Philanthropy & Community Service

Service to the community and the legal profession is one of the major tenets of Verrill Dana’s Core Values. Throughout our 150 year history, Verrill Dana’s people have been active and dedicated members of our community. To commemorate this spirit of community stewardship, Verrill Dana launched “The 150 Project,” an initiative that facilitated and recognized the donation of time, money or property in increment s of 150. Throughout the year, attorneys and staff coordinated initiatives to benefit a range of causes, from fighting hunger to improving the environment. Learn more at www.verrilldana.com/150project.

The following is a summary of Verrill Dana’s other community and charitable commitments in 2012:

-Verrill Dana partnered with the University of Maine School of Law to launch the Roger Putnam Fellowship Fund, a permanent endowment fund that has been established in honor of Verrill Dana attorney Roger A. Putnam. The fund will be held and administered by the University of Maine School of Law Foundation for the benefit of the University of Maine School of Law and students participating in the Law School’s clinical education program. The endowment will support an annual paid summer internship for a law student at the Cumberland Legal Aid Clinic.

-Verrill Dana attorneys and staff volunteered approximately 3,420 hours to the pro bono representation of individuals who could not otherwise afford legal representation. In recent years, the firm has been recognized by the Maine Bar Foundation and the Volunteer Lawyers Project for accepting the most volunteer cases, and for dedicating the most hours of any Maine law firm.

-Eight Verrill Dana attorneys were recognized as Katahdin Counsel by the Maine Supreme Judicial Court for working at least 50 pro bono hours in the past year.

-More than half of Verrill Dana’s attorneys serve as trustees or board members for more than 135 different non-profit organizations, which serve a wide range of community needs, including:
 

• Animal Refuge League
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Southern Maine
• Boston Hemophilia Center
• Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
• Brady Center to Prevent Handgun Violence
• Brigham and Women’s Hospital
• Coastal Studies for Girls
• Environmental Business Council of New England
• Friends of Casco Bay
• Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project
• Institute for Family-Owned Business
• Justice Action Group
• Longy Music School of Bard College
• Maine Children’s Cancer Program
• Maine & Company
• MaineHealth
• Maine Huts & Trails
• Maine Humanities Council
• Maine Medical Center
• Maine Small Enterprise Growth Fund
• Maine State Chamber of Commerce
• New England Conservatory
• Piers Park Sailing Center
• Pine Tree Legal Services
• Portland Public Library
• Portland Regional Chamber of Commerce
• Portland Symphony Orchestra
• Portland Trails
• Randolph Macon Woman’s College
• Salvation Army
• Spurwink Services
• United Way of Greater Portland
• Winter Kids
• Wolfe’s Neck Farm

- Verrill Dana attorneys pledged more than $30,000 in donations to the Campaign for Justice, an annual statewide fundraising effort within Maine's legal community on behalf of six civil legal aid providers. Verrill Dana was among the top three firms in Maine for total contributions to the campaign.

-Over 35 local organizations have been the recipients of charitable donations from Verrill Dana, totaling over $30,000. Recipients include:
 

• 317 Main Street Community Music Center
• American Heart Association
• Animal Refuge League
• Bangor YMCA
• Big Brothers Big Sisters
• Boys & Girls Clubs of Southern Maine
• Cancer Community Center
• Center for Grieving Children
• Children’s Museum and Theatre of Maine
• Girl Scouts
• Good Shepherd Food Bank
• Greater Boston Legal Services
• Junior Achievement
• Maine Children’s Cancer Program
• Maine Historical Society
• Maine Medical Center
• Maine Tree Foundation
• Portland Community Chorus
• Portland Museum of Art
• Port Resources
• St. Lawrence Art Center
• Spurwink
• Space Gallery
• Sweetser
• Victoria Mansion

- Verrill Dana serves as the proud sponsor for many events that support local organizations. More than $63,000 was given in event sponsorships to organizations and programs such as:
 

• Association of Corporate Counsel
• Cumberland Bar Association
• GrowSmart Maine
• Institute for Family-Owned Business
• Jackson Laboratory
• Maine Association of Mediators
• Maine Center for Entrepreneurial Development
• Maine Law Alumni Association
• Maine State Bar Association
• Maine Preservation
• Maine State Chamber
• Maine Women’s Fund
• Multiple Sclerosis Society of Greater New England
• NAACP
• Portland Regional Chamber
• SailMaine
• United Way
• Women’s Bar Association
• World Services Group

-Verrill Dana has served as a major sponsor of MS Harborfest since 2004.

-Partners, staff and employees raised more than $50,000 for the 2012 United Way Campaign. Verrill Dana’s fundraising on behalf of the United Way over the past five years exceeds $286,100.

Verrill Dana’s staff and attorneys are deeply committed to supporting the communities in which we live and work. We are proud of our contributions of human and financial resources to support the important work of charitable and non-profit organizations throughout New England.