Mountain View, Calif. (July 29, 2014)– Fenwick & West announced today that the firm received the San Francisco Business Times’ 2014 Community Impact Award for its Virtual Pro Bono Project, which uses technology to bring legal services to low-income people in rural areas.
Fenwick was honored by theSan Francisco Business Times at its prestigious Corporate Philanthropy Awards breakfast in San Francisco on July 24. The event recognized top Bay Area corporate philanthropists, including Jacqueline Fuller, director of Google.org, and George John, CEO and co-founder of Rocket Fuel.
The Community Impact Award honors Fenwick for its work integrating virtual technology into the pro bono clinic model, to increase access by rural communities to legal aid. Through the Virtual Pro Bono Project, clients in rural areas meet via web conferences with Fenwick lawyers who do not have to travel to provide pro bono services.
“Less travel time means more time to serve our pro bono clients,” said Julie Park, pro bono director at Fenwick. “The Virtual Pro Bono Clinic exemplifies Fenwick’s innovative culture and deep dedication to pro bono work,” she added.
The Virtual Pro Bono Project, jointly undertaken with the Pro Bono Project of Silicon Valley, Cisco Systems and DLA Piper, has been so successful that other legal services agencies in California are piloting their own virtual clinics.
“The Community Impact Award highlights our vision of pro bono as integral to our work at Fenwick,” said Patrick Premo, Fenwick partner and pro bono chair. “We’re honored to have the chance to contribute to our local communities through this exciting project and partnership.”
Fenwick’s nationally recognized pro bono program includes civil rights, child advocacy and political asylum work, as well as impact litigation and death penalty cases, and advocacy for the Appellate Project, Street Law and AIDS Project. Over the past five years, Fenwick attorneys and staff have completed nearly 50,000 pro bono hours valued at roughly $20 million in legal fees.
Fenwick has already received several other awards in 2014 for its exemplary commitment to pro bono work, including the National Legal Aid & Defender Association’s Beacon of Justice Award and the San Mateo County Legal Aid Society’s Guardian of Justice Award.The National Law Journal selected Fenwick for its 2014 Pro Bono Hot List; Fenwick was one of only 10 law firms in the United States to receive this recognition.
About Fenwick & West
Fenwick & West provides comprehensive legal services to groundbreaking technology and life sciences companies at every stage of their lifecycle. We craft innovative, cost-effective and practical solutions for established and emerging companies on issues ranging from venture capital, public offerings, joint ventures, M&A and strategic relationships, to intellectual property, litigation and dispute resolution, taxation, antitrust, and employment and labor law. For more than four decades, Fenwick has helped some of the world's most recognized companies become and remain market leaders.