Pro Bono

The firm's overall commitment to community service encompasses pro bono representation and participation in professional organizations. Most of the attorneys in our firm have at various times in their careers provided pro bono or volunteer legal services. The firm's policy on this subject is to be wholly supportive of these individual choices. As with all other kinds of community service, Winthrop & Weinstine will make support services, including secretarial, word processing, library and other resources, available to enable our attorneys to fulfill their interests in pro bono activities.

The firm in general is disinclined to clutter the landscape with red tape or any form of bureaucratic restriction on an attorney's pursuit of professional excellence and matters of conscience. Instead, we emphasize our commitment to all types of community service and encourage our attorneys to engage in these activities, including pro bono activities. The firm has established a Pro Bono Committee for the purpose of working with each attorney to ensure that all commitments to the firm and its pro bono clients, as well as to the community at large, can be fulfilled to the greatest satisfaction of all concerned.

Because we believe pro bono work provides a significant and valuable contribution to the community, Winthrop & Weinstine has implemented a compensation system that recognizes and provides credit for pro bono work when determining billable hour-based compensation bonuses.

We recognize that pro bono work provides a great opportunity for professional development and experience, as well as personal fulfillment and satisfaction. The skills, accomplishments and professional development of our attorneys are considered in total as part of the annual evaluation process. In addition to the credit for billable hour-based bonuses, to the extent that an individual's skills are enhanced or perfected through pro bono work, Winthrop & Weinstine will also recognize and reward such professional development as part of the overall evaluation process.