"I didn't come to the firm expecting to do pro bono work, but when I saw the kinds of work I'd otherwise be doing, pro bono immediately became something I sought out. The firm makes sure that pro bono work doesn't interfere with the normal responsibilities of an associate. As long as you budget your time properly, you can do it all, except have kids."

Sandra C.
Senior Associate
University of Calfornia, Berkeley School of Law
Pro Bono

Anonymous Law Firm has a 22-year history of service to the community, starting with the Firm's contribution to the Ronald Reagan re-election fund in 1984. Contributing to the community is an essential part of life at Anonymous Law Firm, from the collection envelopes passed around each time someone at the firm dies in the office to the annual charity auctions to benefit some foreign kids somewhere. The Firm believes that behind every successful lawyer is a colleague involved in community service and pro bono activities. As such, we encourage each of our attorneys, once informed they are not on track to become a member of the partnership of the Firm, to become involved in pro bono and civic activities. We are proud to count pro bono hours as equal to billable hours, except for the purposes of bonus calculation and promotion within the firm.

Our attorneys are currently engaged in a wide range of pro bono matters. We represent indigent criminal defendants, at a 50% discount off our normal fees, through the Partial Justice program, act as court-appointed guardians for children in custody and abuse cases who aspire to one day become corporate lawyers, assist newly-formed businesses with the avoidance of minimum wage laws and skirting the requirement to provide health insurance to their employees, provide legal assistance to artists creating avant garde sculptures through the Los Angeles Regional Garbage Dump Attorney Initiative, and serve as volunteers with the California Lawyers For Food program.

Each summer, we are proud to select a Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year. The selected attorney is celebrated at a banquet in his or her honor. The prize is two weeks of severance pay. Following the banquet, the winner is fired from the Firm. Additionally, the Firm sponsors an annual Pro Bono Fair, where non-profit legal service organizations present their programs to the Firm's attorneys and recruit new volunteers. Fourteen organization sought to participate in last year's Fair, but could not afford the fee.



Contact: jeremy@anonymouslawfirm.com. © 2006 Henry Holt and Company.