As one of the world’s largest providers of pro bono legal services, we believe that the unique ability and responsibility to advocate for equal justice and to provide representation to groups and individuals of limited means is intrinsic to the practice of law.
Each year, Latham lawyers and professional staff take on matters in nearly every area of public interest law, including anti-human trafficking, asylum and immigration, children’s rights, civil rights, criminal justice, domestic violence, Holocaust reparations, microfinance and social entrepreneurialism, prisoners’ rights, public benefits, veterans’ rights, and voting rights.
Our work spans the globe, involving all of our offices across the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, with significant cross-border collaborations.
We are privileged to work in partnership with extraordinary public interest and legal services organizations who make our work possible.
Learn more by reading our 2020 Pro Bono Annual Review.
Highlights From Around the Globe
Our pro bono work ranges from large-scale impact litigation — aimed at achieving systemic change — to counseling individual clients as they seek asylum, pursue restraining orders, or struggle with the economic effects of COVID-19. Regardless of the size or scale of the matter, we approach each with dedication, passion, and a commitment securing access to justice for everyone.
Recent highlights and successes from our global program include:
Visit our Pro Bono & Community Service channel on YouTube to learn more.
By the Numbers
- Between 2000 and 2020, Latham provided almost 4 million pro bono hours
in free legal services to underserved individuals and families and the
nonprofit sector valued at more than US$2 billion
- In 2020, 93% of Latham lawyers contributed pro bono work, opening over 1,000 new pro bono matters
As a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, we have committed to providing at least the equivalent of 60 hours per US lawyer annually in pro bono legal services. The firm has surpassed this goal every year since making the commitment.
We treat our pro bono work with the same quality standards as we do our commercial work. Associate pro bono hours count the same as commercial billable hours for purposes of evaluation and bonuses, and there is no cap on pro bono hours.
Our Pro Bono Partners
We partner with many legal services and referral organizations, nonprofits, NGOs, and clients around the world, including: A4ID, Appleseed, Ashoka, Campaign for the Fair Sentencing of Youth, Human Rights First, International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP), Justice Centre Hong Kong, Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, the Mississippi Center for Justice, NAACP Legal Defense Fund, National Law Center for Homelessness and Poverty, Polaris, PILnet, Pro Bono Institute, Start Small Think Big, startsocial, TrustLaw, Williams Institute, and many others.
Commercial Client Collaborations
We have collaborated with in-house legal departments on a variety of pro bono matters. Legal clinics — which provide training, discrete opportunities, and insurance coverage to in-house attorney participants — are often best suited to these collaborations. But we have also collaborated on cross-border research projects and engaged on an array of individual immigration, special education, and other matters with our in-house colleagues.