Pro Bono Coordinator

We are seeking a Pro Bono Coordinator to support our Pro Bono team in the Chicago office. All Taft employees operate under a "Client First" philosophy-in all things, we seek to provide exceptional services to our clients.

Essential Duties:

Pro bono sponsorships and budget

• Assists with the administration of the Pro Bono Committee budget and charitable donation process.
• Tracks pro bono sponsorships and maintains spreadsheet showing amounts requested, amounts paid, and key contacts within and outside of firm.
• Works with legal aid and pro bono organizations to obtain invoices for pro bono sponsorships and prepare check requests.
• Assists in coordinating with the Business Development and Marketing team on publicity such as ads, videos, and tables for events.
• Assists in preparation of Pro Bono Committee budget.

Intakes, tracking, and restaffing matters

• Maintains spreadsheets tracking a variety of pro bono matters and updates matter tracking documents and databases.
• Initiates conflicts checks for individual pro bono requests from legal aid and pro bono providers.
• Supports Pro Bono Counsel with processes related to departing attorneys, including assisting in transitioning pro bono matters.

Reports and surveys

• Assists in compiling reports and data in response to external surveys and report requests.
• Assists attorneys with reporting pro bono hours for states that require pro bono reporting.
• Assists in responding to requests from legal aid and pro bono providers for volunteer hours and financial equivalents.

Administrative Support

• Provides administrative support to Pro Bono Counsel, including making travel arrangements, submitting expense reimbursements, and preparing pro bono presentations and other materials.
• Attends Pro Bono Committee meetings, take meeting minutes, and sends calendar invitations for meetings.
• Sets up Zoom and videoconferencing and reserves conference rooms where necessary.
• Disseminates and updates Pro Bono Committee minutes and other committee documents as necessary.

Recognition

• Assists in collecting stories for quarterly pro bono newsletter and works with Business Development and Marketing team on lay-out and graphics of newsletter.
• Assists with firm-wide presentation of pro bono awards.
• Assists in gathering data for award nominations in all offices and in submitting award nominations.
• Assists in coordination of firm-wide Pro Bono Week activities, including arranging rooms, invitations, announcements, speakers, and food.
• Maintains the pro bono page on Taft's internal website, posting links to documents and updating pro bono news and FAQs.

Pro bono training and clinics

• Assists with scheduling pro bono trainings in all firm offices, including reserving conference rooms.
• Assists with scheduling pro bono clinics in all firm offices, including opening clinic client/matter numbers, assisting with pro bono engagement letters, initiating conflicts checks for pro bono clinic clients, and arranging for translators and interpreters, as necessary.
• Maintains pro bono clinic rosters for pro bono clinics in all firm offices and schedules in-office pro bono clinics.

Pro bono events

• Assists in coordination of pro bono events, including making travel arrangements, reserving conference rooms, visiting offices and sending calendar invitations.
• Assists in coordination of informational presentations by local pro bono and legal aid organizations regarding pro bono opportunities, including summer associate pro bono presentations with other firms.

Connecting to pro bono opportunities

• Updates pro bono opportunities flyers for each office.
• Maintains spreadsheets with volunteer areas of interest and relationships with pro bono and legal aid organizations.
• Works with attorney recruitment team and office managers to schedule pro bono orientations with Pro Bono Counsel for lateral hires.
• Assists in coordination of pro bono orientation for new associates and summer associates and tracking of summer associate pro bono projects.

Requirements:

• Strong organizational and time management skills and attention to detail.
• Proactive self-starter who is self-motivated.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively across many offices.
• Ability to work efficiently within fast-paced law firm environment.
• Ability to work with people of varied backgrounds and interests, most importantly Taft's attorneys and pro bono clients.
• Familiarity with legal resources available for low-income individuals and communities of color.
• Ability to be discreet, maintain confidential information, and use sound judgment of all information.
• Advanced working knowledge of programs such as Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Fluency in Spanish or other foreign language is a plus but not required.
• Bachelor's degree preferred.
• Familiarity with the practice of law, preferably at a larger law firm, and with the court system.
• Experience in project management or events management preferred.

Taft offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefit package, including medical, dental, vision, life, long term disability, flexible spending, 401K, Paid Time Off, paid holidays, bonus and more. The salary range for this position is $35.71/hour - $41.21/hour.

Interested candidates should apply here.