James W. Jones, Managing Director, Hildebrandt

Esther F. Lardent, President & CEO, The Pro Bono Institute

In response to the economic crisis, many firms are using a variety of measures to lower labor costs, including layoff of lawyers and deferral of starting dates for incoming classes of new associates.

While these measures may provide costs savings, they also create morale problems, anxiety, and can impact the firm’s reputation, impair smooth decisions, and create uncertainty for the firm and the lawyers impacted by these decisions.

A growing number of major law firms are using “pro bono fellowships” as tools to lessen the trauma of cost controls and to leverage value for the firm and its lawyers from the layoff and deferral process. These pro bono placements provide valuable professional development opportunities, enhance team building skills, improve morale, and offer favorable publicity.

You will hear from James Jones, Hildebrandt’s Managing Director and one of the most knowledgeable commentators on the current state of the legal economy, and Esther Lardent, President of the Pro Bono Institute, a highly respected resource on large law firm pro bono. They will share about recommendations for best practices in undertaking layoffs and deferrals with a pro bono dimension and how to best address the myriad issues surrounding these options. Throughout the program you will have the opportunity to pose questions to our speakers.   Register for this interactive Virtual Seminar and learn how you can use pro bono to more effectively address RIFs, underutilized lawyers and deferred arrivals of new associates.

Register today for both programs in this series and receive $100 off your total order.  For details, see the Other Virtual Seminars in this Series on this page.