From the founding of our firm in 1945 by Richard Gump and Robert Strauss, we have had a strong commitment to public service. Akin Gump has grown since then, and we have extended this founding spirit of public service to all our offices and all our practice areas through a commitment to providing pro bono legal services for those in our communities most in need and least able to pay.
Our commitment to pro bono service is unequivocal and 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. This service is critically important to our communities, to the legal profession and to Akin Gump.
Akin Gump’s pro bono practice is as varied as our lawyers, offices and commercial practice areas. In each of our communities, we are working closely with local legal services organizations to identify persons most in need of legal services or issues that most need the assistance of a major law firm. For example:
- Texas Appleseed tapped our transactional lawyers’ expertise in banking and finance to research legal and regulatory issues and to identify new strategies to bring low-income immigrants into the financial services mainstream. Through this work over a period of years, Appleseed has helped banks and credit unions in Texas recognize the importance of reaching out to unbanked communities.
- In Los Angeles, our lawyers have worked for years on a host of children’s issues, including the landmark case Roper v. Simmons, in which the Supreme Court outlawed the death penalty for juveniles.
- In Washington, Akin Gump lawyers have helped obtain appropriations or other important legislation for a variety of public interest organizations, including Our Military Kids, SUSTAIN and the U.S. Coalition for Child Survival.
- In New York, our lawyers have been involved in some of the highest-profile public interest litigation matters in the country, including the defense of New York State’s judicial electoral system before the U.S. Supreme Court, resulting in a unanimous reversal in favor of our client.
All across the firm, from New York to San Francisco to Beijing, our lawyers are defending human rights by representing asylum seekers, victims of trafficking, and non-governmental human rights organizations. The list goes on, and includes significant public interest litigation and other matters, 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.
In 2008, Akin Gump's Washington office will welcome its inaugural group of law students to the Summer Pro Bono Scholars Program, our new two-year summer program for top students who show a strong interest in making pro bono an integral part of their Akin Gump careers.
Click here for more information on the Summer Pro Bono Scholars Program.
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 2007, we exceeded this commitment by more than 10%. We also recognize that pro bono service is a matter of personal choice, and we are proud that the firm's lawyers have consistently demonstrated that they share our institutional commitment.