Call to action
Responding to those affected by the war in Ukraine
In a year of geopolitical turmoil, environmental disasters and threats to human rights, we leveraged the full spectrum of our capabilities to help address the challenges of our time.
The Firm and our people supported those affected by the war in Ukraine in multiple ways—giving financial support to charities working on the ground, organizing donation drives for emergency relief provisions, providing pro bono advice to refugees and even opening their homes to those escaping the conflict. Elsewhere, we helped refugees from Afghanistan evacuate and resettle in safer countries.
In the wake of natural disasters such as the catastrophic floods in Australia, our lawyers helped families rebuild their homes and lives. We also helped tackle long-term issues, through research on carbon rights and climate change.
In the United States, our lawyers fought for the human rights of prisoners and women: challenging the use of long-term solitary confinement and helping to develop a unique database tracking rapidly changing reproductive healthcare laws in all 50 US states.
A long-term pillar of our pro bono work has been educating and empowering the next generation of legal leaders around the world. We celebrated important milestones in two projects we support: the inaugural graduating class of Bhutan’s first and only law school and the fifth anniversary of the African Centre on Law & Ethics.
This review tells these stories and more about the ways our people donated their time, knowledge and expertise to make a positive impact on their communities and the world in 2022.
We mobilized to help those escaping crises
Responding to those affected by the war in Ukraine
Rebuilding houses and lives following the Australia floods
Helping refugees fleeing from Afghanistan
While two distinct areas, ESG and pro bono can overlap and even complement each other
Highlights include a historic civil rights settlement and work to end solitary confinement
Protecting prisoners from the harms of long-term solitary confinement
Fighting to obtain just compensation for our client who was wrongfully convicted of murder
Our work focused on the rights of women and children
Improving access to justice for children
Providing access to executive clemency for women and other vulnerable groups
Building on our long history of reproductive rights pro bono work
We used our skills to help protect our environment and support climate action
Identifying legal frameworks for developing countries to address climate change
Free speech victory benefits endangered gray wolves
Facilitating green and blue bonds in Africa
Two of our legal education programs come full circle in Bhutan and Ghana
Marking a milestone for Bhutan’s first law school
Supporting the African Centre on Law & Ethics as it trains law students and practitioners from across the continent
Our work focuses on providing access to justice, serving organizations with a social or environmental mission and promoting the rule of law and good sovereign governance
122,152pro bono hours in 2022
Deepening client relationships and boosting associates' skills
Pro bono matters from each of our offices
For more information about our commitment and activities, please visit our Global Citizenship web pages.
Visuals by Roman De Giuli
Boston
Ongoing representation of a man on death row in Mississippi challenging the constitutionality of his conviction and sentence, and asserting his innocence
Chicago
Assisting individuals with expunging and sealing their criminal records through Legal Aid Chicago's Criminal Record Relief Program
Houston
Representing Central American children seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status to enable them to remain in the United States
Los Angeles
Assisting Ukrainians residing in the US in applying for Temporary Protected Status so they may safely remain and work in the country
Mexico City
Providing corporate advice to two Mexican nonprofits: Ambulante, which supports documentary films as a tool for cultural and social transformation, founded by Mexican actors Gael García Bernal and Diego Luna, and the Morelia International Film Festival, which supports filmmakers and raises awareness of Mexico’s film culture
Miami
Representing a plaintiff in a four-day federal jury trial in a Section 1983 civil rights action seeking compensation for injuries sustained from being shot by law enforcement
New York
Representing 13 clients on their criminal appeals and securing a victory in the New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division, which resulted in a conditional discharge for our client; also serving as amicus counsel for a group of law professors on an important stop-and-seizure case at the New York Court of Appeals, the state’s highest court
São Paulo
Researching laws on holistic juvenile defense in Brazil for The International Legal Foundation
Silicon Valley
Ongoing representation of a resettled Ethiopian refugee living in the US in his efforts to unite with his nine-year-old daughter living in an Ethiopian refugee camp
Washington, DC
Representing the best interests of two minor children, ages nine and five, in a highly contested custody dispute between their parents in the DC Family Court
Beijing
Conducting research on collateral registry reform in China for Women’s World Banking
Hong Kong
Providing corporate governance advice to Karen Leung Foundation, an NGO devoted to gynecological cancers
Jakarta
Researching laws on holistic juvenile defense in Indonesia for The International Legal Foundation
Melbourne
Ongoing advice to low-income clients in dispute with their builder as part of Justice Connect’s Domestic Building Legal Service Clinic
Seoul
Conducting Korean legal research to support the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law project
Shanghai
Reviewing team memorials and judging oral rounds in the 2022 White & Case International Rounds of the Philip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition
Singapore
In collaboration with BABSEACLE, a justice education organization operating in Asia, providing an online Business Law and Ethics seminar series for students from law campuses in Laos
Sydney
Providing general real estate advice to Hedland Men’s Shed, a nonprofit men’s community center in Western Australia
Tokyo
Representing individuals seeking asylum in Japan through a partnership with Japan Association for Refugees
Abu Dhabi
Assisting children’s literacy nonprofit Room to Read in registering in the United Arab Emirates
Astana
Providing legal and organizational support to Kazakhstan student entrepreneurship competition Enactus Kazakhstan and mentoring its participants
Berlin
Providing real estate advice to Ärzte ohne Grenzen e.V./Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders Germany) related to lease agreements and the relocation of its office in Berlin
Brussels
Assisting The International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer & Intersex Youth and Student Organisation (IGLYO) to finalize the second edition of its LGBTQI Inclusive Education Report
Cairo
Providing general advice to Lead Foundation, an Egyptian microfinance institution advancing the economic empowerment of those in need
Doha
Representing the Lebanese Visual Art Association in its role as curator of the Lebanese Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale
Dubai
In conjunction with the UK Sierra Leone Pro Bono Network, meeting with key stakeholders including the Sierra Leone Law Reform Commission, British High Commission, the Attorney General’s Office and the Ministry of Energy to understand the key areas of support for relaunching the Firm’s pro bono initiative in Sierra Leone
Düsseldorf
Researching the legal certifications required to practice immigration law in Germany for the International Refugee Assistance Project
Frankfurt
Providing general governance and compliance advice to Make-A-Wish Deutschland gGmbH
Geneva
Helping the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) advance the idea of a circular economy and the sustainable use of natural resources by providing a peer review of a policy paper under UNECE’s CIRCULAR STEP program, which is a stakeholder-engagement platform to facilitate progress on these issues
Hamburg
Providing ongoing corporate, employment, tax and litigation support to ELIM Diakonie, a nonprofit that provides nursing homes, mobile health care and social integration projects to the sick, elderly, migrants and asylum seekers
Helsinki
Researching laws on holistic juvenile defense in Finland for The International Legal Foundation
Istanbul
Analyzing the impact of the pandemic on prison populations in Türkiye for Penal Reform International
Johannesburg
Assisting Enterprising Africa Regional Network in setting up an impact investment company in the agricultural sector and advising on soil rehabilitation and training partnership arrangements with international investors
London
Participating in a multi-firm collaboration with Greater Manchester Immigration Aid Unit helping victims of the Windrush scandal apply for compensation from the UK Government
Madrid
Representing emotional crisis helpline Teléfono de la Esperanza in navigating its data protection obligations when dealing with certain situations requiring urgent assistance
Milan
Providing corporate and regulatory advice to Fondazione per L’Infanzia Ronald McDonald Italia, a nonprofit supporting children and their families
Nur-Sultan
Advised the Kazakhstan Bar Association on legal education initiatives and improvements to the court system
Paris
Representing victims of child prostitution and child abuse through referrals from Agir Contre la Prostitution des Enfants
Prague
Providing legal support to Post Bellum, a nonprofit that documents the memories of witnesses of major 20th-century historical events
Riyadh
Researching the linkage between the right to safe drinking water and sanitation and the right to a healthy environment for Human Right 2 Water
Stockholm
Providing corporate advice to Norrsken Foundation, an NGO helping social impact tech entrepreneurs solve global challenges, and providing legal advice to its member entrepreneurs
Warsaw
Advising the Polish nonprofit Inspiring Girls International Limited on corporate, employment, intellectual property and compliance matters
Photo by Gabriel Mello © Getty Images
Steps leading to the top of the Batu Caves, Kuala Lumpur.