Michael A. Battle and Jason A. Bernstein have taken the leadership reins of Barnes & Thornburg’s Pro Bono Committee as chair and vice chair, respectively. Battle and Bernstein are both partners at the firm and they succeed Indianapolis partner John Maley, who has served in a similar leadership role for more than 20 years.
Battle is a white collar criminal defense attorney and civil litigator in the firm’s Washington, D.C., office. Bernstein, a data privacy and technology agreements attorney who practices in the Atlanta office, is co-chair of the firm’s Data Security and Privacy group.
“It’s an honor to serve the firm with this important pro bono work and we look forward to continuing the good work that John and this committee have accomplished,” Battle said.
Last year, the firm set a new record for the total number of pro bono hours at 16,757.6 hours worked. It also has the support of nearly 30 committee members from throughout the firm.
“I am excited to be able to work alongside Mike to help build on the firm’s pro bono activities and to educate younger attorneys about the importance of pro bono opportunities,” Bernstein said.
Both Bernstein and Battle previously served on the firm’s Pro Bono Committee and are deeply involved with local nonprofits. Maley is still practicing with Barnes & Thornburg and actively involved in pro bono work.