Press Release
Duane Morris Creates New Position of Pro Bono Counsel to Oversee Firmwide Pro Bono Commitment
PHILADELPHIA, October 17 - In an effort to increase the size and scope of its pro bono program, Duane Morris LLP, one of the nation's 100 largest law firms, has created the new position of Pro Bono Counsel. A. Nicole Friant, a former member of Duane Morris' Environmental Practice Group, will rejoin the firm's Philadelphia office to serve as the firm's Pro Bono Counsel and will coordinate pro bono efforts full time.
Nicole will supervise and oversee all pro bono matters being handled by the firm. She will work with referral agencies and legal services organizations to acquire new cases, increase involvement by firm personnel and provide training for new attorneys and summer associates. Nicole will also handle pro bono cases herself. A former associate at Duane Morris, Nicole returns to the firm after having served as an environmental consultant at Green Restaurant Association, a public interest organization. She served on the firm's Pro Bono Task Force and Committee from 2003 to 2005, and was chair of the Duane Morris Support Center for Child Advocates Practice Group, as well as a volunteer attorney for the Center.
Duane Morris' pro bono program has grown substantially in the past two years. In 2003, the firm formed a Pro Bono Committee to enhance the level of participation in the program, and in 2004, the firm implemented a new pro bono program which provided in part, a 50 billable hour credit for associates performing pro bono legal services. The committee was effective in its goal: From 2003 to 2004, the firm's lawyers doubled their pro bono hours. The addition of Nicole as a full-time program coordinator is further evidence of Duane Morris' commitment to increasing the number of pro bono hours contributed by attorneys across all offices and practice groups.
Nicole received her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in 1998 and graduated cum laude with a B.A. from Rutgers in 1994.
About Duane Morris
Duane Morris LLP, one of the 100 largest law firms in the United States, is a full-service firm of over 600 lawyers. In addition, Duane Morris affiliates have over 50 professionals engaged in ancillary service businesses. The firm represents clients across the nation and around the world through a combination of offices in major U.S. markets and in London and a relationship with an international network of independent law firms. For more information, visit the firm's Web site at www.duanemorris.com.
