Pro bono work is done in all our offices, in all parts of the world, even where there is no tradition or local bar expectation. The recognition we have received is a testament to the impact of the work we do and the commitment and quality of our lawyers.
Jacquelyn MacLennan, Partner, Brussels, Global Pro Bono Practice Leader
A major global investment
120,000
pro bono hours in 201811%
increase in pro bono hours from 2017
A body of work recognized for excellence
FT
Ten-time winner of the Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Award. Three “Standout” and seven “Commended” matters since 2014Am Law
Four-time winner of The American Lawyer’s Global Legal Award since 2013
A broad base of leadership
100%
of offices and practice groups do pro bono work130
partners and counsel serve as Pro Bono Leaders60
associates and legal staff serve as Pro Bono Champions
Americas highlights
530+ total pro bono matters in 2018
Boston: Pursuing claims of actual innocence for a client on Mississippi’s death row
Chicago: Corporate legal advice to United Cerebral Palsy Seguin of Greater Chicago
Houston: Advising a Houston nonprofit working to stop the expansion of a local landfill
Los Angeles: Representing a Central American child seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status to enable him to remain in the US
Mexico City: Representing a variety of cultural institutions, including Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo, SOMA, Patronato de Arte Contemporáneo and the foundations of Museo Tamayo and Palacio de Bellas Artes
Miami: Civil rights trial counsel for a Florida man falsely arrested for battery of a law enforcement officer
New York: Represented more than ten clients in federal and state appeals of their criminal convictions; a case of first impression is headed to New York State’s highest court
São Paulo: Summarized Portuguese-language agriculture and forestry deal investment contracts for inclusion in the Columbia Center on Sustainable Investment’s online contract repository
Silicon Valley: Corporate governance and IP advice to the Global Network Initiative, an NGO working to protect freedom of expression and privacy rights
Washington, DC: Brought federal habeas corpus proceedings for a prisoner who has been detained without charges in Guantánamo Bay since 2007
EMEA highlights
395+ total pro bono matters in 2018
Abu Dhabi: Researched gender-based violence case law for inclusion in Cornell Law School’s Women and Justice Collection
Astana: Advising the Kazakhstan Bar Association on legal education initiatives and improvements to the court system
Berlin: Serving as legal guardians for unaccompanied minor refugees who have recently immigrated to Germany
Bratislava: Prepared and delivered training on the new EU General Data Protection Regulation to leading Slovak nonprofits in partnership with the Pontis Foundation
Brussels: Analyzed laws regulating the detention of migrant children in the EU for the Platform for International Cooperation on Undocumented Migrants
Cairo: Legal support on historical preservation and public use for the Presidential Committee on the Re-Development of Downtown Cairo
Doha: Ongoing advice on the establishment of the first museum of modern and contemporary art in Beirut
Dubai: Guidance to a blockchain startup that will provide banking facilities to underbanked populations
Düsseldorf: Structuring advice to AMAIDI International gGmbH, a global NGO connecting volunteers to those in need
Frankfurt: Assisting Jugend gegen AIDS e. V., a German youth nonprofit focused on HIV/AIDS prevention, to establish a subsidiary organization
Geneva: Helping the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions review and amend its governance documents
Hamburg: Conducted a one-day insolvency workshop for debtor counselors of the Deutscher Caritasverband, a charitable organization of the Catholic Church
Helsinki: Research on the rights of migrant children in Finland for global child rights NGO Kids Empowerment
Istanbul: Assisting FODER, a financial literacy and inclusion nonprofit, to file as a public interest association in Turkey while providing ongoing tax advice
Johannesburg: Helped Innovation: Africa, a nonprofit providing solar and water technologies to remote African villages, incorporate a South African entity
London: Assisting social enterprises working in Ghana, India and Uganda with the structuring, negotiation and implementation of their first debt financings
Madrid: Helped establish and serve as a founding member of Fundación Pro Bono Espana, Spain’s largest pro bono clearinghouse by participation
Milan: Ongoing assistance in the formation of Pro Bono Italia, an association of lawyers and law firms devoted to promoting and spreading a culture of pro bono throughout Italy
Moscow: Russian and international intellectual property law advice to the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art in Moscow
Paris: Representing victims of the terrorist attack on the Bataclan Theatre in criminal and civil compensation proceedings
Prague: Day-to-day legal and tax advice to Dobrý anděl, a Czech nonprofit focused on helping severely ill children and their families
Riyadh: Helped Bunyan Women’s Charitable Association for Family Development structure secured and interest-free finance and housing options for lowincome families
Stockholm: Representing survivors of torture during the war in Syria who currently reside in Sweden to file criminal complaints against their perpetrators
Warsaw: Data-protection compliance, administrative law and litigation support to Polish Humanitarian Action, which supports individuals affected by armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and natural disasters
Asia-Pacific highlights
100+ total pro bono matters in 2018
Beijing: Participating in Peking University Law School Clinic
Hong Kong: Corporate legal advice and training for the Hong Kong Red Cross
Jakarta: Helped Women’s World Banking set up a local representative office in Indonesia
Melbourne: Ongoing advice to low-income clients in dispute with their builder as part of Justice Connect’s Domestic Building Legal Service clinic 100+ total pro bono matters in 2018
Seoul: Analyzed legislation and case law on discrimination against LGBTI people in the workplace for PILnet, a global pro bono NGO
Shanghai: Advised Parinama Cultural Development Foundation, a Shanghai arts nonprofit, on publishing dance educational materials for use at East China Normal University
Singapore: Legal advice to Guide Dogs Singapore Ltd, which provides guide dogs and orientation and mobility training to people with visual impairment
Sydney: Preparing loan agreements and other documents for Conservation International’s conservation impact investments globally
Tokyo: Representing individuals seeking asylum in Japan through a partnership with Japan Association for Refugees
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