Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP Demonstrates How Giving Back Can be Part of Corporate Culture
Research has found that professionals who are required to track billable hours are often less willing to volunteer. The pressures of meeting certain quotas can deter professional services firms from taking the time to give back to the community. Quite the opposite trend can be seen at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, however, an international law firm that focuses on intellectual property; corporate, finance, and real estate; and litigation. Whitney Deal, Director, Corporate Citizenship, attributes this trend to the culture of giving back which has been ingrained in the firm’s 153 year-old foundation.
Partners, associates, and professional staff all have the opportunity to engage in their communities through the firm’s signature corporate citizenship platform, IMPACT. Launched in 2004, IMPACT is the formal expansion of a full-time pro bono program begun in 2001 by the firm’s first pro bono partner, Debbie Segal, who recently retired. To demonstrate its commitment to pro bono, attorneys at the firm are required to complete 30 hours of pro bono work every year and receive up to 50 hours of credit towards their billable work as an added incentive to take on projects for worthy causes. With the expansion of IMPACT beyond pro bono, all aspects of corporate citizenship including pro bono work are now incorporated into the annual review process at all levels of the firm. These details demonstrate the value Kilpatrick Townsend places on giving back.
