Great Idea From the Silicon Valley IGDA Chapter
I noticed this morning that the Silicon Valley IGDA Chapter has worked out a sponsorship deal with a law firm which is providing four 30-minute pro bono consultation slots per month to members of the SV IGDA chapter. That’s a fantastic idea, and frankly one that I wish I’d thought of!
So kudos to Ann Burkett for securing a fantastic benefit for her local IGDA members, and for raising the bar for us all.
Dan Said,
August 5, 2009 @ 10:26 am
A nice idea. But it’s indeed fantastic in these times: the lawyers have capacity, and can afford to build relationships that will lead to later engagements. And the recipients of the free consultations are less likely than ever to be able to afford to pay for them.
Besides, before making a choice, you ALWAYS want to get some free consultation from your prospective law firm.
So, might the Boston chapter help facilitate free consultations for members (or, at least, the early-stage members)? But how about drawing from a wider range of services? There are lawyers, sure, but also marketing and strategy consultants, unemployed Exec Producers, financial-service providers, PR firms, and more.
Even limited to the Boston-IGDA (”PM”) membership, I’ll insist that any under- or un-employed game-industry veteran with any sense will be happy to do this: it’s fun, it gives back to a characteristically-giving community, it keeps the claws sharp, and it just might lead to the next full-time job.