Goodwin jumped an impressive 18 spots on The American Lawyer’s 2024 Pro Bono Scorecard, which evaluates Am Law 200 firms based on pro bono engagement by US-based lawyers. Goodwin’s climb in the rankings (to #50 this year, from #68 in 2023 and #84 in 2022), is a testament to our lawyers’ increasing efforts to make an impact through pro bono work and reflects the firm’s continued commitment to growing the breadth and depth of the Pro Bono Initiative.
The Pro Bono Scorecard measures the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer, as well as the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work in the calendar year. Last year, our US lawyers contributed an average of 55.6 hours of pro bono work per lawyer. And the Am Law metrics only capture part of the story: even more notably, in 2023, an impressive 98% of US-based associates were engaged in pro bono work.
Goodwin’s Pro Bono Initiative leverages our lawyers’ interests, passions, and expertise to help individuals, small business owners, and nonprofit organizations that could not otherwise afford legal assistance. Some highlights from 2023 include:
- In collaboration with The Advocates for Human Rights (“The Advocates”), 310 firm lawyers teamed up to prepare 120 country conditions packets, which will be used by pro se asylum-seekers to bolster their claims in immigration court. This significant undertaking involved 8,690 hours of pro bono work, and inspired The Advocates to honor Goodwin with its “2024 Law Firm Pro Bono Award.”
- Provided ongoing corporate governance and transactional support to a nonprofit summer camp serving low income children, as part of long-term engagement that dates back to 2007.
- Launched a series of webinars focusing on the implications of the Corporate Transparency Act (CTA) for small business owners in partnership with legal services organizations serving California, Massachusetts, and New York.
- Pursued housing repairs cases on behalf of 7 low-income New Yorkers, with the goal of compelling their landlords to address often-appalling housing conditions impacting tenants’ safety and quality of life.
- Served a leading role in L4GG’s Reproductive Legal Health Assistance Project (RLHAC), for which more than 325 Goodwin lawyers have performed daily research regarding the evolving legislative landscape in the wake of the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs and which was part of the basis for L4GG’s selection of Goodwin for the “2023 Pro Bono Champion Award.”
- In Wilkinson v. Garland, secured a landmark immigration victory before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Situ Wilkinson, who sought immigration relief to prevent the extraordinary hardship that his removal from the United States would cause for his young child (Argued November 2023, Decided March 2024).
- Continued our longstanding and active partnerships with GLAD’s Project Validate, The New England Innocence Project, and The Innocence Center.
We thank and celebrate every member of the Goodwin community who has amplified the Goodwin Pro Bono Initiative’s impact for individuals and communities in need.