“We definitely have support from the top. It’s built into our culture. We’re known for our pro bono clinics in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore,” she said.

Amy has just finished a five-year term as the coordinator of the company’s pro bono program—a role she took on in addition to her work in the corporate legal department. “It’s gratifying to feel that you’re helping a client,” she said.

Exelon is particularly dedicated to advocacy for the homeless and veterans. The cases they take are critically important to people who have lost their homes and all of their documentation.

“When I go to a homeless shelter and talk to a woman with two children who has lost her paperwork, her life is in upheaval,” Amy said. “Just doing one small thing for this person can start to get her life to where it was before becoming homeless. The efforts we think are small can be a lot bigger for a client in that situation.”

“Without a birth certificate, a person cannot apply to receive his or her Social Security card, which is needed for employment applications. A person may apply for his or her birth certificate with a state-issued identification card or a driver’s license. However, you cannot get your identification or driver’s license without a certified birth certificate. So there is a Catch-22 scenario. As lawyers, we can apply on a client’s behalf for his or her birth certificate to resolve this situation. In one case, the state told us our client had died the day she was born. She’s always been known by her one name. You need a birth certificate to apply for benefits or get a driver’s license or just about everything directly or indirectly,” she said. Getting that one piece of paper, which was rightly hers, changed the client’s life.

Exelon draws on the legal community to expand its reach, including Morgan Lewis, which has a long-standing business relationship with the company.

“Our relationship has been enhanced by our pro bono partnership, coordinating with Amanda Smith, the firm’s Pro Bono partner, and others at the firm. A large group of our lawyers in Philadelphia, Chicago, and Baltimore recently worked with Morgan Lewis lawyers to assist veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder in obtaining military benefits, which was so rewarding,” Amy said.

Pro Bono partner Amanda Smith echoes the sentiment. “We are happy to work with Exelon in so many different ways to help a diverse group of pro bono clients—from homeless families to veterans to nonprofit organizations. Our partnership allows our lawyers to build closer personal relationships and work together to help those who cannot afford counsel,” she said.

Morgan Lewis’s policy, as well as Exelon’s, is that all pro bono clients are treated the same as paying clients. Each year, Exelon presents an award to an outstanding lawyer, paralegal, or legal assistant pro bono volunteer.

Another project Exelon participates in is a quarterly small business clinic in Philadelphia that is staffed by volunteers from in-house legal departments and law firms. In October, Morgan Lewis will once again host the event. Exelon also works closely with the Pro Bono Institute, which has an active pro bono program. “We learn from each other. We’re happy to be a resource to other companies or firms looking to start a pro bono program or formalize the one they have. We’ll share what’s worked and not worked,” Amy said.

Amy’s also enthusiastic about Exelon’s internal efforts. “We have an All Hands Day at Exelon once a year, where everyone, from assistants to the general counsel in each of our three major offices, donates time to pro bono services.”

“When you’re helping a client by providing wills and powers of attorney, you can see gratitude in their faces and hear it in their voices. You’re taking a personal burden off their minds. It’s definitely fulfilling in a way that is different from helping a business client,” said Amy.