The Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) presented the ACC Corporate Pro Bono Award to Laura Stein, senior vice president and general counsel, and the Legal Department of The Clorox Company (NYSE: CLX) on Monday, April 11, at the company's corporate headquarters in Oakland, California. The award is given annually to a corporate counsel group for their outstanding achievements and dedication to pro bono legal services and projects.
ACC President Frederick J. Krebs praised Ms. Stein and her team, saying, "Your leadership and commitment to providing pro bono services inspire the corporate legal community."
In 2005, Ms. Stein established a pro bono committee consisting of a diverse group of Clorox lawyers to create and implement the company's program. To further demonstrate her ongoing support of the program, Stein also attended training sessions and made court appearances for pro bono matters. In addition, in-house counsel at Clorox's legal department have partnered with several community centers and organizations to extend the committee's reach of services, including Project Clean Slate, Centro Legal de la Raza as well as the Family Violence Law Center of Oakland, whose representatives were also in attendance at the Monday event.
"As a corporate law department, being able to apply Clorox's resources to offer assistance to businesses and families in the community is rewarding on both a professional and personal level.Through our pro bono efforts and partnerships, we are also able carry out one of Clorox's core values of making a positive difference in the communities where our employees live and work," explains Ms. Stein.
In addition to her leadership at Clorox, Ms. Stein is past chair of the ACC Board of Directors and served as a board member from 2001-2009. Ms. Stein is the co-chair of the Corporate Pro Bono, a partnership of ACC and the Pro Bono Institute, and she sits on the ACC Value Challenge Steering Committee, a group comprised of top leaders from around the country dedicated to reconnecting cost and value in the delivery of legal services. Ms. Stein is the recipient of numerous legal and business awards, including the ABA's 2010 Margaret Brent Award recognizing the accomplishments of women lawyers who have excelled and paved the way for other women lawyers. The Harvard Law Bulletin has highlighted Stein as one of 50 alumnae who "have used their law degree to take them to extraordinary places."