UPS commits to social responsibility with pro bono work

UPS is continuing its efforts to volunteer to provide pro bono legal services for poor and needy people. The company said this week it is continuing with its participation in the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge, a voluntary initiative encouraging corporate commitment to pro bono legal work.

UPS has been a signatory of the Challenge since 2006, and this year has seen 20 members of its legal department working on pro bono projects in the United States.

Its legal team has provided almost 1,400 hours of service to local communities in partnership with Atlanta-based non-profit organizations Georgia Justice Project, the Atlanta Legal Aid Society and Hillside, Inc., as well as the nonprofit Street Law, Inc., which is based just outside Washington DC.

The Association of Corporate Counsel and the Pro Bono Institute, organizers of the Corporate Pro Bono Challenge, said UPS was part of a growing trend of corporate social responsibility, which has now reached a milestone of having 100 major companies involved.

Corporate Pro Bono Advisory Board Co-Chair Laura Stein said: “Not only is participation in this program good corporate citizenship, but it also fills a very serious need for legal representation to poor and indigent clients.”

UPS said its pro bono work gives in-house legal departments the opportunity to build on existing corporate social responsibility programs, enabling in-house attorneys to use their skills “for the greater good”.

“Volunteer service is an integral part of the UPS culture,” said Teri McClure, senior vice president of legal, compliance and public affairs and general counsel. “Investing even a little time in others can truly make a difference in the community and yourself.”