Each month, we offer the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are proud to feature Deborah Branch, a seasoned transactional lawyer in the media and entertainment industries.
Meet Deborah Branch!
From Transactional Law to Advocating for a Cure: After graduating from Harvard University Law School, Deborah joined a Wall Street firm, but always held an affinity for public interest law. Deborah had conducted pro bono work intermittently in her career through the New York City Bar Association, but felt the need to be more involved in volunteerism.
Deborah first came across We The Action through a Harvard Alumni group. Deborah was drawn to We The Action because of its range of pro bono opportunities for attorneys in a variety of issue areas.
Within her first month of joining We The Action, Deborah attended a training hosted by We The Action and Alliance for Justice’s Bolder Advocacy program about the escalating legal and political attacks on nonprofit organizations and what lawyers can do to help.
During her search for opportunities, she discovered a project through We The Action’s partnership with the Rare As One Network, a community of rare disease organizations in need of legal support. There, she connected with the Barth Syndrome Foundation (BSF), an organization dedicated to education, supporting advances in treatments, and finding a cure for Barth syndrome. BSF achieves their research objectives through grants to parties that engage in scientific research.
BSF needed a volunteer to review its contractual agreements with potential grant recipients. Recognizing the value of her expertise, Deborah identified an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to the organization's mission and support their international research grant process.
“It is gratifying to work on matters where you are in a position to help an organization or effort for the good of the greater society, not just for corporate profit.”
The Impact: While Deborah was initially unfamiliar with Barth syndrome, she quickly learned about the rare, life-threatening genetic disorder. Deborah worked closely with senior leaders at BSF to review and clarify the research grant policies and the terms and conditions to be entered into with the foundation’s grantees.
Deborah provided the organization with guidance to pursue the necessary business due diligence with respect to a specific research grant applicant, given that the proposed research project was dependent on additional third-party partners, and consequently, required careful assessment of potential risks.
Deborah conducted a review of the grant proposal to determine whether the applicant’s proposed research activities and intended use of funds were consistent with the mission of BSF. This review ensured adherence to BSF’s ethical standards as well as alignment with the organization’s priorities for international research supported through grant funding.
As a result of Deborah’s efforts, the BSF leadership team was able to engage in the necessary business due diligence to assess the grant applicant’s proposed research project, permitting them to identify and address potential problems with greater clarity. The leadership team ultimately crafted an agreement with Deborah’s guidance in strengthening the partnership with its international grantees.
The Power of Legal Service: The BSF project provided Deborah with an opportunity to reflect on her career and her background in corporate transactional law, and the importance of effective communications between parties while contemplating a collaboration that requires conducting due diligence in order to permit a genuine “meeting of the minds.” Deborah emphasized that it was important for BSF to be aware of the business intent and goals of the grant recipient (and those of its partners) to ensure the alignment of those goals with the mission of BSF to fund projects leading to the development of treatments of Barth Syndrome by permitting the publication and dissemination of the resulting completed research for any such projects.
She emphasized that nonprofits working with grantees or partners with “for-profit” intent or other institutional restrictions should demand transparency and the disclosure of any contractual, corporate or legal restrictions that might impact the project being funded. The parties should delineate shared goals and expectations prior to the start of any funded project, ideally before the grant process is completed, to avoid potential conflicts and maintain a collaborative partnership throughout the project's duration.
Deborah underscores the importance of pro bono engagement as an attorney, noting both the value of community impact and the personal reward by participation. Despite her career focus in a different sector, she plans to continue to contribute her legal expertise to other non-profit organizations needing support.
“[Volunteering] to use my professional expertise developed over the course of my career to support certain not-for-profit entities is gratifying, and it offers opportunities to work on projects that align with my interests and values.”