As part of Pro Bono Week 2020 (October 25-31, 2020), Husch Blackwell is pleased to announce that the firm will host a Free Legal Answers Virtual Clinic throughout the week. Free Legal Answers, an endeavor of the American Bar Association, allows individuals to send in legal questions through an online link. Participating attorneys can log in at any time, search the various questions and answer according to their expertise.
The firm will also recognize the 500-plus attorneys and other professionals who each contributed pro bono hours from October 2019 through September 2020 with individual Pro Bono Badges: HB Contributor (up to 24 hours), HB Achiever (24-49 hours) and HB Champion (50 or more hours).
“During Pro Bono Week 2020, Husch Blackwell acknowledges all of our attorneys and other professionals who rose to the challenge and dedicated pro bono hours in what has been a challenging year,” said Margaret Richards, Husch Blackwell’s Director of Pro Bono Services.
In 2020, Husch Blackwell professionals have contributed pro bono hours to help meet a wide variety of needs across the country, including:
- Emergency estate planning for first responders and frontline healthcare workers;
- Assisting with rent and lease issues for tenants unable to make their monthly payments due to layoffs;
- Providing advice to small businesses and nonprofits facing various pandemic-related legal challenges; and
- Responding to a devastating tornado in Chattanooga.
As part of Pro Bono Week, Husch Blackwell presents its annual Pro Bono Impact Award on October 27 to associates Joseph Diedrich in Madison and Angela Harden in Milwaukee for their work on an amicus brief on behalf of a number of Wisconsin-based advocacy organizations committed to extending the rights of LGBTQ individuals. Established in 2018, this award is presented annually to an attorney who has made a significant pro bono impact on behalf of those unable to afford legal representation and who made a special contribution to the establishment or enhancement of pro bono programs at the firm. Past recipients of the Pro Bono Impact Award are:
2018: Maury Poscover, St. Louis and Larry McMullen, Kansas City
2019: Matt Knepper, St. Louis