The Los Angeles and San Francisco offices of McGuireWoods kicked off Pro Bono Month early by teaming up with Bank of America and California Rural Legal Assistance for a criminal record expunction/re-entry pro bono legal clinic via Zoom on Sept. 24, 2020.
Overall, 17 volunteers from Bank of America and McGuireWoods organized the event and assisted 13 clients with 98 petitions. This was the third time McGuireWoods’ Los Angeles lawyers participated in this clinic and the first time San Francisco participated. Pro bono leaders for the California offices — Century City partner Molly White, downtown Los Angeles partner Tanya Greene and San Francisco partner Jeff Browning — spearheaded the effort. All pro bono volunteers attended CLE training on Sept. 9 in preparation. As with many events in recent months, the clinic was conducted virtually to maintain social distancing during the pandemic.
Held a week before October — declared “Pro Bono Month” in many jurisdictions, as an expansion of the weeklong National Celebration of Pro Bono the American Bar Association will hold Oct. 25-31 — this clinic launches the firm’s participation in this year’s nationwide effort to recognize and encourage pro bono legal service.