Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019 - 18

at O'Melveny & Myers LLP. "It made us better
attorneys and better servants of the taxpayers."

A CULTURE OF PRO BONO
Today the Federal Government Pro Bono
Program and its legal services partners are
focused on building on the achievements
of the last two decades and further instilling
a culture of pro bono work in government
agencies and departments.
Deborah E. Birnbaum, DOL's pro bono program
coordinator, secured changes in DOL administrative leave policies to make it easier for her
colleagues to access pro bono opportunities.
"It's really been an exciting endeavor reinvigorating the pro bono program in our office," says
Birnbaum, who was the 2017 recipient of the
Washington Council of Lawyers' Government
Pro Bono Award. "I worked on drafting our pro
bono policy to give some clarity and to publicize our efforts. It was also an opportunity to
institutionalize some ideas around employee
recognition."
Revising pro bono policies and engaging
agency pro bono committees are likely to
ensure the growth of the latest incarnation
of pro bono initiatives. By providing access to
new opportunities and easing agency restrictions, government leaders hope to deepen

A CIVIC DUTY
Sean R. Keveney

itching the idea of pro bono work to
his federal colleagues, Sean R. Keveney,
acting deputy general counsel at the
U.S. Department of Health and Human
Services, emphasizes the personal fulfillment that comes with looking into the
eyes of a client and solving a very present
problem.
"I find it incredibly rewarding to see justice
done," says Keveney, who has taken 11
cases for full representation through the
Pro Bono Center's Advocacy & Justice
Clinic. "I feel that way as a government
lawyer, and I feel that way as a pro bono
lawyer."

Keveney says many federal attorneys seek
out pro bono assignments for the value
they bring to their professional lives. "It is a
great way for young lawyers in government
to get some litigation experience, which is
extremely hard to come by," says Keveney,
who received the Washington Council of
Lawyers' Government Pro Bono Award in
2009. "It adds more skills to your toolbox."
"In a world of limited resources, you try to
fulfill that duty of service in a way that is
most efficient and best takes advantage
of any part of your individual skills," says
Keveney. "For me, that means serving as
a pro bono lawyer in my personal time."

the presence of pro bono in the federal workplace culture.
"I'm so proud that we have created a culture of
pro bono at DOL," says Birnbaum. "I'm excited
that my colleagues at other federal government
agencies are trying to do the same."

Fundamentally, being
a lawyer is a profession
and not a business.
GREG F. JACOB
Former U.S. Solicitor of Labor

WASHINGTON LAWYER

NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2019

Klein and her colleague coordinators are also
looking for additional opportunities to grow
the program beyond the six cities that currently
offer pro bono work. Low-income individuals
in many communities need the assistance,
and federal attorneys' interest in volunteering
their services remains high.
"We've always had people volunteering in
our regional FDIC offices, and we're looking to
expand that," says the FDIC's Foley. "I think the
D.C. model has worked very well, and it can and
should be replicated in other cities. There is a
lot of work yet to be done."
Sarah Kellogg is a regular contributor to
Washington Lawyer.
Laura F. Klein, Maureen Thornton Syracuse, Daniel F. Collopy, John C.
Cruden, and Jamie Gorelick, Patrice Gilbert Photography; Catalina
Martinez, Kathy Lugo; Andrew Doyle, courtesy of Andrew Doyle;
Josephine Bahn, Adam Music/American Bar Association; Sean R. Keveney,
courtesy of Sean R. Keveney; Greg F. Jacob, O'Melveny & Myers LLP

Washington Lawyer - November/December 2019

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