Pro Bono Program

Verrill Dana has been a consistent leader in for the provision of pro bono legal services. Each attorney is encouraged to support and participate directly in pro bono causes. With the addition of offices in Boston and Stamford, these initiatives have been expanded throughout New England.

Of particular note:

• In 2010-11, Verrill Dana attorneys volunteered more than 5,000 hours to the pro bono representation of individuals who could not otherwise afford legal representation.
• In 2010 and 2011, the firm was honored by the Maine Bar Foundation and the Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP) with the Pro Bono Publico award for the most hours on completed VLP cases by a law firm. In 2010, the firm was also honored with a second award for the most VLP cases accepted by a law firm.
• Maine's most prestigious pro bono award, the Howard H. Dana, Jr. Award presented annually by the Maine Bar Foundation, is named after former Verrill Dana partner and Maine Supreme Court Justice Howard Dana.
• Maine's most ambitious funding program in support of pro bono services, the Frank M. Coffin Fellowship in Family Law, is named after another former Verrill Dana partner and judge (former Chief Judge) of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. Verrill Dana is a founding member and a continuing supporter of this Fellowship, which funds full-time attorneys dedicated to providing family law services for low income individuals.
• Verrill Dana attorneys have served on the governing boards of the Maine Bar Foundation, Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Legal Services for the Elderly, the Muskie Fund for Legal Services, the Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Coffin Fellows.
• Verrill Dana partner, Bill Harwood, has been recognized as a leader in pro bono efforts and has received both the Dana Award from the Maine Bar Foundation and ABA's prestigious Pro Bono Publico award in 2002.