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Loeb & Loeb is pleased to share that the firm, together with Paramount Global, have been honored by the Pro Bono Institute (PBI) with the organization’s Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) Pro Bono Partner Award.
The CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award, established by the CPBO project of PBI, honors innovative collaborations between in-house legal departments, law firms and public interest organizations that effectively address critical legal needs for vulnerable communities, demonstrating significant impact through substantial involvement from in-house lawyers and creative approaches to legal challenges. Loeb and Paramount received the award at the PBI 2024 Annual Dinner in New York on October 9, 2024.
“It’s exciting that Loeb and Paramount have been able to partner together on so many different pro bono matters over the years,” said Loeb senior counsel Scott Wilcox in a video celebrating the award. “What’s even more exciting is the future collaborations that will come as we move forward together.”
Over the last five years, Loeb and Paramount, a firm client, have forged a strong pro bono partnership, focusing on creating sustainable initiatives to meet critical legal needs in their communities. The duo offers pro bono legal services in collaboration with local and national legal aid organizations. Projects include:
- Legal Services NYC: In March 2024, the firm and Paramount volunteered to help individuals apply for government assistance programs like SNAP and Medicaid, with 20 volunteers organizing into five teams to prepare applications and continue supporting clients through the process.
- HIAS: In October 2023, Loeb and Paramount collaborated with HIAS on an immigration clinic, assisting refugees from Ukraine and El Salvador with green card applications and providing ongoing support for application preparation.
- Inland Counties Legal Services (ICLS): In 2023, the partners launched a clinic to assist LGBTQ+ residents of San Bernardino and Riverside counties in preparing advance health care directives, which outline medical decision-making preferences for those unable to make decisions themselves. The clinic also created standardized language to support gender identity, medical choices and post-death wishes. The partners have held three clinics so far, with plans for additional clinics in the future.
- City Bar Justice Center: Since July 2022, Loeb and Paramount have worked with the Veterans Assistance Project to help veterans obtain disability benefits, collectively contributing over 3,600 hours to represent clients and advocate for their medical care.
- Kids in Need of Defense (KIND): Beginning in January 2022, the duo assisted 18 families with humanitarian parole applications as part of KIND’s Family Reunification Project, dedicating over 1,100 volunteer hours to successfully reunify families separated at the U.S. border.
- Start Small Think Big (SSTB): Since 2021, the partners have collaborated with Start Small Think Big (SSTB) to assist low-income entrepreneurs by offering clinics that provide essential legal advice on trademarks and contracts, and they continue to staff these clinics while planning another for 2025.
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law: In fall 2020, the firm and Paramount participated in the nonpartisan Election Protection Hotline to aid voters nationwide, and they are currently engaged in similar election protection work for the upcoming general election in fall 2024.
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA): In 2019, Loeb and Paramount partnered with VLA to provide legal advice to low-income artists on issues such as trademark disputes, corporate entity selection and contract drafting, along with offering full representation for select matters.
“For Paramount and the legal department, we have really appreciated the collaboration and partnership with Loeb,” said Michelle van Oppen, senior litigation counsel at Paramount Global, in the video. “The Pro Bono Committee [at Paramount] has found various opportunities to work with Loeb, and it’s really amazing to be able to get the support from their firm.”
Learn more about the pro bono work that Loeb and Paramount have accomplished together here.