In the Media
Greg McConnell Profiled in Pro Bono Net News
In the Media
Greg McConnell Profiled in Pro Bono Net News
April 2011
Winston & Strawn pro bono counsel Greg McConnell was featured in the Pro Bono Net News article titled "Pro Bono Counsel Profile: Greg McConnell, Winston & Strawn." The article discussed the firm's strong tradition of pro bono work, including several high-profile cases in which wrongfully convicted men were later exonerated through the firm's efforts. Inspired by these cases, the firm, in partnership with the Innocence Project, took on the project of building a comprehensive database of case files for individuals nationwide who were wrongfully convicted and subsequently exonerated based on the introduction of DNA evidence in post-conviction proceedings.
The Innocence Record, as the database is known, aims to answer the question of, "How can we prevent these wrongful convictions from happening again in the future?" explained McConnell.
Earlier this year, Winston & Strawn was awarded the 2010 LTN Innovation Award for the Most Innovative Use of Technology in a Pro Bono Project in honor of The Innocence Record. The site, www.innocencerecord.org, contains public documents on most of the nearly 300 individuals who have been wrongfully convicted and later exonerated through DNA evidence. The information is searchable and available for free to registered users.
McConnell said he has seen the role of firmwide pro bono counsel evolve quite a bit. With firms becoming larger, "those with even a modest pro bono practice almost need to have somebody in that role to make sure that the work is appropriate and the efforts well-managed," McConnell said. "And of course firms have become increasingly interested in expanding their work, finding great development opportunities for their lawyers. The challenge for all of us is balancing our attorneys' interest in working on the most interesting and exciting opportunities with the need to respond to the most pressing legal needs of our communities."