The Pro Bono Project Will Light Up the Night in Celebration
of the 26th Justice For All Ball on Friday, September 19, 2014
Marcus V. Brown, Entergy Corporation Executive Vice President & General Counsel
to Serve as Honorary Chair
(New Orleans, LA) – The Pro Bono Project is ‘powering up’ to celebrate its 26th annual Justice For All Ball. This year’s Honorary Chair, Marcus V. Brown, Entergy Corporation’s Executive Vice President and General Counsel, and his colleagues will help The Pro Bono Project light up The Audubon Tea Room on Friday, September 19, 2014, from 8:00 p.m. to midnight; a private patron party will precede the Ball. This year’s Justice For All Ball is themed “Opening Doors.”
As Entergy’s General Counsel, Brown is responsible for all legal, ethics, and compliance matters affecting Entergy Corporation and its subsidiaries, including providing counsel to the Chairman and CEO, Board of Directors, and senior management. He oversees 75 attorneys who work in ten jurisdictional offices and in six practice groups, handling major transactions, regulatory proceedings, nuclear matters, litigation, environmental and employment issues. Brown, who has served on The Pro Bono Project’s Board of Directors, was recognized in 2013 along with others in Entergy’s Legal Department for their enormous contributions to The Project, which named Entergy as Corporate Pro Bono Partner of the Year.
“Entergy is both honored and excited to be the lead sponsor for this year’s Justice for All Ball,” said Brown. “We are long-standing supporters of The Pro Bono Project, and believe strongly in community service. Being able to help the underserved members of our community with civil legal needs reminds us why so many of us decided to practice law in the first place – to help others, and to open doors. We couldn’t be prouder to be part of this year’s effort.”
The 2014 JFAB Committee Co-Chairs are Michael DePetrillo, Partner, Jones Walker, and The Project’s Board member Norm Rubenstein, Partner, Zeughauser Group. Dozens of Project Board members and volunteers are working with them to make the 2014 Justice for All Ball a night to remember.
“When New Orleans and the metro area were hit by Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike, Marcus and the Entergy Legal Department were at the forefront of the effort to help rebuild the energy infrastructure so vital to the restoration of the city and the return of our people. Those efforts are similar to our mission of opening the doors to the civil justice system for those who cannot afford legal representation – we help them rebuild their lives and move forward again. Marcus and his legal team, in tandem with The Project, are doing important work to keep this community productive and powering through to a better future. We are honored to have Marcus serve as Honorary Chair of The Justice For All Ball, our biggest fundraising effort,” explained The Project’s Executive Director, Rachel Piercey.
“The JFAB raises a significant portion of the funds needed annually for The Project to help people rebuild their lives and ensure that everyone in this community has access to the civil justice system. The Project’s clients have limited resources, and often don’t even understand that their problems require a legal solution,” notes Jones Walker Partner Mike DePetrillo, 2014 JFAB Co-Chair. “That’s where The Project makes a difference by matching private bar attorneys pro bono with clients in need. Without The Project, so many of the civil legal issues faced by metro area residents, many caused by the slow economic recovery and the lingering effects of both natural and man-made disasters, continue to hinder the growth of the area.”
“The need for pro bono civil legal services continues to grow. We’re seeing new legal issues and new types of clients every year. Our federal and state funding continues to be cut, which places a greater need to raise funds within the private sector. Companies, foundations, and other private sector groups still require a great deal of education in order to better understand the full impact that a lack of civil legal services for the underserved has on the overall community,” explains Jan Hayden, Shareholder, Baker Donelson, and 2014 Chair of The Pro Bono Project.
This year’s JFAB will feature Louisiana Spice as the headline entertainment adding a little heat to the dance floor for Ball-goers. The private patron party that precedes the Ball will feature the soothing jazz sounds of Dave Hansen’s Garden District Trio, with food by the award-winning chefs of Pêche Seafood Grill. More than 20 area restaurants, as well as the Audubon Tea Room, will provide food and beverages. Raffle items from the area’s retail and service businesses, along with exciting auction items will provide patrons with other ways to support The Project.
Tickets are $150 advance/$175 door; young attorneys, $100 advance/$125 door; and students $75 advance/$100 door; raffle tickets are $5 each. Ticket packages and corporate sponsorships are also available. All proceeds from sponsorships, ticket sales, the raffle, and the auction will benefit The Pro Bono Project.
To purchase advance tickets online: http://probono-no.org/jfab-2014/ or call the JFAB Hotline at: 504.581.3480. For sponsorship opportunities or more information on the Justice For All Ball or The Project, contact Executive Director Rachel Piercey at rpiercey@probono-no.org or 504.581.4043, x 202.
The Pro Bono Project’s continuing mission to provide free, quality civil legal services to the underserved is more important than ever. By engaging volunteer lawyers and other professionals to render pro bono services, The Pro Bono Project serves clients in Orleans, Jefferson, St Bernard, St Tammany, Plaquemines and Washington parishes. With funding from the Justice For All Ball and other sources, locally and nationally, The Pro Bono Project works in collaboration with other social service providers to improve the quality of life for our clients and our community.
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Contact: Rachel Piercey, 504.581.4043 x 202, rpiercey@probono-no.org
Joanna Broussard, 773.561.3122, joanna@bizmarkgroup.com