Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio recognized four of its top volunteers and two firms at its annual donor and volunteer appreciation event late last month.
The organization’s seventh appreciation reception celebrates PBPO’s attorney volunteers and donors for the positive impact they continue to make for PBPO and nearly 300 nonprofits organizations in southwest Ohio.
“Along with more than 800 attorney volunteers throughout Cincinnati and Dayton, PBPO strengthens the foundations of hundreds of local nonprofits in need of free business legal services and education,” said Erin Childs, executive director. “After more than seven years of operation, we are humbled by the continuous outpouring of support from both our attorney volunteers and donors.”
Honorees included:
2022 Corporate Attorney of the Year: Mike Keefe
Keefe is assistant general counsel with Fifth Third Bank and has been a volunteer with PBPO since 2016. Since then, he’s volunteered with at least six PBPO clients, including Cornerstone Renter Equity, Price Hill Will and the Rothenberg Rooftop Garden. He volunteered over 40 hours last year for Cornerstone alone.
2022 Law Firm Attorney of the Year: Scott Wick
Wick is a partner at Graydon where his practice focuses on business and tax law. Since 2020, the year Scott took his first PBPO project, he has volunteered for over 20 separate projects for 11 of PBPO’s nonprofit clients, including Sew Valley, Main Street Ventures, Clothes that Work and On Our Way Home.
2022 Excellence in Nonprofit Service: Jason Stuckey
A Partner at Bricker & Eckler, Stuckey is the winner of PBPO’s nonprofit-nominated Excellence in Nonprofit Service award. Stuckey advises a multitude of public sector clients with a focus on school districts and higher education institutions at Bricker & Eckler. He is also an avid tennis player. Jason was nominated by PBPO client, the Cincinnati Tennis Foundation, for the pro bono employment work he did for the organization.
2022 Rising Star Award: Govinda Davis
An experienced intellectual property partner at Dinsmore & Shohl, Davis has volunteered with six of PBPO’s nonprofit clients since 2019 – including several that were far more work than the average PBPO project.
2022 Corporate Legal Department of the Year: GE Aviation
At least 35 GE Aviation attorneys volunteered on 80+ projects over the past year and a half. And since PBPO’s founding less than eight years ago, PBPO has had 70+ GE volunteers assist on 290+ projects – with a value of almost $500,000 in savings for small community-based nonprofit clients. GE Aviation is also the first company to be awarded the legal department of the year twice.
2022 Law Firm of the Year: Keating, Muething & Klekamp PLL
KMK Law attorneys have proven themselves to be invaluable partners of PBPO, both through their volunteer engagement and KMK’s financial support. Last year alone, over 20 KMK attorneys volunteered on at least 50 projects – including participating in a legal checkup CLE with GE Aviation and Mercy Health. Since PBPO’s founding less than eight years ago, over 40 KMK volunteers have assisted on 150+ projects – with a value of almost $170,000 in savings for small community-based nonprofit clients.
Since its founding in 2015, PBPO has empowered more than 850 attorney volunteers to donate time and talent — handling over 2,225 unique legal matters for 300-plus nonprofit organizations in Cincinnati and Dayton. PBPO has provided an estimated value of legal services and education for nonprofits valued at nearly $8 million.