My teaching career has continued throughout my time at Baker & McKenzie. I teach trial skills to public interest lawyers at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and litigation skills to our lawyers at Baker & McKenzie’s North American Regional Advocacy Training, last held in Colorado. I also continue to appear as a trial lawyer, often working alongside some of the best advocates in the United States. The Firm’s support for these activities allows me to keep my teaching and legal skills honed and to keep developing professionally. Meanwhile, the management part of my role is enhanced by staying actively involved with colleagues from a range of professional services firms through The Association of Pro Bono Counsel, the Pro Bono Institute, Equal Justice Works Foundation, and my informal networks. To have these opportunities in addition to being a full-time working mother of three (with one on the way) makes me feel very fortunate to have crafted a role with the Firm that allows me personal as well as professional success.

My teaching career has continued throughout my time at Baker & McKenzie. I teach trial skills to public interest lawyers at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and litigation skills to our lawyers at Baker & McKenzie’s North American Regional Advocacy Training, last held in Colorado. I also continue to appear as a trial lawyer, often working alongside some of the best advocates in the United States. The Firm’s support for these activities allows me to keep my teaching and legal skills honed and to keep developing professionally. Meanwhile, the management part of my role is enhanced by staying actively involved with colleagues from a range of professional services firms through The Association of Pro Bono Counsel, the Pro Bono Institute, Equal Justice Works Foundation, and my informal networks. To have these opportunities in addition to being a full-time working mother of three (with one on the way) makes me feel very fortunate to have crafted a role with the Firm that allows me personal as well as professional success.

My teaching career has continued throughout my time at Baker & McKenzie. I teach trial skills to public interest lawyers at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and litigation skills to our lawyers at Baker & McKenzie’s North American Regional Advocacy Training, last held in Colorado. I also continue to appear as a trial lawyer, often working alongside some of the best advocates in the United States. The Firm’s support for these activities allows me to keep my teaching and legal skills honed and to keep developing professionally. Meanwhile, the management part of my role is enhanced by staying actively involved with colleagues from a range of professional services firms through The Association of Pro Bono Counsel, the Pro Bono Institute, Equal Justice Works Foundation, and my informal networks. To have these opportunities in addition to being a full-time working mother of three (with one on the way) makes me feel very fortunate to have crafted a role with the Firm that allows me personal as well as professional success.

My teaching career has continued throughout my time at Baker & McKenzie. I teach trial skills to public interest lawyers at the National Institute of Trial Advocacy, and litigation skills to our lawyers at Baker & McKenzie’s North American Regional Advocacy Training, last held in Colorado. I also continue to appear as a trial lawyer, often working alongside some of the best advocates in the United States. The Firm’s support for these activities allows me to keep my teaching and legal skills honed and to keep developing professionally. Meanwhile, the management part of my role is enhanced by staying actively involved with colleagues from a range of professional services firms through The Association of Pro Bono Counsel, the Pro Bono Institute, Equal Justice Works Foundation, and my informal networks. To have these opportunities in addition to being a full-time working mother of three (with one on the way) makes me feel very fortunate to have crafted a role with the Firm that allows me personal as well as professional success.

Baker & McKenzie’s global identity leaves its mark on most everything we do in the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice—the type of matters we can take on, how we approach them, and the knowledge on which we can draw. Our recent work for the UN-hosted Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor is an example of a type of pro bono outreach that Baker & McKenzie is doing more and more of every year—problem solving and legal analysis on a global scale, helping to shape policy that can benefit large groups of people around the world. This work doesn’t replace the work we do for individuals, but, as the UN has recognized, it allows us to offer the same big picture skills we use everyday for our global commercial clients. Our global fluency makes it possible to quickly gather teams and information on any project. With the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, I was receiving regular reports from team leaders in Australia, London, and around North America, brainstorming new ideas in new areas of law across challenging time zone combinations. Many team members were able to bring their previous experience working with the UN or other regional and international NGOs. For me, it was an exciting, rich and truly global experience.

Baker & McKenzie’s global identity leaves its mark on most everything we do in the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice—the type of matters we can take on, how we approach them, and the knowledge on which we can draw. Our recent work for the UN-hosted Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor is an example of a type of pro bono outreach that Baker & McKenzie is doing more and more of every year—problem solving and legal analysis on a global scale, helping to shape policy that can benefit large groups of people around the world. This work doesn’t replace the work we do for individuals, but, as the UN has recognized, it allows us to offer the same big picture skills we use everyday for our global commercial clients. Our global fluency makes it possible to quickly gather teams and information on any project. With the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, I was receiving regular reports from team leaders in Australia, London, and around North America, brainstorming new ideas in new areas of law across challenging time zone combinations. Many team members were able to bring their previous experience working with the UN or other regional and international NGOs. For me, it was an exciting, rich and truly global experience.

Baker & McKenzie’s global identity leaves its mark on most everything we do in the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice—the type of matters we can take on, how we approach them, and the knowledge on which we can draw. Our recent work for the UN-hosted Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor is an example of a type of pro bono outreach that Baker & McKenzie is doing more and more of every year—problem solving and legal analysis on a global scale, helping to shape policy that can benefit large groups of people around the world. This work doesn’t replace the work we do for individuals, but, as the UN has recognized, it allows us to offer the same big picture skills we use everyday for our global commercial clients. Our global fluency makes it possible to quickly gather teams and information on any project. With the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, I was receiving regular reports from team leaders in Australia, London, and around North America, brainstorming new ideas in new areas of law across challenging time zone combinations. Many team members were able to bring their previous experience working with the UN or other regional and international NGOs. For me, it was an exciting, rich and truly global experience.

Baker & McKenzie’s global identity leaves its mark on most everything we do in the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice—the type of matters we can take on, how we approach them, and the knowledge on which we can draw. Our recent work for the UN-hosted Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor is an example of a type of pro bono outreach that Baker & McKenzie is doing more and more of every year—problem solving and legal analysis on a global scale, helping to shape policy that can benefit large groups of people around the world. This work doesn’t replace the work we do for individuals, but, as the UN has recognized, it allows us to offer the same big picture skills we use everyday for our global commercial clients. Our global fluency makes it possible to quickly gather teams and information on any project. With the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, I was receiving regular reports from team leaders in Australia, London, and around North America, brainstorming new ideas in new areas of law across challenging time zone combinations. Many team members were able to bring their previous experience working with the UN or other regional and international NGOs. For me, it was an exciting, rich and truly global experience.

As Director of the North American Pro Bono and Community Service Practice, I spend a lot of my time in our regional offices and at partner and associate gatherings, staying connected to existing and prospective volunteers. I also maintain a cIose connection with Baker & McKenzie’s network of pro bono professionals. In 2004, I created the annual Pro Bono Leaders Workshop to bring together representatives from every North American office. Like other practice group meetings, the workshop is a chance to network, refresh, learn, and focus on a shared vision for our work. Each year we have been lucky to have colleagues from other parts of the world attend. This network has made my job so enjoyable, and has provided strong support during my periods on maternity leave.

As Director of the North American Pro Bono and Community Service Practice, I spend a lot of my time in our regional offices and at partner and associate gatherings, staying connected to existing and prospective volunteers. I also maintain a cIose connection with Baker & McKenzie’s network of pro bono professionals. In 2004, I created the annual Pro Bono Leaders Workshop to bring together representatives from every North American office. Like other practice group meetings, the workshop is a chance to network, refresh, learn, and focus on a shared vision for our work. Each year we have been lucky to have colleagues from other parts of the world attend. This network has made my job so enjoyable, and has provided strong support during my periods on maternity leave.

As Director of the North American Pro Bono and Community Service Practice, I spend a lot of my time in our regional offices and at partner and associate gatherings, staying connected to existing and prospective volunteers. I also maintain a cIose connection with Baker & McKenzie’s network of pro bono professionals. In 2004, I created the annual Pro Bono Leaders Workshop to bring together representatives from every North American office. Like other practice group meetings, the workshop is a chance to network, refresh, learn, and focus on a shared vision for our work. Each year we have been lucky to have colleagues from other parts of the world attend. This network has made my job so enjoyable, and has provided strong support during my periods on maternity leave.

As Director of the North American Pro Bono and Community Service Practice, I spend a lot of my time in our regional offices and at partner and associate gatherings, staying connected to existing and prospective volunteers. I also maintain a cIose connection with Baker & McKenzie’s network of pro bono professionals. In 2004, I created the annual Pro Bono Leaders Workshop to bring together representatives from every North American office. Like other practice group meetings, the workshop is a chance to network, refresh, learn, and focus on a shared vision for our work. Each year we have been lucky to have colleagues from other parts of the world attend. This network has made my job so enjoyable, and has provided strong support during my periods on maternity leave.

Like all of Baker & McKenzie’s practice areas, the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice prides itself on delivering advice that is pragmatic and easy to understand. This pragmatism impressed the UN in the work we did for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of Poor, which involved collecting and synthesising the product of several multi-jurisdictional working parties into a single, seamless report. At the end of this work, we offered to do some follow up work on how to go about implementing the Commission’s recommendations. We regularly deal with government and bureaucratic entities all over the world and understand how they work, so knew we were uniquely placed to advise on how to make the Office of the Global Defender of the Poor accessible—what staff would be needed, how to create appropriate online access, the keys to developing a mission statement and budget, and how to interact with the relevant UN agencies. The UN appreciated our practical perspective which helped them to translate high level policy into mechanisms that will work on the ground.

Like all of Baker & McKenzie’s practice areas, the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice prides itself on delivering advice that is pragmatic and easy to understand. This pragmatism impressed the UN in the work we did for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of Poor, which involved collecting and synthesising the product of several multi-jurisdictional working parties into a single, seamless report. At the end of this work, we offered to do some follow up work on how to go about implementing the Commission’s recommendations. We regularly deal with government and bureaucratic entities all over the world and understand how they work, so knew we were uniquely placed to advise on how to make the Office of the Global Defender of the Poor accessible—what staff would be needed, how to create appropriate online access, the keys to developing a mission statement and budget, and how to interact with the relevant UN agencies. The UN appreciated our practical perspective which helped them to translate high level policy into mechanisms that will work on the ground.

Like all of Baker & McKenzie’s practice areas, the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice prides itself on delivering advice that is pragmatic and easy to understand. This pragmatism impressed the UN in the work we did for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of Poor, which involved collecting and synthesising the product of several multi-jurisdictional working parties into a single, seamless report. At the end of this work, we offered to do some follow up work on how to go about implementing the Commission’s recommendations. We regularly deal with government and bureaucratic entities all over the world and understand how they work, so knew we were uniquely placed to advise on how to make the Office of the Global Defender of the Poor accessible—what staff would be needed, how to create appropriate online access, the keys to developing a mission statement and budget, and how to interact with the relevant UN agencies. The UN appreciated our practical perspective which helped them to translate high level policy into mechanisms that will work on the ground.

Like all of Baker & McKenzie’s practice areas, the Pro Bono and Community Service Practice prides itself on delivering advice that is pragmatic and easy to understand. This pragmatism impressed the UN in the work we did for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of Poor, which involved collecting and synthesising the product of several multi-jurisdictional working parties into a single, seamless report. At the end of this work, we offered to do some follow up work on how to go about implementing the Commission’s recommendations. We regularly deal with government and bureaucratic entities all over the world and understand how they work, so knew we were uniquely placed to advise on how to make the Office of the Global Defender of the Poor accessible—what staff would be needed, how to create appropriate online access, the keys to developing a mission statement and budget, and how to interact with the relevant UN agencies. The UN appreciated our practical perspective which helped them to translate high level policy into mechanisms that will work on the ground.

Pro bono matters are rarely one-off client interactions. We pride ourselves on being able to see the next natural step from the matters we take on. In 2008, for example, with more than 40 Baker & McKenzie lawyers empassioned by their successful collective work for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, New York Partner Robert Lewis and I looked for an opportunity for the Firm to go deeper and add even more value to the UN-hosted initiative. We offered our services for the implementation stage of the project, writing a business plan for the proposed Office of the Global Defender of the Poor. Co-led across several regions, this second phase of the pro bono project enjoyed the same large and enthusiastic volunteer response from our lawyers as phase one, with equally strong results.

Pro bono matters are rarely one-off client interactions. We pride ourselves on being able to see the next natural step from the matters we take on. In 2008, for example, with more than 40 Baker & McKenzie lawyers empassioned by their successful collective work for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, New York Partner Robert Lewis and I looked for an opportunity for the Firm to go deeper and add even more value to the UN-hosted initiative. We offered our services for the implementation stage of the project, writing a business plan for the proposed Office of the Global Defender of the Poor. Co-led across several regions, this second phase of the pro bono project enjoyed the same large and enthusiastic volunteer response from our lawyers as phase one, with equally strong results.

Pro bono matters are rarely one-off client interactions. We pride ourselves on being able to see the next natural step from the matters we take on. In 2008, for example, with more than 40 Baker & McKenzie lawyers empassioned by their successful collective work for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, New York Partner Robert Lewis and I looked for an opportunity for the Firm to go deeper and add even more value to the UN-hosted initiative. We offered our services for the implementation stage of the project, writing a business plan for the proposed Office of the Global Defender of the Poor. Co-led across several regions, this second phase of the pro bono project enjoyed the same large and enthusiastic volunteer response from our lawyers as phase one, with equally strong results.

Pro bono matters are rarely one-off client interactions. We pride ourselves on being able to see the next natural step from the matters we take on. In 2008, for example, with more than 40 Baker & McKenzie lawyers empassioned by their successful collective work for the Commission on the Legal Empowerment of the Poor, New York Partner Robert Lewis and I looked for an opportunity for the Firm to go deeper and add even more value to the UN-hosted initiative. We offered our services for the implementation stage of the project, writing a business plan for the proposed Office of the Global Defender of the Poor. Co-led across several regions, this second phase of the pro bono project enjoyed the same large and enthusiastic volunteer response from our lawyers as phase one, with equally strong results.