Pro Bono

81,100* hours for the (public) good. It’s about time.

Pro bono work at Goodwin Procter is one of the cornerstones of our firm. That’s why our attorneys, summer associates and paralegals work on a wide range of pro bono matters. Last year we dedicated over  81,000  hours to 500 clients allowing Goodwin Procter to meet the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Challenge. We believe pro bono work is time very well spent.

Our pro bono work not only affects the local communities in which we work and live, but also improves the lives of people in other parts of the world. Our lawyers assist low-income individuals on issues such as housing, public benefits, asylum requests, criminal defense, and small business development. In addition, we assist national and international nonprofit organizations on governance issues, intellectual property, real estate, tax, employment, and environmental matters.

Attorneys and staff work on a range of challenging and topical issues including rights to education, death penalty challenges, immigration, microfinance, constitutional law, and civil rights matters. In addition, Goodwin Procter attorneys actively participate in local legal clinics for Boston’s Housing Court, the Belin Economic Justice Project, and the Washington, D.C. Bar. Our pro bono annual report offers more information and insights on some of our recent projects.

Associates are eligible for a variety of externships through different offices, which typically last four to six months. Several litigation associates work as Assistant District Attorneys, and we also offer an externship for our Business Law associates with the nonprofit Center for Women & Enterprise, which helps people become economically self-sufficient through entrepreneurship.

Summer associates who work in the Washington DC office have the opportunity to apply for a unique program within their summer experience at Goodwin Procter. Every year we sponsor two summer associates for a Public Interest Fellowship Program. The Public Interest Fellows spend a minimum of seven weeks at our DC office, and then work at a public interest organization of their choice for the second half of the summer. We continue to pay the full summer associate salary throughout the program.

Goodwin Procter attorneys have been honored for their commitment to pro bono work - including the Outstanding Commitment to Pro Bono Legal Services Award from the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project, the Outstanding Achievement Award from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, the Cornerstone Award from the Lawyers Alliance for New York, the ABA’s Pro Bono Publico and John Minor Wisdom Awards, the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court John Adams Pro Bono Publico Award - and have received recognition from a variety of our nonprofit clients such as the Medicare Rights Center, Habitat for Humanity and the Somerville Homeless Coalition.

Within the firm we recognize the achievements and leadership of selected Goodwin Procter attorneys with the annual Robert B. Fraser Pro Bono Award. This award reflects outstanding contributions in performing pro bono work on behalf of the firm, and acknowledges special contributions to the expansion of pro bono programs within the firm.

We remain committed to promoting social justice on behalf of others and will continue to dedicate our firm’s skills and resources. For more information on Goodwin Procter’s current pro bono initiatives, contact Carolyn Rosenthal, Pro Bono Manager.

*Includes time dedicated by attorneys, paraprofessionals, and law students