In the past fiscal year, Morgan Lewis’s nearly 2,000 lawyers around the globe each contributed 20 hours or more to pro bono service, again earning the firm a 100% participation rate in its annual Pro Bono Challenge.
“Inaction in the face of such extreme global social and economic challenge is not an option,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “We have the will and resources to remain committed to serving as a force for the rights of the underrepresented in our communities around the world.”
Morgan Lewis’s primary pro bono focus is on helping economically disadvantaged individuals and families, as well as nonprofit and nongovernmental groups that serve vulnerable populations. This important work, which occurs throughout the year at Morgan Lewis, includes the firm’s annual Community Impact Week, where lawyers and professional staff participate in a series of events—including legal clinics, legal trainings, panel discussions, charity drives, and more—across the firm’s offices in North America, Asia, Europe, and the Middle East. This year, Community Impact Week focused on the global refugee crisis, with programming and service opportunities to help victims of conflict escape countries such as Ukraine and Afghanistan and guide them in search of a safe place to call home. The firm has long worked on immigration issues, but the need for refuge has been more acute amid continued humanitarian crises around the world.
In the past year, the firm’s pro bono efforts also focused on aiding the disenfranchised in protecting reproductive rights, voting rights, and basic human rights such as equal access to healthcare, financial aid, and education. Given the reach and scope of this work, for the past two years Morgan Lewis was named #1 for Breadth of Commitment on The American Lawyer Pro Bono Scorecard and took the top spot in Vault’s rankings of Best Law Firms for Pro Bono.
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