The pro bono award for a firm or organization this year goes to Heller Ehrman LLP and Heller Ehrman partner Mike Wrenn.
A commitment to pro bono work is a strongly ingrained core value of Heller Ehrman, a 100-plus-year-old firm with 12 offices and more than 700 attorneys. Each major office has a pro bono coordinator who provides resources and actively encourages attorneys to complete pro bono work.
The attorneys at Heller Ehrman work on a wide range of pro bono matters, from death penalty cases and cases of national and even international scope to state and local cases.
"Pro bono is a firm-wide initiative," Wrenn says. "It benefits the community and allows the attorneys to get out into the community." The opportunity to serve those who otherwise would go without legal representation provides a sense of accomplishment and invigorates attorneys, he says, even when that work comes after a long day at the office.
Heller Ehrman attorneys are regularly involved in KCBA pro bono matters. "What makes them unique are all of the KCBA programs available," according to Wrenn. He compliments the KCBA for its establishment of a "user friendly" framework and the availability of KCBA staffers to monitor and assist with pro bono cases. "They make it easy for attorneys to get involved," he says.
One recent case demonstrates Heller Ehrman's commitment to pro bono and the benefits of working with the KCBA. The case involved 25 Somali families, most of which did not speak English, who were swindled by an individual claiming to sell janitorial franchises. Heller Ehrman and Wrenn took on the case, using the interpreter resources available through the KCBA Newcomers Project to meet with the victimized families.
When the bad guy disappeared, it took the resources of a large firm such as Heller Ehrman to track him down in Minnesota. There, joined by a law school clinic, they prevented the wrongdoer from discharging his debts in bankruptcy and negotiated a settlement. The work of Wrenn and the Heller Ehrman attorneys not only recovered money for the victims, it protected their faith in the legal system.
That is just one of many examples of the commitment Heller Ehrman attorneys, who work with nearly every KCBA pro bono program, have made to the KCBA's pro bono efforts. The tremendous resources committed and dedication exhibited by Heller Ehrman attorneys truly make them worthy of the 2006 firm pro bono award.
