2016 – Eric Carlson

As Senior Counsel for McDonald’s Corporation since 2003, Eric Carlson has demonstrated an impressive commitment to pro bono service. Eric leads by example in showing that pro bono can be fully compatible with a busy and demanding workload for the company. Eric has provided his expert legal counsel in a variety of pro bono programs and inspired many of his colleagues to get involved as an active member of McDonald’s Pro Bono Committee.

Eric currently heads up the company’s senior citizen pro bono project in conjunction with the Center for Disability and Elder Law (CDEL). Since 2010, Eric has successfully organized and implemented numerous Senior Center Workshop programs to help low-income elderly individuals, enlisting more than 50 attorneys and staff members at McDonald’s to participate in these workshops. Together, they have ensured that more than 100 seniors have received vital legal assistance on critical estate planning matters like living wills, health care powers of attorney and related issues. His unwavering commitment to the project has enabled the partnership between McDonald’s and CDEL to thrive.

Eric also is an active volunteer for McDonald’s U-visa pro bono project with the National Immigrant Justice Center. In connection with this work, Eric has devoted over 100 hours working to obtain U-visas for clients who were victims of significant domestic abuse. In one of those cases, Eric sought protection for a woman and her six children who were victims of repeated physical and mental abuse by the woman’s boyfriend. Thanks to Eric’s dedication and good work, the woman was granted a U-visa and her children received derivative visas, literally altering the course of their lives and giving them hope for a brighter future.

Eric’s dedication to pro bono continues to set a great example for his colleagues at McDonald’s and other in-house counsel throughout the area.

Special thanks to Computing Source for this video.