(Austin) February 9, 2005 — During the next three months, hundreds of law students and lawyers will gather at Food Banks across the country to separate, organize, and box food for thousands of meals for needy families.
 
The project is part of a unique effort by Vinson & Elkins to showcase the tremendous work of the Food Banks and the need for an increased focus on community service, while also discussing the future opportunities of the law firm with future lawyers.
 
The Food Bank project started three years ago when Vinson & Elkins partner Kevin Lewis, a 1986 graduate of Harvard Law School and leader of the firm's recruiting efforts at Harvard, decided he wanted to do something different than the same old recruiting lunches or dinners. "I wanted a completely different context, something more relaxing than the typical interview over dinner, and something that also demonstrated V&E;'s deep commitment to public service and pro bono," says Mr. Lewis. "That first year, 2002, we had 20 Harvard Law students and 10 V&E; lawyers spend a couple hours doing whatever the Food Bank needed us to do."
 
"The students loved it, our lawyers loved it, and it was so successful that I decided to challenge other V&E; lawyers recruiting at other law schools to do the same," said Mr. Lewis. "The Food Bank trained us to to sort the food and then box it to be sent to those in need. You might not think you'd need a lot of training, but then again the jurisprudence involved in determining whether Ramen noodles go into the soup box, the pasta box or the meal box is pretty daunting."
 
Other V&E; lawyers have accepted the challenge and are planning their own Food Bank efforts with students from other law schools.
 
Leading the way were students from the University of Texas School of Law, who worked at the Austin Food Bank on January 26. More than 110 UT students and 45 Vinson & Elkins lawyers spent two hours at the Food Bank processing 15,940 pounds of food. The law students declared the event an overwhelming success.
 
"I was really surprised that a law firm would hold a recruiting reception in conjunction with a community service event," said James Lebeck, a first year law student at UT. "By combining a community service project that emphasizes teamwork with a reception demonstrated the importance teamwork has for success in many avenues in life, including being a successful attorney.  Second, on a more practical level, the combination created an atmosphere that fostered more genuine conversations, many of which started and were based on the shared experience at the Food Bank.  Finally, I think the project allowed Vinson & Elkins to demonstrate its strong commitment to the community."
 
David Montoya, who is on the Board of Directors at the Austin Food Bank and is the Assistant Dean of Career Services at UT Law School, said the Food Bank "was ecstatic to have 150 volunteers for the evening."
 
"The students thought it was a great event and it showed the students that Vinson & Elkins is very committed to the local community," said Mr. Montoya. "We would encourage other organizations to do the same."
 
The V&E; recruiting team at Yale has also accepted the Harvard challenge. A group of Yale Law students and V&E; lawyers will be working at the Connecticut Food Bank in East Haven on February 16. Mr. Lewis and his fellow Harvard alums and law students will be back at the Boston Area Food Bank for their third consecutive year on April 6. Vinson & Elkins is working with other law schools to schedule similar efforts at Food Banks in their areas.
 
Since 2002, Vinson & Elkins lawyers have donated more than $165,000 the End Hunger Network and local Food Bank operations across the country. 
 
For additional information regarding V&E;'s Food Bank project, please contact Kevin Lewis at 713.758.2222 or via email at klewis@velaw.com.