Baker Donelson has appointed Ashley Cullinan to serve as Pro Bono Committee Office Chair for the Firm's Baltimore office.

As the Baltimore Pro Bono Committee Office Chair, Ms. Cullinan will work to identify and address local pro bono needs while coordinating with Baker Donelson Pro Bono Shareholder Samuel T. Bowman for global pro bono initiatives.

Ms. Cullinan is an associate in Baker Donelson's Baltimore office, where she represents clients in all areas of the construction industry, including owners, contractors, subcontractors, sureties and design professionals with respect to contract drafting and negotiation, and dispute resolution. Before joining Baker Donelson, she was involved in the Pro Bono Board at Georgetown University Law Center. Some of her pro bono projects included work for the American Bar Association in research on death penalty due process reviews, and The National Technical Assistance Center for Children's Mental Health, where she developed policy recommendations that would assist child welfare professionals, social workers, and judges in the assessment and placement of children in foster homes. Ms. Cullinan also worked with the Connecticut Appleseed Special Education Funding Costs project to examine how school districts deal with the costs of special education. She is a member of the Maryland Volunteer Lawyer Services Community Advocacy Network and of Building for Good, a national platform that links charities and nonprofits with attorneys who can provide pro bono construction law services.

"By helping to ensure that we are addressing the pro bono needs that are specific to the Baltimore area, Ashley will play an integral role in our efforts to meet the broader needs across Baker Donelson's geographic footprint," said Mr. Bowman. "Ashley has clearly long demonstrated a commitment to the importance of providing vital legal services to the underserved, and I am grateful for the leadership that she brings to our pro bono team."

Through its commitment to pro bono representation, Baker Donelson provides legal services to groups and individuals whose resources are limited. For decades, the Firm's attorneys have provided a variety of counsel to many underserved populations that have had no options for legal representation. Baker Donelson's efforts include work on a wide range of matters, such as advocating for the homeless and organizations that serve the homeless, providing corporate legal services to non-profit organizations, collaborating with our clients to address particular community needs, and much more. The Firm has been instrumental in efforts such as expanding the Homeless Experience Legal Protection (HELP) program across the Southeast; creating courts dedicated to handling minor legal matters common among the homeless; assisting persons of limited means with obtaining driver's licenses, an essential need in helping these individuals reintegrate into society; and spearheading and organizing volunteer lawyer programs across Baker Donelson's footprint.

Baker Donelson has led the way in the legal industry by being one of the first law firms in the Southeast to create a Pro Bono Committee and designate a Pro Bono Shareholder. To further its commitment to pro bono, Baker Donelson also designates Pro Bono Committee Office Chairs in most of its 21 offices. These chairs are best suited to address local needs while coordinating with the Firm's Pro Bono Shareholder for global pro bono initiatives. This structure ensures Baker Donelson is well-suited to further its goal of addressing broad spectrum needs across the Firm's footprint and beyond.