Pro Bono/Community Involvement
We expect our people to actively and generously support civic and community endeavors.
Our firm encourages all of its lawyers to participate in pro bono activities for which we give credit as for billable work. Each lawyer can work on projects and legal issues of his or her own choosing, and even new associates and students in our summer program have opportunities to become involved in pro bono matters. Our goals for pro bono work include serving the public, providing quality legal services to persons or organizations who could not otherwise afford them, and providing practice opportunities and experience for attorneys—especially associates—not otherwise readily available to them.
We also provide substantial financial support to national and local public interest foundations. In addition, our lawyers serve on the governing boards of several major pro bono organizations in each of the cities where we are located.
The St. Louis Business Journal recognized the firm for its civic involvement by naming it one of the area's 25 most generous employers. Thompson Coburn also encourages employees to take an active role in supporting their communities. We support our employees in seeking leadership positions with civic organizations and in serving as board members for schools, foundations and community service groups. In addition, we encourage our employees to take part in a variety of fundraisers, from walk-a-thons to golf tournaments.
As a firm, each year we "adopt" a civic organization and hold several fundraising events to generate the financial support necessary to keep these valuable organizations viable. In 2009, we raised $30,000 to benefit Gateway Pet Guardians, a local animal rescue organization, and C.O.P.E.24, a nonprofit organization that equips young adults with skills to become better parents than were previous generations.