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Attorneys, law students, and other volunteers work in partnership with Legal Aid Society staff in order to expand our ability to provide legal services to a greater number of clients and communities.
All pro bono referrals have been screened by our attorneys and legal professionals who are experts in the field. Those same experts remain on the case to provide mentorship and guidance throughout the representation.
Last year, over 1,900 volunteers donated 150,000+ hours of legal assistance to the clients of The Legal Aid Society.
But no metrics can adequately quantify what pro bono assistance means to a family facing homelessness, a client whose rights are violated by unlawful police conduct, or a child in foster care whose educational needs are not being met.
For nearly 150 years The Legal Aid Society has worked together with the private bar to provide life changing legal assistance and deliver “Justice In Every Borough”.
The staff of The Legal Aid Society’s Pro Bono Practice is:
Beth Hofmeister, Supervising Attorney Rosemary Hare-Bey, Pro Bono Coordinator Georgia Bartels-Newton, Pro Bono Specialist Lou Sartori, Chief Counsel
Browse the latest Pro Bono Opportunities at The Legal Aid Society. NOTE: These opportunities are only available to attorneys affiliated with firms that have an established pro bono relationship with The Legal Aid Society.
If you are interested in working on one of these matters, please contact the Pro Bono Counsel at your law firm to receive authorization and check conflicts.
volunteers
hours of pro bono work
committed law firm partners
A&O Shearman Akerman LLP Alston & Bird LLP Anderson & Associates Law, P.C. ArentFox Schiff LLP Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer LLP Ballard Spahr LLP Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP Cooley LLP Corva Law LLP Covington & Burling LLP Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP Debevoise & Plimpton LLP Dechert LLP DLA Piper Fish & Richardson P.C. Freshfields Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP Friedman Kaplan Seiler Adelman & Robbins LLP Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP Goodwin Procter LLP
Herbert Smith Freehills Kramer LLPHughes Hubbard & Reed LLPHunton Andrews Kurth LLPJenner & Block LLPKasowitz LLPKelley Drye & Warren LLPKirkland & Ellis LLPLabaton Keller Sucharow LLPLatham & Watkins LLPLoeb & Loeb LLPMayer Brown LLPMilbank LLPMitchell Silberberg & Knupp, LLPMorrison & Foerster LLPMorvillo Abramowitz Grand Iason & Anello PCNixon Peabody LLPO’Melveny & Myers LLPOrrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe LLPPallasPatterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLPPaul Hastings LLPPaul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLPPerkins Coie LLPPetrillo Klein & Boxer LLP
Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLPProskauer Rose LLPPryor Cashman LLPRaines Feldman Littrell LLPReed Smith LLPRopes & Gray LLPRower LLCSchlam Stone & Dolan LLPSelendy Gay PLLCSidley Austin LLPSimpson Thatcher & Bartlett LLPSkadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLPSteptoe LLPSullivan & Cromwell LLPTroutman Pepper LockeWachtell, Lipton, Rosen & KatzWang Hecker LLPWeil, Gotshal & Manges LLPWeitz & LuxenbergWhite & Case LLPWiggin and Dana LLPWillkie Farr & Gallagher LLPWilmerHaleWilson Sonsini Goodrich & RosatiWinston & Strawn LLP
In September, the Pro Bono Practice hosted its annual Pro Bono Publico Awards Ceremony at The Prince George Ballroom. Honorees from 32 law firms and corporate legal departments were recognized.
Of the nearly 2,300 volunteers who assist Legal Aid each year, 202 were nominated by staff for recognition of their outstanding pro bono service. A highlight of the evening was the inspiring words of Chief Judge Rowan D. Wilson, who reminded the honorees and staff of the critical need for increased legal assistance for low-income New Yorkers.
Annie Mohan, Senior Manager of Pro Bono and Corporate Social Responsibility at Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP, was presented with the 2025 Public Interest Law Leadership Award for her consistent support of The Legal Aid Society and its clients.
Since 2004, Annie has overseen the firm’s provision of pro bono legal services to indigent individuals and organizations seeking access to the justice system, as well as its efforts to empower communities through several initiatives: fighting hunger, community investment, advocating for justice, equity, and sustainability. Among the many collaborations between Cadwalader and Legal Aid are the Women’s Leadership Initiative, which defends tenant rights in public housing; providing Legal Assistants to support the conversion of court filings into digital files; and support for the Community Development Project’s assistance for small business owners and micro-entrepreneurs.
This year’s program highlighted three units whose work with pro bono volunteers helped ensure justice and protect the rights of thousands of fellow New Yorkers.
The Economic Equities Project houses Legal Aid’s economic justice units and works to protect clients’ assets, promote economic opportunity, and build generational financial self-sufficiency for families and communities.
The Prisoners’ Rights Project works each day to dismantle the oppression and racism of the carceral system by protecting the safety and basic human rights of the people subjected to it.
The Housing Justice Unit provides critical legal services to preserve homes and prevent displacement, and advocates for healthy, stable, and affordable housing.
Staff presenters Elizabeth Lynch, Claire Mooney, Rolando Gonzalez, Jacques David, Robert Quackenbush, Katherine Haas, Nell Hirshman-Levy, and Emily Eaton shared their appreciation for the pro bono volunteers who achieved outstanding outcomes for clients.