Our attorneys, summer associates and paralegals are provided a wide range of opportunities for pro bono work and last year dedicated over 43,000 hours to 440 client matters, allowing Goodwin Procter to meet the Pro Bono Challenge (at least 3% of total billable hours devoted to pro bono work) issued by the Pro Bono Institute. At Goodwin Procter, our pro bono efforts are facilitated by a 13-member pro bono committee and a full-time program manager, and we treat work for pro bono clients the same as work for paying clients, crediting attorneys’ pro bono hours towards their overall billable hour goals.
Our pro bono program features matters ranging from transactional work for nonprofits to cases for individuals referred by bar association programs and the court system. We serve the local communities in which we work and live, and also provide assistance to a number of nonprofit organizations striving to improve the lives of people in underdeveloped countries.
We assist indigent individuals on issues involving housing, elder law, asylum and criminal defense, as well as nonprofit organizations on real estate, tax, environmental, intellectual property, corporate and commercial law matters. Our lawyers frequently accept referrals from such organizations as the Volunteer Lawyers Project, the Lawyers Alliance for New York, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, Human Rights First, the Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, the Lawyers Clearinghouse on Affordable Housing and Homelessness, the Political Asylum/Immigration Project and the D.C. Bar Clinic.
Goodwin Procter provides pro bono externships for associates in a variety of practice areas. In the litigation area, twice annually, we send two associates for six-month engagements as Assistant District Attorneys in Massachusetts’ Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office. In the real estate area, each year an associate is selected to work for four months at The Trust for Public Land, a nonprofit organization that preserves land for parks, gardens and natural areas. On the corporate side, an associate is selected annually for a four-month externship with the Center for Women & Enterprise, helping to advise entrepreneurs on legal issues relating to starting and running a business.
Pro bono work at Goodwin Procter provides compelling opportunities for professional and personal growth. Through this work, our attorneys are exposed to a range of challenging and topical issues, including cases involving rights to education, death penalty challenges, immigration and asylum, assistance to rape victims, historic preservation and micro-loans to inter-city entrepreneurs. In addition, Goodwin Procter attorneys have been active participants in initiatives such as the Boston Housing Court’s Lawyer for the Day Program and the D.C. Bar Clinic, both of which assist indigent clients seeking advice and representation. Co-representation situations have given our attorneys the opportunity to work side-by side-with such noted groups as the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty, and the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
We consistently implement initiatives to make pro bono opportunities and activities accessible to our lawyers. By identifying the interests of individual lawyers and publicizing opportunities, we are able to match individuals with opportunities that interest them, and provide training and supervision. Further, through awards and individual performance reviews, we recognize those individuals at Goodwin Procter who do pro bono work. For the more senior attorneys at the firm, direct involvement in these matters, or involvement at a supervisory level, provides a chance to use their special skills to help people in need. For newer attorneys, this work allows substantial hands-on experience and training, and a chance to manage a case or matter at an early stage in their careers. As mentioned, attorneys working on approved pro bono matters receive full billable credit for time spent on this work.
Goodwin Procter and individual attorneys practicing at the firm have been recognized by numerous organizations for various pro bono contributions. Recent honors have included the 2005 ABA Pro Bono Publico Award, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court 2004 John Adams Pro Bono Publico Award, the Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Legal Services Award from the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project, the “Golden Hammer” award from Habitat for Humanity, and awards from the Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights, the Somerville Homeless Coalition, the New York State Bar Association, and the National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty.
This work and achievement on behalf of others is emblematic of Goodwin Procter’s commitment to giving back to the communities in which we work and live. Our long history of pro bono work is an integral part of our culture. We remain committed to this work and will continue to seek out, recognize and employ our varied skills and resources to assist those in need.
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