Pro Bono Institute Honors BNY Mellon for Legal Aid to the Underserved

NEW YORK, March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- BNY Mellon, the global leader in investment management and investment services, and the company's General Counsel Jane Sherburne, will receive the 2012 Laurie D. Zelon Pro Bono award from the Pro Bono Institute during the organization's annual conference on March 29.

Established in 2000, the Zelon Award recognizes outstanding pro bono leadership and commitment to service, and underscores the importance of providing access to justice. The Honorable Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, along with Justice Laurie D. Zelon, Associate Justice of the California Court of Appeals, and Tom Todd, a Partner at ReedSmith, LLP., will lead the 2012 Zelon Award presentation.

"It is with great pleasure that we give this award to Jane Sherburne and the legal department of BNY Mellon for making such a strong commitment to pro bono," PBI President and CEO Esther F. Lardent said. "BNY Mellon's program represents a bold statement of leadership in the fight for access to justice nationally and globally that puts it at the forefront of the in-house pro bono movement."

"Our pro bono program fosters teamwork globally while providing opportunities for our lawyers to meet their professional obligation to serve those who can't afford representation," said Jane Sherburne, Senior Executive Vice President and General Counsel, BNY Mellon.

Through this program, BNY Mellon's legal department supports a variety of pro bono efforts, including:

• providing legal services to micro-entrepreneurs who are starting new businesses in New York;
• helping returning U.S. veterans with combat-related disabilities secure benefits;
• assisting 9/11 victims and their families navigate the Victim Compensation Fund; and
• advising foreign domestic workers in Hong Kong with legal and employment issues.

BNY Mellon has a longstanding heritage of philanthropy and community partnership dating back to the founding of the company in 1784. BNY Mellon encourages team and individual volunteering and fundraising year-round in the 36 countries in which it operates, and has contributed $100 million globally to strengthen and improve its communities over the past three years alone.

BNY Mellon is a global financial services company focused on helping clients manage and service their financial assets, operating in 36 countries and serving more than 100 markets. BNY Mellon is a leading provider of financial services for institutions, corporations and high-net-worth individuals, offering superior investment management and investment services through a worldwide client-focused team. It has $25.8 trillion in assets under custody and administration and $1.26 trillion in assets under management, services $11.8 trillion in outstanding debt and processes global payments averaging $1.5 trillion per day. BNY Mellon is the corporate brand of The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation (NYSE: BK). Additional information is available on www.bnymellon.com/csr or follow us on Twitter @BNYMellon.

About the Pro Bono Institute
Established in 1996, PBI is a nonprofit organization with a mandate to explore and identify new approaches to the poor and disadvantaged unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems. In doing so, PBI identifies and develops innovative programs and undertakes rigorous evaluations to ensure that these new approaches are workable and effective. PBI administers a number of projects designed to enhance access to justice, including: the Law Firm Pro Bono Project®, Corporate Pro Bono(SM), Second Acts®, Global Pro Bono, and Public Interest Pro Bono.

SOURCE BNY Mellon