Pro Bono

As a member of the legal community, we understand that we have a special responsibility to use the skills of our lawyers and staff to provide access to justice for those who could not otherwise afford it.

We take a holistic approach to giving back to our communities by integrating our pro bono legal services, charitable giving programs, community service activities, and sustainability initiatives. Our programs follow our guideposts of Compassion, Action, and Impact: we care about our communities and our planet, so we take action to preserve and improve them. Our goal is to make a meaningful difference in people’s lives.

Swords to Plowshares

Start with compassion.

Take action.

Make an impact.

Impact

Other areas of impact

Since 2017, across all offices, volunteer attorneys have made the following impact in their communities:

legal clinic spotlight

Rapid Remedy

From 2017-2019, Seyfarth’s Atlanta office hosted an annual Rapid Remedy pro bono legal clinic in collaboration with Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta. The Rapid Remedy clinic offered employment attorneys the opportunity to serve the community and share their expertise during a half-day legal clinic. In 2019, lawyers from Georgia’s Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) chapter joined the event. The clinic began with lunch and a CLE training presented by Labor & Employment Partner Kevin Young on how to address employee handbook policies for small non-profit organizations. Seyfarth and ACC volunteers then formed teams and met privately with clients in break-out meeting rooms. Seyfarth volunteers were provided with detailed client information before the event, so they were prepared to draft handbooks during the clinic.

“I thought it was great,” said Stacy Williams, Senior Counsel with ADP and member of ACC. “I liked meeting with the client in person, instead of just over the phone, and I really appreciated that the goal was for there to be a finished product at the end of the designated time period.” Stacy teamed up with Alex Drummond, a Partner in Seyfarth’s Labor & Employment department, to serve Presencia, a neighborhood-based tutoring, mentoring, and leadership development program in Atlanta’s immigrant community. “We had a wonderful experience! The questions they ask, as well as information offered was very helpful. We know this employee handbook will be a great tool for our staff and leaders,” said Ruth Ann North, Executive Director of Presencia.

The clinic provided an opportunity for Seyfarth lawyers to deepen their involvement with the non-profits and develop relationships with in-house lawyers. During the 2019 event, in a single afternoon, six local non-profits were served. In total, since 2017, this clinic has served 22 clients.

Above: The team prepares for the Rapid Remedy clinic.

pro bono & inclusion partnership spotlight

Inclusion and Diversity are core values at Seyfarth, so it is important for us to incorporate the mission and goals of our Office of Inclusion and Diversity into our pro bono programming. This joint venture has produced a variety of initiatives and partnerships with affinity groups.

Collaboration in Action: Pro Bono and Inclusion & Diversity

Over the years, the pro bono program has included partnerships on specific projects and initiatives with various affinity groups, such as the LGBT affinity group, the Asian American affinity group, and the All Abilities affinity group. These projects allow members of the groups and their allies to participate in and promote pro bono opportunities that are especially meaningful to them.

In 2020, Seyfarth joined the Law Firm Antiracism Alliance (LFAA), through which we will work on pro bono matters that focus on addressing systemic racism. Our Chief Inclusion and Diversity Officer, Kori S. Carew, Esq., is Co-Vice President of the LFAA.

In 2019, Seyfarth’s LGBT and Asian American affinity groups joined forces to assist the National Queer Asian Pacific Islander Alliance (NQAPIA) with a research project relating to the 2020 Census. The research was used to address segments of the LGBT Asian American community who were fearful of the government and may have been unwilling to participate in the census, which would jeopardize an accurate population count and have adverse consequences relating to federal funding. 

In 2018, Seyfarth’s All Abilities Affinity Group rallied volunteers to support Equip for Equality’s Voting Access Chicago initiative. Participants worked with Equip for Equality during the 2018 mid-term election to ensure that Chicago polling places were accessible to people with disabilities.

In 2017, the Pro Bono Department and the All Abilities Affinity group worked together to develop a pro bono initiative for our attorneys to serve as guardians ad litem. Guardians ad litem are volunteers who assist the courts in determining whether an adult with a disability is in need of a guardian. To make a proper determination, guardians ad litem interview all interested parties, including the adult with the disability, to determine whether that adult is able to make day-to-day decisions. Through this partnership, Seyfarth attorneys secured safe care arrangements for 10 adults.

We look forward to continuing these successful collaborations in the future.

COVID-19 Response

Starting as early as March 30, 2020, we began providing pro bono assistance to non-profits and small businesses specifically related to COVID-19. As we ramped up our expertise in the various areas of law affected by the pandemic, we made sure to share that expertise with pro bono clients. In addition to 25 separate advice matters for organizational clients, we also participated in three COVID-19 brief advice clinics, assisted two individuals, one with an estate issue and one with a clemency petition, and we completed a multi-jurisdictional, multi-agency research project on best practices in response to COVID-19-related hate crimes against Asian-Americans. We also held a webinar for non-profits on the CARES Act. In total, our attorneys contributed 1,133.4 hours toward helping community groups get through the pandemic.

Election Protection

The National Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights under Law has operated the Election Protection program since 2000. Election Protection provides Americans from coast to coast with comprehensive information and assistance at all stages of voting—from registration, to absentee and early voting, to casting a vote at the polls, to overcoming obstacles to their participation.  

In past years, dozens of law firms have hosted in-person hotlines on Election Day; this typically involved converting a large meeting room into a call center with a dozen or so phone stations. The pandemic disrupted many things with the 2020 election, including the structure of the Election Protection hotline, which had to go completely virtual.  

Dozens of Seyfarth volunteers from all across the country mobilized in the months leading up to the election. On Election Day alone, we answered more than 600 calls. In total, 64 Seyfarth attorneys and legal professionals dedicated approximately 1,100 hours to help in this extraordinary effort to protect, advance and defend the right to vote and to have that vote count.

As states scrambled to make significant changes to voting requirements to adapt to COVID-19 safety standards, Election Protection moved its call centers to a completely virtual, cloud-based platform. Volunteers had to learn the new technology, while at the same time keeping up with the constantly changing election laws. What was formerly a single-day volunteer event turned into a three-month effort, as voter calls started flooding the hotline as early as September. In October alone, the hotline received over 150,000 calls from voters.

Volunteers from Seyfarth were involved from the start. As early as August, several attorneys began training to learn the new Election Protection hotline software, and many signed up for hotline shifts to answer questions about early and absentee voting. The Election Protection program provided volunteers with robust guides and materials for each state, so volunteers had quick access to answers to common questions or issues. As part of a national effort, a team of Seyfarth volunteers researched and formed voting rights legal materials for New Hampshire and Nevada. These materials were a tremendous resource for hundreds of volunteers on and before Election Day.

In past elections, Seyfarth’s Houston office hosted an in-person Election Protection call center. In 2020, the operation looked much different, as attorneys from outside of Texas could participate on a virtual basis. Of the 32,000 calls that were made to the hotline on Election Day, 608 calls were answered by the Seyfarth call center. We also had Election Protection “Captains” from around the country join the call center to help lead and support hotline volunteers. In addition to the Houston Call Center, dozens of other Seyfarth volunteers served in regional call centers.

In total, 64 Seyfarth attorneys and legal professionals dedicated approximately 1,100 hours to help in this extraordinary effort to protect, advance and defend the right to vote and to have that vote count.

From Top Right: Election Protection volunteers Rob Whitman, Kimberly McClain, Chuck Guzak, Ashley Cano, Anjali Vohra, Laura Maechtlen, Andrew Scroggins, and Kyle Petersen.

Pro Bono Awards

External Awards