Fiona Brett Joins Akin Gump as Pro Bono Counsel
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(New York) – Akin Gump is proud to announce that Fiona Brett has joined the firm as pro bono counsel in its New York office, becoming the second full-time lawyer responsible for the management and administration of the firm’s award-winning pro bono practice. She joins the firm from Morgan Lewis.
Ms. Brett, who is a member of the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo), has years of experience as a pro bono manager at several law firms, including serving as the East Coast pro bono manager for the firm formerly known as Bingham McCutchen. She also possesses substantial experience in real estate transactions and nonprofit governance issues.
Ms. Brett will work with Akin Gump’s pro bono partner Steven Schulman, who has been leading the firm’s pro bono practice since 2006.
“I am thrilled to be able to add someone with Fiona’s depth of experience, particularly in transactional pro bono matters,” said Mr. Schulman. “As our pro bono practice expanded in size, scope and complexity, it became clear to me that we needed another full-time lawyer to help manage and lead our efforts. The opportunity to bring on another APBCo member was too good to pass up.”
Akin Gump chairperson Kim Koopersmith added, “Fiona is a great addition to our pro bono practice, particularly as we focus on providing our lawyers outside the United States with opportunities to help vulnerable individuals and public interest organizations in need of legal counsel.”
Ms. Brett received her J.D. from Emory University School of Law, and her B.A. in political science from Binghamton University.
Akin Gump lawyers in the United States provide, on average, nearly 90 hours of pro bono counsel per lawyer per year to a wide range of clients, from individuals seeking protection from persecution to multinational nonprofit organizations. The firm’s pro bono practice has been lauded by legal publication Law360 as among its Pro Bono Practices of the Year in three of the past four years and was the recipient of the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2012.
Founded in 1945, Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP is a leading international law firm with more than 900 lawyers in offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
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