Founded in a spirit of inclusiveness, personal and professional responsibility, compassion for the needs of others, and dedication to improving the communities in which we live and work, Cleary Gottlieb is fully committed to the duties of good global citizenship.

We believe pro bono work should be a mindful choice, one that expresses both personal and collective interests. So rather than make pro bono work mandatory at Cleary, we fully support the voluntary efforts of all of our lawyers and professional staff.

Cleary employs a global team of five full-time pro bono attorneys dedicated to developing, strengthening and managing the firm’s award-winning pro bono practice, including specialists in the nonprofit, litigation, and immigration sectors.

Each year, Cleary lawyers provide more than 85,000 hours worldwide to pro bono legal counsel and public service efforts.

The firm also offers the one-year Cleary Gottlieb Fellowship Program, through which first-year associates based in New York may pursue placements at legal services organizations or nonprofits in an effort to support the delivery of critically needed legal work to underserved communities. Click here for more information.

Our New York and London offices also host well-developed community service programs that promote leadership and the pursuit of higher education, while bridging the gap between our lawyers and young people in our communities. Click here for more information.

Notable Pro Bono Projects

Our deep relationships with numerous public interest organizations open doors to a range of pro bono opportunities for all of our lawyers. Among the many recent pro bono matters handled by the firm, Cleary lawyers in the U.S. have focused on:

  • Humanitarian Immigration Relief
    • Representing 200+ individuals and families seeking humanitarian immigration relief in the United States
    • Engaging in frequent screening and limited-scope clinics to assist clients with applications for asylum, naturalization, DACA renewal and more
    • Mobilizing to assist newly arrived migrants in crisis from Afghanistan, Ukraine, Central America and more
  • Criminal Justice & Reform
    • Engaging in impact litigation related to policing practices and policy reform
    • Litigating Section 1983 civil rights claims on behalf of clients who allege violations of their civil rights by law enforcement
    • Researching and supporting advocacy for criminal justice policy reform
    • Assisting individuals with criminal appeals, sentencing reductions, record sealing and related forms of post-conviction relief
  • Civil Rights, Access to Justice & Civil Liberties
    • Litigating Federal Torts Claim Act (FTCA) complaints on behalf of clients wrongfully detained and/or mistreated while in immigration custody
    • Assisting minority veterans with obtaining healthcare, education and other government-sponsored benefits and applying for discharge upgrades
    • Engaging in impact litigation to promote voting rights, as well as volunteering time to conduct exit polls and participate in nonpartisan Election Protection
    • Promoting LGBTQ+ rights through amicus briefing and transgender name changes
  • Racial & Economic Justice
    • Regularly assisting low-income entrepreneurs with a range of transactional legal issues
    • Assisting community-focused nonprofits with formation, tax-exempt status, governance matters and compliance questions
    • Partnering with nonprofits to form impact investing funds to assist vulnerable populations globally
  • Human Rights & Policy
    • Pursuing a broad international human rights practice focusing on the rights of women and girls, individuals with criminal convictions, journalists, LGBTQ+ people, political dissidents and more
    • Litigating on behalf of children and families seeking to enforce children’s right to a free and appropriate public education
    • Conducting research on domestic policy issues, including gun control, voting rights, maternal and reproductive healthcare, and more
    • Assisting environmental nonprofits with a range of climate change-related issues, as well as transactional and compliance support

With 16 offices on four continents working seamlessly as one firm, Cleary has the ability to serve pro bono clients almost anywhere in the world. Whether it’s furthering the cause of democracy, helping establish satellite offices for nonprofits, ensuring safe communities for citizens or advising NGOs, Cleary takes on pro bono matters that enable us to leverage our global capacity to have a larger impact.

Our work extends broadly across our global offices, where we collaborate with a variety of local and international organizations to support our communities. Highlights include:

  • Immigration and Humanitarian Assistance
    • Advising displaced persons seeking access to shelter, food, and medical services at the Brussels Pro Bono Helpdesk
    • Representing Afghan families seeking to be reunited in safety in partnership with Refugee Legal Support and Safe Passage International
    • Supporting the International Refugee Assistance Project with their ongoing work on climate displacement and refugee support in Europe
  • Civil Rights and Access to Justice
    • Sponsoring and staffing a women-only free legal advice clinic at Toynbee Hall in East London, one of the oldest free legal advice clinics in the world
    • Advising individuals in a mobile legal clinic in Paris, Bus de la Solidarité
    • Advocating in court on behalf of individuals in areas such as housing and disability rights
  • Human Rights & Policy
    • Representing several individuals on death row in Africa in collaboration with Reprieve and the Cornell Center on the Death Penalty Worldwide
    • Collaborating across EMEA to conduct multi-jurisdictional legal research into issues such as female genital mutilation, reproductive rights, and the right to a fair trial
    • Assisting various organizations with research and advice relating to the transition to Net Zero, environmental law, and climate change
  • Corporate and Nonprofit
    • Advising a variety of local and international nonprofits on matters of corporate law and governance across our EMEA offices
    • Assisting Comunità di Sant’Egidio in their charitable collaboration with the Customs and Monopoly Agency in Rome to combat poverty and hardship
    • Establishing a legal clinic for small refugee-owned businesses with The Entrepreneurial Refugee Network in the United Kingdom

If You Need a Pro Bono Lawyer

Cleary Gottlieb does not accept direct requests for pro bono representation. Our pro bono clients are referred to us by legal services organizations. If you are in need of pro bono legal representation, you may be able to find help from one of these resources:

Get more information about pro bono at Cleary here.

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