In addition to serving on the boards of hundreds of charitable and civic organizations, Buchanan employees give back to the community through direct donations, volunteer work and providing pro bono counsel. Following are a few examples of the types of efforts we made just in the past year to better the communities we call home.

• More than 335 Buchanan employees donated to the United Way, with 139 donating at the leadership level. More than $415,000 was pledged to the organization in 2008.
• Due to the efforts of Buchanan's Aventura office to improve the lives of homeless, neglected and abused children throughout Florida, the firm was presented with the prestigious R. David and I. Lorraine Thomas Child Advocate of the Year Award by the Children's Home Society (CHS) of Florida.
• Buchanan's Temecula office managing shareholder received special recognition for raising a record $19,000 to benefit the National Foundation for Autism Research through firm donations and additional support from family and friends.
• More than a dozen volunteers from the firm's Tampa office worked to revitalize a native butterfly garden at Family Resources' Pinellas Park location.
• Buchanan's Alexandria office received the Excellence in Community Service Award for Corporate Citizens from The Campagna Center in recognition for the firm's work with the nonprofit organization, which serves children and families in need.
• For the sixth consecutive year, in lieu of holiday cards and client gifts, the firm donated funds to local charities.
• In 2008, the firm donated $12,000 to food banks in cities in which the firm has an office.
• Buchanan's Miami office managing shareholder Rick Morgan was elected to the Board of Governors of the University of Miami Sylvester Cancer Center and has helped raise substantial contributions as chair of its fundraising arm.
• Over the course of 2008, Buchanan employees have organized firmwide drives that have provided thousands of dollars to benefit local and national organizations including American Cancer Society, American Heart Association, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Soldiers' Angels, Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, ALS Association, Veterans Helping Veterans, American Red Cross, Autism Speaks, Spring-for-SIDS and the Arthritis Foundation.
• We represented on a pro bono basis a number of local museums in Alexandria and Pittsburgh in trademark matters.
• Attorneys in the firm's Washington, D.C., office volunteer at a pro bono clinic in the city to provide legal advice to those who might not otherwise be able to afford it.
• The firm provided pro bono counsel to Pennsylvanians for Reliable Power, a coalition of companies committed to growing and maintaining Pennsylvania’s electricity infrastructure.
• We represented clients as part of the Dauphin County Pro Bono Programs in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
• The firm provided human resources advice for Delaware Valley early childhood education group.
• We assisted the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) with the Military Assistance Project (MAP) it began in 2008 to provide pro bono assistance to U.S. soldiers and their families who face immigration issues.
• Attorneys in the firm's Philadelphia office participate in the Philadelphia VIP program, which refers pro bono cases involving low-income residents and families facing civil legal problems that threaten their basic human needs.
• We have handled more than 30 pro bono matters for the McKees Rocks Clinic, a Pittsburgh-area clinic staffed two times per month by attorneys from Buchanan and lawyers from other local law firms and the corporate law department of Alcoa Corporation.