Lexpert magazine features articles and columns on developments in legal practice management, deals and lawsuits of interest in Canada, the law and business issues of interest to legal professionals and businesses that purchase legal services.
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60 LEXPERT MAGAZINE | APRIL/MAY 2017 need, at the engagement level of our em- ployees and our corporate values, and they were all aligned." Duckett says that, in the United States, corporate pro bono is primarily done by tapping into existing projects through vari- ous organizations, including non-profits or charities. is essentially leverages work that's already underway. "Really, for us, it's a matter of going out to the various orga- nizations, and figuring out what's going to be a good fit for us," she says. "What BMO Canada is doing is unique in that there wasn't [already] a program to join. ey had to create it." INCLUDING NON-LAWYERS Both BMO and Weston Group Legal em- phasize that, as far as team building and employee engagement go, these kinds of signature projects have the potential to in- clude a broad range of employees. BMO's project, for example, relied on pairs of vol- unteers composed of one lawyer and one non-lawyer. Julie Ouellon-Wente, Associ- ate General Counsel, Canadian P&C and one of the co-leads of the project, says that, in assessing the project's desirability, one appealing feature was the significant num- ber of BMO employees who could poten- tially be involved. "ere's a lot of pro bono initiatives where we would only need one or two re- sources, so we were trying to find oppor- tunities where you could have lawyers and non-lawyers work together collaboratively, and where you could have many teams in- volved." In fact, when putting together the two-person teams, a lot of thought was giv- en as to how employee development could also play a role, she says. Among the volunteers were lawyers who had a lot of experience in powers of attor- ney, other with less. By putting them to- gether, says Ouellon-Wente, this provided employee development opportunities for the more experienced persons, by having them share their knowledge. "If I were talking to in-house lawyers in other organi- zations who might be contemplating these kinds of signature pro bono projects," she says, "one of the benefits I'd point out is the chance to help people in your organization build mentorship skills." TRAINING SESSIONS BMO decided to kick off the project inter- nally in October 2016, two months prior to the actual clinic, with a morning recep- tion that included the general counsel, se- nior executives, some board of directors of Pro Bono Ontario and any volunteers who wanted to attend. Aerward, there was a training session on powers of attorney, conducted by an external lawyer, Risa Aw- erbuck from Torkin Manes LLP. e turnout of volunteers at the launch, held at 8 a.m. on a Friday morning, far exceeded expectations, says Uhren. Sixty people attended the initial meeting, "a huge turnout for a training launch." He says the secrets to success were "employee motivation coupled with strong leadership support — from a call to action from our General Counsel, to access to communica- tion channels to highlight events, manag- ers encouraging employees to participate, involvement by leadership, write-ups in our newsletter aer events, to employee recog- nition for volunteering." As for the training, Uhren says it was a great opportunity to learn more about the legal aspects of powers of attorney. at being said, some nervousness presented a challenged, as with any technical train- ing, especially since volunteers came from a cross-section of lawyers and non-lawyers, "which we wanted to have from a team- building perspective. "Consequently," he says, "closer to the clinic date in early December, there was a second, more practical training, in terms of the human side of what we'd be doing, answering some very practical questions about the conversations and how we ex- pected the day to go." FORTHCOMING PROJECTS? PBO's Burns is optimistic about the future of signature pro bono. She's been in discus- sions with several law departments, and in some cases with departments and partner firms, that want to explore the concept. One potential partnership is with Aon Canada Inc. and Dentons Canada LLP, says Douglas Stewart, a partner with the firm in Toronto. He says he was initially approached by Shaun Miller, Chief Coun- sel at Aon Canada Inc., and Andrea Har- nal, Corporate Counsel at Aon, and while it's very early days, Stewart is enthusiastic about the concept of a joint signature pro bono project. Miller, for his part, says Aon colleagues are continually encouraged to volunteer their time and give back to their local com- munities. He says a number of lawyers on the team have expressed an interest in pro- viding pro bono legal work. "We're excited about the opportunity to identify a valued project and, with the assistance of Pro Bono Ontario and Dentons, implement- ing a joint signature project that will make its mark on the community and provide a | IN-HOUSE ADVISOR: SIGNATURE PRO BONO | SHAUN MILLER AON CANADA INC. We're excited about the opportunity to identify a valued project and, with the assistance of Pro Bono Ontario and Dentons, implementing a joint signature project that will make its mark on the community and provide a rewarding professional and personal experience for our team members.