Ford Motor Company pro bono work shines with Industry Award

Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) honored Ford Motor Company recently with the CPBO Partner Award for its pro bono partnerships to serve the needs of the local community. This is the first time Ford has received the prestigious honor, which recognises the company's commitment
to good corporate citizenship.

"At Ford, we have a strategic goal to provide opportunities for our attorneys to perform meaningful pro bono service," said David Leitch, General Counsel and Group Vice-President of Ford Motor Company. "It's important to support the communities in which we build and sell vehicles. This award recognizes the hard work of our Ford team and builds the momentum for our pro bono work for 2013."

CPBO is a partnership project of the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) and the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC). The CPBO award recognises unique pro bono partnerships between in-house legal departments, law firms and public interest organisations.

Looking to revamp its pro bono program in 2009, Ford partnered with Dykema Gossett PLLC, Legal Aid and Defender Association, Inc. (LAD) and Michigan Community Resources (MCR) and created two new pro bono projects to directly serve community needs. The programs also aligned Ford's pro bono program with the automaker's corporate social responsibility initiatives.

"These unique partnerships epitomize using pro bono to help close the justice gap at the local level," said PBI President and CEO Esther F. Lardent. "We commend these organisations for working together to better serve communities that are in need."

Posted in: ACC,Association of Corporate Counsel,Award,Corporate Pro Bono,CPBO Partner Award,David Leitch,Esther F. Lardent,Ford,International,LAD,MCR,Michigan Community Resources,PBI,Pro Bono Institute