds of hours anually in legal services.

Naples

• The Naples office has been selected as 2009 Law Firm of the Year by the Legal Aid Service of Collier County.
  
  
• Naples attorneys averaged 62 pro bono hours in fiscal year 2009.
  
  
• Five associates and two partners recorded over 50 hours of pro bono in firm and individual pro bono hours combined; 65 percent of all Naples attorneys had at least 20 hours of pro bono.
  
  
• Eighty-eight percent of all Naples lawyers recorded pro bono hours. This was ahead of the firm average (74 percent) and the second largest percentage among firm offices.
  
  
• The office continued to represent organizations which serve needy people, such as Fun Time Early Childhood Academy and St. Matthew’s House, in a variety of legal areas. Naples attorneys also assisted individuals in areas such as adoption, eviction defense, criminal law, family law and tenants’ rights.
  
  
• The Naples office also partnered with the Cancer Alliance of Naples, a grass roots organization that raised money to provide individuals (and their families) who are undergoing cancer treatment the basic necessities of life, such as grocery gift cards, payment of electric bills, rent, car payments and gas cards.
  
  
• Tim Hains, Managing Partner of the Naples office, accepted a case from the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law, and supervised an interoffice Quarles & Brady team in attempting to clear title to land in North Carolina. The land was owned by an extended African American family; Tim set up a limited liability company to protect the land from developers.
  
  
• Eric Veenstra was “loaned” on a part-time basis to the Legal Aid Service of Collier County, and was named "Pro Bono Attorney of the Month" for his work.
  
  
• Kelly Davis was “loaned” on a part-time basis to the Legal Aid Service of Collier County, and was named "Pro Bono Attorney of the Month" for her work.

Phoenix

• Phoenix attorneys averaged 56 pro bono hours in fiscal year 2009.
  
  
• Thirty-one associates and three partners recorded over 50 hours of pro bono; fifty percent of the Phoenix attorneys had at least 20 hours of pro bono.
  
  
• Ninety-six percent of all Phoenix associates recorded pro bono hours — the highest average in the Firm.
  
  
• Quarles & Brady received the Community Service Law Firm Award from the Volunteer Lawyers Program.
  
  
• Ed Salanga was honored as a Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year from the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education.
  
  
• Four associates from the Phoenix office — Christine Cassetta, Rachel Robertson, Yvonne Stuckey and Katea Ravega — were "loaned" on a part-time basis to organizations that provide legal services to poor people.
  
  
• Ed Gonzalez, incoming associate, “externed” at the Civil Justice Clinic at Arizona State University. Quarles & Brady paid for Ed to work at the clinic and provide pro bono representation to needy people.
  
  
• The State Bar of Arizona awarded Quarles & Brady the Pro Bono Award for its efforts with the Wills for Heroes Program.

Tucson

• Tuscon attorneys averaged 64 pro bono hours in fiscal year 2009; 62 percent of them recorded pro bono hours.
  
  
• Five associates and three partners — 50 percent of the Firm's lawyers — recorded over 50 hours of pro bono.
  
  
• The Southern Arizona Legal Aid Volunteer Lawyer Program awarded Quarles & Brady the Law Firm of the Year award in Tucson.
  
  
• Deanna Conn was honored as a Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year from the Arizona Foundation for Legal Services & Education.
  
  
• Kasey Nye of the Tucson office received the Outstanding Young Alumni Volunteer from the University of Arizona.
  
  
• Susan Salmon of the Tucson office received the Outstanding New Volunteer Attorney from the Volunteer Lawyers Program.
  
  
• The office continued its long pro bono association with the Volunteer Lawyers Program, representing those in need in a variety of legal matters.

For more information regarding our pro bono services, please see our brochure.