La-Donna Lawrence knows firsthand about navigating trials … and tribulations. Lawrence, who serves as Senior Counsel, Wealth, at TD Bank, AMCB, started her legal career as a prosecutor in New York City, overseeing criminal cases.
But before she stepped foot in a courtroom — and before she received her legal education — La-Donna faced a different kind of challenge.
"I moved to the United States from Kingston, Jamaica when I was 16 years old," she recalls. "And navigating pretty much everything, particularly in a city like New York, was really challenging."
La-Donna thinks back to the people who took their time to help her through her journey of becoming a U.S. citizen and how important they were to her success. Those memories helped fuel the passion she continues to have for people facing similar circumstances — a passion she helps fulfill through the pro bono legal services she and her fellow colleagues within TD's Legal department provide to the communities in which we serve.
What is pro bono?
But what exactly are pro bono legal services? The phrase pro bono is shortened from the Latin phrase pro bono publico, which literally translates in English to "for the public good." Pro bono services typically refer to professional work that is done voluntarily and without payment.
There is a long tradition of legal professionals providing pro bono services to underserved communities. The American Bar Association recommends lawyers in the United States provide at least 50 hours of pro bono services per year, though these recommendations may differ depending on the state.
"Pro bono services are an absolute good for the communities we serve. I'm proud of our pro bono committee and grateful for our colleagues within TD's Legal department who seek out opportunities to give back and pass along their knowledge and expertise," says Cynthia Adams, Interim Head of U.S. Legal and General Counsel, TD Bank, AMCB.
"I am fortunate to be in the position to provide pro bono services, and I feel like I have a responsibility to do what I can to support others," adds Stacey Spevak, Legal Director, TD Securities.
How TD gets involved
As an organization that serves millions of customers and hundreds of communities across a footprint that spans from Florida to Maine, TD's Legal department has numerous opportunities to lend a hand through pro bono services.
La-Donna, Stacey, and Anjum Unwala, Senior Counsel, Credit Card and Unsecured Lending, TD Bank, AMCB, serve as the committee chairs for the U.S. Legal pro bono program. Opportunities come in numerous ways — from nonprofit organizations soliciting support, to personal recommendations from individual attorneys to organizations with which TD already has an established partnership.
When these opportunities come to the committee, they are vetted and socialized with the broader team. Additionally, before engaging in pro bono activity, colleagues often participate in training sessions sponsored by pro bono partners.
There are typically two days of service per quarter, and all colleagues within TD's legal department are encouraged to participate.
"At TD, we are providing advice to help a large financial institution," says Anjum. "When we do pro bono work, it's typically advice or support for topics like immigration, veterans, and even folks working in the arts."
How TD helps the community
TD's lawyers have worked with pro bono groups like the Safe Passage Project, which helps individuals seeking asylum in the United States; Volunteer Lawyers for Justice, which helps individuals who have received misdemeanor convictions improve their access for employment opportunities; the Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program, which aids veterans in gaining additional benefits that may be due to them after being discharged from the military; and the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts program, which helps independent artists with establishing 501 (c)(3) tax-exempt organizations and contract reviews.
"One of the pro bono opportunities we worked on involved human trafficking," La-Donna recalls. "We helped to create a judge's bench book — essentially a guidebook — that discussed the nuances of human trafficking, providing important context for judges when ruling on cases involving these types of victims."
Paying it forward
Participating in pro bono opportunities gives TD's Legal team the chance to help vulnerable populations that need it most. But more than that, many within the Legal team see it as a personal responsibility.
That includes La-Donna.
"I became empowered to give back through my education and my work as an attorney, and so it's my responsibility to give back to others," she says. "There are challenges and impediments that surround an individual's life at all levels — whether it's getting employment or gaining access to education and healthcare — and I recognize how important it is to have these things so you can live a decent life with some dignity. And that's, ultimately, what our pro bono work is all about."