Our commitment to the pro bono practice is unequivocal. We treat pro bono client hours the same as all other client hours for all purposes. All levels of firm management champion the firm’s policy of strongly encouraging lawyers to participate in our pro bono practice as part of their ongoing caseloads. Thus, pro bono work is regarded as a routine, not exceptional, part of an Akin Gump lawyer’s experience. We recognize that less-experienced associates, in particular, obtain valuable experience on pro bono matters by serving those who are unable to pay.
All across the firm, from New York to Houston to San Francisco to Beijing, our lawyers are defending human rights by representing asylum seekers, victims of trafficking, and non-governmental human rights organizations. Our transactional lawyers have worked on sophisticated deals for a variety of pro bono clients, including the Government of Liberia and the KIPP Charter Schools. The list goes on, and includes significant public interest litigation, legislative counseling and transactions, both large and small, in every Akin Gump office. These pro bono matters have been rewarding for both our lawyers and our clients, and the firm has received substantial recognition for its work over the years.
Akin Gump is a charter signatory to the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, committing us to devote at least 60 pro bono hours per lawyer per year. In 2011, Akin Gump attorneys devoted, on average,
83 hours to pro bono clients, and
75% of our associates worked on pro bono matters. We also recognize that pro bono service is a matter of personal choice, and we are proud that so many of the firm’s lawyers have consistently demonstrated that they share our institutional commitment.
Pro Bono Scholars Program
The Akin Gump Pro Bono Scholars Program is our two-year summer program for top students who show a strong interest in making pro bono an integral part of their Akin Gump careers. As a result of the overwhelming response we have received to the Summer Pro Bono Scholars Program, we have expanded it from our Washington office, where it originated in 2008, to include New York, Dallas, Los Angeles and Houston. For more information, please see the page dedicated to the
Pro Bono Scholars Program and
Pro Bono on the Recruiting site.