Anne Lockner is a partner at Robins Kaplan who specializes in business litigation. When she is not practicing law, Anne serves on several boards and recently became Chair of the Fund for Legal Aid.
As a law student at Georgetown University, Anne developed an enthusiasm for public interest. Upon entering private practice Anne retained her commitment to public interest. When she began at Robins Kaplan, it had a strong history of philanthropy and, in particular, giving to the Fund’s One Hour of Sharing Campaign, which asks all attorneys to donate at least their hourly-billable rate to Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid. As an associate, Anne was among the first group championing The Fund for Legal Aid’s Associates’ Campaign, where associates solicited each other to support the One Hour of Sharing Campaign. This same Associates’ Campaign is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, which is a great testament to the philanthropic culture throughout the legal community in the Twin Cities.
In explaining why she has been donating her time and resources for more than 20 years, Anne believes that financially supporting legal aid is the responsibility of all attorneys. Anne recognizes that her pro bono work and legal aid donations are not mutually exclusive. While pro bono does much good, donations go further systemically. They support full-time public interest programs and personnel so that they can continue to perform their jobs and provide representation to underrepresented populations. For Anne, it is not a matter of private versus public interest. Those in private practice can love their jobs and full-heartedly represent their clients, but must recognize a lack of protections and resources for others in the legal field.
Anne believes underfunding for civil legal services is “a real concern of our legal system” and encourages attorneys to address this need by giving generously to the Fund for Legal Aid.