Tara Burke awarded the ABA Business Law Section’s National Public Service Award

PBPO attorney volunteer Tara Burke, Knowledge Management Attorney at Jackson Lewis P.C., was recently selected as the recipient of the American Bar Association Business Law Section’s National Public Service Award for her incredible volunteer work with both PBPO and Exponentum, a national network of business law pro bono providers dedicated to improving the quality of life in low-income and disadvantaged communities.

The Award recognizes an attorney each year for their “significant pro bono legal contributions that demonstrate a commitment to providing legal services to individuals and entities that could not otherwise afford them.” Simply put, Tara exemplifies this commitment.

Over the past several years, Tara has been instrumental to planning, teaching, and executing at least seven of Exponentum’s National Webinars as part of a series for nonprofits and pro bono volunteers who serve nonprofits. Topics over the years have included Best Practices in Employment Law, Return to Work during COVID, Federal Pregnant Workers Fairness Act: What Nonprofit Employers Need to Know, Top 10 Take-Aways from Recent Supreme Court Decisions: Employment Law Considerations for Nonprofits Seeking a Diverse, Equitable, and Inclusive Workforce, and more. Each webinar has attracted well over one hundred attendees, and often several hundred, reaching nonprofits serving communities across the country.

In addition to her contributions to the Exponentum network, Tara has been a dedicated and valued volunteer for PBPO since 2016. Not only has she volunteered for countless traditional pro bono projects, but she has also led 10+ educational workshops/webinars for PBPO and authored or co-authored several Pro Bono Brief: Nonprofit Legal News articles that provide general legal guidelines for Ohio nonprofit organizations. Tara also served as a founding member of the Grow PBPO Advisory Council from 2016 – 2025, leading the group’s efforts as Co-Chair for three years.

As a result of Tara’s commitment to PBPO and Exponentum, numerous organizations serving children, homeless, older adults, immigrants, small business owners, and other vulnerable populations across the nation now have crucial employment law guidance. Tara’s commitment, service, and leadership have helped make much of PBPO’s work possible over the past 10 years and we are grateful for her. If you see Tara at a PBPO event in the future, please make sure to congratulate her!