The ACC St. Louis Chapter Members Participate in October National Pro Bono Month

ST. LOUIS - Oct. 30, 2018 - PRLog -- October is National Pro Bono Month and members of The Association of Corporate Counsel St. Louis Chapter (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development organization serving in-house counsel, provide pro bono legal assistance and volunteer not just this month but throughout the year.

The 2018 ACC STL Pro Bono Committee Co-Chairpersons and Board Members are Paula Finlay, AT&T Assistant Vice President-Senior Legal Counsel; and Patricia Duft, Medtronic, Sr. Legal Director.

"Each October, we're reminded of the impact as attorneys we make on the St. Louis community throughout the year. As a chapter, our involvement is not for one month but throughout the year," said Finlay.

"Our chapter members, for example, volunteer each month for the monthly Nonprofit Legal Clinics at Legal Services of Eastern Missouri. Members meet with prospective Legal Service clients for brief one-on-one sessions to respond to questions they may have on legal issues they experience in the formation or management of a business or non-profit. This work is gratifying because we are involved with helping someone launch a new business," said Duft.

ACC STL members volunteered throughout the year providing free legal counsel and volunteering for non-profits, including:

·         ACC STL volunteers work with Legal Services of Eastern Missouri's Community Economic Development Program, which provides free business legal assistance to entrepreneurs who are starting or expanding small businesses that provide a benefit to lower-income communities that Legal Services servs and to non-profit entities that promote community development to benefit lower-income individuals.

·         For ACC's Community Service Month in September, more than 20 ACC STL volunteers, which included members' families, donated more than 60 hours of time helping with everything from organizing a food pantry and painting to cleaning trash and assembling bicycles for children at Loaves and Fishes homeless shelter.

·         On Halloween, ACC members will serve dinner to families at the shelter.

·         For National Healthcare Decisions Day, held April 16, ACC STL members collaborated with Legal Services and ACC STL Gold Sponsor Husch Blackwell, to offer a pro bono clinic at the Family Care Health Center in the City of St. Louis. The same morning, volunteer attorneys participated in a free CLE on Pro Bono Lawyering in Providing Durable Powers of Attorney for Healthcare and Healthcare Directive Forms, followed by a three-hour pro bono clinic in the afternoon to assist low-income individuals in completing healthcare directives.

·         In addition to the monthly non-profit clinics, ACC-STL members engage in one-on-one legal representation of Legal Services' Community Economic Development clients for start-up and existing enterprises on discrete business law matters.

About the ACC STL:

The Association for Corporate Counsel of St. Louis (ACC STL), the pre-eminent professional development
organization serving in-house counsel, was founded in 1987. The St. Louis chapter has more than 600 members who represent more than 170 organizations. During its 30-year-history, the ACC STL has been recognized as one of the leading chapters in the country by its national association. In 2017, it received the Chapter of Distinction Award, where only 14 chapters worldwide received this honor; and in 2018, it won the 2018 Best Membership / Recruitment Award. To learn more,
please visit, https://www.acc.com/chapters/stlouis/.