Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP received the highest ranking of any law firm in Alabama, Mississippi or Tennessee in this year’s American Lawyer Pro Bono Survey. The list, published in the July issue of American Lawyer Magazine, ranks the nation’s 200 highest grossing firms with a score that combines the number of pro bono hours per lawyer with the percentage of lawyers at the firm who regularly participate in pro bono efforts. Bradley Arant’s attorneys gave 5,900 hours of pro bono service in 2009.
“Our ranking on this list underlines our attorneys’ commitment to our local community,” said David Taylor, a partner in Bradley Arant’s Nashville office and co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Committee. “Our ability to serve our business clients while improving the lives of those less fortunate allows us to return to the roots of why we entered the legal profession: to make a difference.”
Bradley Arant has a long and distinguished history of involvement in, and strong commitment to, the communities where its lawyers live and practice. This is recognized and encouraged through the firm’s pro bono program. The firm believes that all of its lawyers have an ethical obligation to help address the unmet legal needs of indigent individuals and charitable institutions. Pro bono service at Bradley Arant includes the representation of indigent individuals and non-profit organizations, and involvement in matters of broad public concern.
Examples of the firm’s pro bono work include:
Alabama
- The Conservation Fund (www.conservationfund.org): The firm serves as counsel to one of the country’s premier conservation organizations in connection with the purchase of a tract of land in Alabama’s Coosa County which will extend the Pinhoti Trail and ultimately connect major long-distance hiking trails in the state to the Appalachian Trail.
- aTeam Ministries (www.ateamministries.org): This non-profit organization provides emotional, spiritual and financial support to families with children undergoing treatment for cancer and blood disorders, working closely with Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. Bradley Arant assisted aTeam with incorporating as a non-profit and in securing tax-exempt status.
- Rural and Urban Self Help (RUSH) Initiative (www.rushinitiative.org): RUSH, a grassroots, community-driven non-profit has developed a program called First Teachers@home, which mentors parents in working with their children to help them succeed academically. Bradley Arant serves as counsel to RUSH in connection with drafting agreements between First Teachers@home and local schools and boards of education.
- Birmingham HELP Program: Through a collaborative partnership with other Birmingham law firms, Bradley Arant attorneys provide pro bono legal advice and assistance to homeless men and women at the Old Firehouse Men’s Shelter and the First Light Women’s Shelter. Attorneys have helped shelter clients with a variety of legal issues, including obtaining driver’s licenses, applying for government benefits, and clearing up minor problems that had prevented individuals from obtaining employment or housing.
Tennessee
- TennCare: This is a health care program run by the Tennessee Justice Center that serves 1.2 million people statewide, half of whom are children. The firm’s attorneys have contributed more than 1,200 hours to assist individuals and families that have been denied medical coverage and services. For its efforts, the firm was recognized by the Tennessee Justice Center as Pro Bono Firm of the Year in 2008, and since then, Bradley Arant has increased its work with the organization.
- Lawyers Serving Warriors: Bradley Arant actively represents veterans through the Lawyers for Warriors Project, which provides legal assistance to veterans from Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. Many of the firm’s attorneys have represented veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury with their benefits struggles. Since Bradley Arant began working with the program in January 2009, the firm has contributed more than 420 hours of service.
Mississippi
- Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (www.mvlp.net): The firm devotes a significant amount of pro bono time to assisting the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP). The program provides legal assistance to eligible low-income individuals with important civil legal matters where counsel is otherwise unavailable. The goal of the MVLP is to promote the economic stability and safety of families, children and individuals and to help foster client self-sufficiency. In addition to handling cases for MVLP, Bradley Arant attorneys have developed a manual of legal research and forms for use by the organization, and have organized and taught trial practice courses for legal services lawyers.
- Hurricane Katrina: The firm’s attorneys continue to provide pro bono representation to hurricane victims via a hotline established by the Young Lawyers Division of the Mississippi State Bar and by handling cases referred to the firm.
- Children in State Care: The firm represented a statewide class of children in foster care in a suit brought against the Mississippi Department of Human Services. The case resulted in the state’s agreeing to numerous foster care system reforms.