Impact Litigation

For those unable to pay for legal counsel, litigation is among the most challenging aspects of the legal system. A commitment to what may be years of court battles is extremely daunting for those who cannot afford to retain counsel for even short-term legal needs.

Akin Gump routinely represents pro bono clients whose legal needs demand assistance with litigation at both the trial and appellate levels. Among the most important cases we take are those in which the litigation serves not just the immediate client, but may also make a broad and lasting change in law, regulation or policy. This impact litigation is a particularly important part of our pro bono practice.

Among the cases in which our clients’ claims have yielded impactful results and rulings are:

• CASA de Maryland v. Trump, in which the firm, in conjunction with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, challenged the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)’s revocation of Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Salvadorians living in the United States.
• De Leon v. Perry, in which the firm represented two same-sex Texas couples in challenging portions of the Texas Constitution and Texas State law by arguing that Texas’s ban on same-sex marriage violated their federal Due Process and Equal Protection Rights.
• E.G. v. Bond et al., in which the firm represented four students in a lawsuit against a former Abilene school resource officer accused of using excessive force and violating their civil rights and succeeded in getting a favorable settlement for the students.
• Marquez et al. v. Commonwealth et al., in which the firm, in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Pennsylvania State Police and seven state troopers challenging their pattern and practice of unlawfully targeting Latinx motorists in order to investigate their immigration status instead of any purported traffic infraction.
• D.C. Professional Taxicab Drivers Association, et al., v. Mayor Vincent C. Gray, et al., in which a lawsuit filed on behalf of two taxi organizations against the government of the District of Columbia yielded rate and other favorable changes.
• The Community Action League, et al., v. City of Lancaster and City of Palmdale, in which the firm, in conjunction with local and national nonprofits, obtained a settlement favorable to the African-American and Latino families who had been the object of harassment by housing authority investigators, sheriff’s deputies and local politicians.