The folks in the legal department at Exelon Corp. know a thing or two about pro bono work. Since the early 1990s, the company has had in place an informal pro bono program. But in 2002, the general counsel recognized the team’s—lawyers and paralegals alike—interest in pro bono work and decided to implement an official initiative.
The program, which is administered by two pro bono coordinators (one in Chicago and one in Philadelphia), offers up the standard corporate pro bono guidelines. But it also has a unique element—it allows participants to credit 50 billable hours a year toward pro bono work (because Exelon is a regulated company, lawyers bill their time similarly to law firms). According to Kevin Stepanuk, associate general counsel and co-chair of the pro bono initiative, this helps attract even more interest to the program.
