| Bar Bulletin |
February, 2003 |
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LOCAL
ATTORNEYS TAKE 2
~Donate Percentage of Billable Hours to Charity~
By
Janet Stidman Eveleth
This March,
attorneys in Baltimore County will donate either $2 or 2 percent of every
billable hour they charge each Thursday to charity. The attorneys will be
earmarking their generous donations to The Baltimore County Firefighters’
Victims and Members Assistance Fund, the Legal Aid Bureau and the
Baltimore County Bar Foundation. The Baltimore County Bar Association (BCBA),
sponsor of this innovative professional
Take 2
charity project, hopes to generate $15,000 for charity and raise the image
and standing of lawyers in the local community.
Over 300 attorneys are
expected to participate in the BCBA’s first Take 2 Project, with
the proceeds going to three local charities. Attorneys who do not charge
by the hour are encouraged to donate a flat fee or a certain amount for
each hour worked. Individual attorneys are urged to participate in this
project and law firms may adopt Take 2 as a firm-wide initiative to
help those in need.
With these generous
donations, attorneys will be supporting public servants who help all
county residents through the newly created Baltimore County’s
Firefighters’ Victims and Members Assistance Fund. This fund provides
money and resources to the victims and families of firefighters injured or
killed in the line of duty. In addition, attorneys will be supporting the
Legal Aid Bureau and the Baltimore County Bar Foundation, two outstanding
law-related entities that offer legal assistance to the less fortunate.
“Take 2 is a
vehicle for Baltimore County Bar Association members to focus public
attention on a sampling of the ways lawyers donate time, talent and
financial support every year,” declares BCBA President Stephen J. Nolan.
“It is especially important in 2003 because this is the first year lawyers
are reporting their pro bono legal services and contributions to legal
service providers.” Take 2 also showcases the dedication of lawyers
serving their community.
Take 2
is actually the brainchild of Baltimore County attorney Eliot Wagonheim, a
partner in the Towson law firm of Wagonheim & Tucker. For years, Wagonheim
has been troubled over lawyer jokes and the negative image of his
profession. This concern, compounded by the crushing blow of the terrorist
attacks on September 11, 2001, led to his conception of Take 2. “In
particular, I want to help the firefighters who played such a key role in
9/11 and give lawyers a unique way to support their community,” he
explains.
When researching this
project, Wagonheim discovered that while most states have firefighter
assistance funds, Maryland does not. When a fire tragedy occurs in this
state, fellow firefighters pass the hat amongst their comrades to collect
for the firefighter and the family. There are no available resources to
support these dedicated public servants whose families experience great
need when tragedy strikes.
To address this need and
help firefighters, Wagonheim targeted a newly created assistance fund in
Baltimore County as a Take 2 recipient. He is asking attorneys to
support it through charitable giving. “Through Take 2, the legal
community can help people,” he states, “and by doing so raise its own
standing in the community. Attorneys can give back to their community,
respond to 9/11 and make the public aware of the good things lawyers do.”
Wagonheim believes Take
2 will enhance the image of attorneys because “it demonstrates that
pro bono and giving back to the community are core values of the legal
profession.” He is hopeful that, to some extent, it will alleviate the
public’s negative perception and “give people something to think about the
next time they hear a lawyer’s joke.”
This theme is reinforced
by the positive use of billable hours. “Take 2 directly ties a
lawyer’s billable hours to pure good,” explains Wagonheim. “More hours
will result in more donations. Take 2 takes an item that can cause
strain in the attorney/client relationship and uses it instead as a PR
tool.”
Take 2
is actually modeled after the “Night-Out” project, where area restaurants
donate revenue on a certain evening to AIDS research and encourage the
public to “eat out” that night to benefit this cause. Wagonheim used this
successful endeavor as a model, viewing it as “good motivation and a good
way for lawyers to do something for the community.”
One of the unique things
about Take 2 is the opportunity it presents to attorneys to give to
one or several charities. “We wanted to give them three choices, all
cutting across legal lines,” explains Wagonheim. “BCBA seized this
opportunity because Take 2 enables our members to channel our
donations to three organizations that serve vital needs in our community,”
adds Nolan.
The BCBA has already
received a most enthusiastic response from its members and bar
associations in several other counties have expressed interest in this
project. Wagonheim hopes that, in the future, the Maryland State Bar
Association may become involved, expanding it on a statewide basis.
Although the charities benefiting from Take 2 are housed in
Baltimore County, Take 2 welcomes all Maryland attorneys. Attorneys
interested in Take 2 may refer to BCBA’s website,
www.bcba.org, or contact Wagonheim
at ewagonheim@wtlawfirm.com.
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