The Washington, D.C.-based Pro Bono Institute®(PBI) presented the sixth annual CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award at the Pro Bono Institute Annual Gala on November 13 at the Plaza in New York City. The CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award, presented by Corporate Pro Bono, itself a national partnership project of the Association of Corporate Counsel and the Pro Bono Institute, recognizes the unique role partnerships between and among in-house corporate legal departments, law firms, and public interest groups play in the provision of pro bono legal services. James Bender, senior vice president and general counsel, The Williams Companies, Inc. accepted the Partner Award on behalf of the partnership between The Williams Companies, Inc.; Hall, Estill, Hardwick, Gable, Golden & Nelson, P.C.; and Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma, Inc.
The legal department of Williams has been selected to receive this national pro bono partnership award for its innovative partnership program representing low-income and elderly Oklahomans with civil legal problems, such as end-of-life planning and guardian ad litem services, in coordination with Hall Estill and Legal Aid.