Pro Bono Report: Going Global with the Clinton Foundation
Kramer Levin continued in 2008 to build a pro bono relationship with the William J. Clinton Foundation. President Clinton established the Foundation at the end of his second term with the mission to strengthen the capacity of people throughout the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence. Today the Foundation has grown into a global nongovernmental organization with more than 800 staff and volunteers. It focuses on four critical areas: (1) health security; (2) economic empowerment; (3) leadership development and citizen service; and (4) racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation.
Attorneys from Kramer Levin’s litigation, corporate, intellectual property, real estate, employment, and individual client group have worked on a wide range of Foundation matters, under the leadership of
Melissa Prober, who serves as the primary client contact. For example,
Erica Klein,
Michael Maoz,
Carole Klinger,
Heather Chase and
Ashley Roberts have provided advice to the Foundation concerning intellectual property issues and
Tim Harkness,
Gabrielle Gould,
Arielle Katz,
Julie Weiswasser,
Melissa Prober,
Katrina Baker and
Jill Filipovic have provided general advice on a variety of legal matters, including substantial legal assistance to one of the Foundation’s key projects, the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI). A number of attorneys also provided CGI with research regarding potential partnerships and commitments, and
Melissa Prober attended CGI’s inaugural event for college students, CGI U, in New Orleans as a “table facilitator” for its working sessions on Global Health.
Over the past two years,
Peter Abruzzese,
John Bessonette,
Robert Holtzman,
Kevin Leblang,
Jennifer Rochon,
William Spatz,
Norm Simon,
Audrey Bender,
Helayne Stoopack,
Steven Knecht,
Dannie Cho,
Jennifer Diana,
Katherine Gilman,
Dana Hirsch,
Jordan Kaye,
Abdul-Rahman Lediju,
Michael Mellin, John Plauche and
Laetitia Vellut have also assisted the Foundation on various projects, as did then-summer associates Rachel Feinberg, Rebecca Fuchs, Matthew Murphy, Joseph Snee and Christian Yungwirth.