Representative Matters
Our Core Practices
Pro Bono
Offices
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A Firm Commitment, a Firmwide Effort
Dechert has a longstanding tradition of providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel. Lawyers in all our offices and in all our practice groups make a difference every day by contributing their talents to providing pro bono legal services.
Dechert is a founding member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project and, as part of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, we have committed to spending three percent of our total billable time annually on pro bono work. In addition, we are a signatory to the United Kingdom's Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Legal Work. As a result of this dedication, Dechert lawyers commit thousands of hours annually to pro bono service.
We also require all U.S.-based attorneys to perform at least 25 hours of pro bono work per year to ensure universal participation in our pro bono program. At Dechert, we approach pro bono with the same energy and resources as work performed for commercial clients, and associates receive billable hour credit for their pro bono work.
A Diverse Pro Bono Practice
A Dechert partner focuses full time on managing the firm's pro bono program. She works with a pro bono committee consisting of representatives from every Dechert office. They are charged with promoting the firm's pro bono efforts and ensuring that a wide variety of pro bono opportunities are available for our attorneys.
Our pro bono practice is diverse. Our lawyers handle hundreds of pro bono matters covering issues such as civil rights, international human rights, child advocacy, special education, access to public benefits, asylum, and the representation of numerous nonprofit organizations. Our goal is to find projects that make a difference and that match the personal interests of our lawyers. Thus, we take referrals from a variety of local, national, and international legal services organizations.
Examples of the ways in which Dechert lawyers serve their communities include:
- creating a multi-office, multi-disciplinary project to assist victims of human trafficking. Dechert is involved with a number of anti-trafficking networks and is advising on draft legislation and matters of policy as well as representing victims directly;
- representing death row inmates, including the successful representation of an illiterate, mentally retarded, and severely brain damaged inmate on Pennsylvania's death row whose conviction raised constitutional issues;
- representing dozens of prisoners in civil rights claims challenging their conditions of incarceration;
- representing numerous Afghan nationals detained in Guantánamo Bay;
- staffing legal clinics through the Homeless Advocacy Project (Philadelphia), Community Matters (London), the Public Law Center (Newport Beach), the Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (New York), the Trenton Area Soup Kitchen (Princeton), the North Kensington Law Centre (London), and the Legal Clinic for the Homeless (New York);
- handling an assortment of immigration and asylum issues, including assisting with Violence Against Women Act petitions and U visa applications;
- serving as child advocates for abused and neglected children;
- assisting veterans to obtain service related benefits;
- working with numerous international human rights organizations, including Oxfam, the Public Interest Law Institute and INTERIGHTS, on a range of issues such as access to justice; and
- representing non-profit organizations on issues including incorporation, tax, employment, and real estate.
Honors
Over the years, Dechert and individual Dechert lawyers have been recognized on numerous occasions for pro bono contributions. Firm recognition has included:
In the July 2010 issue of The American Lawyer, Dechert was ranked #3 in the annual pro bono rankings and was listed in the magazine's Pro Bono Honor Roll. The Pro Bono Honor Roll is their list of the ten firms in the country which made the most significant contributions in terms of pro bono services.
If you have any questions about Dechert's pro bono program, contact Suzanne E. Turner, pro bono partner, at
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