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Cleary Gottlieb believes that the practice of law is a privilege, one that carries with it the responsibility to apply our talents for the benefit of less privileged individuals and communities, as well as our profession and the public sector. Throughout the firm’s history, our lawyers have dedicated themselves to improving the community and helping people by taking posts in the government and public sector, providing pro bono legal counsel, and embracing public works.
Our firm dedicates approximately 60,000 hours to pro bono and public service efforts annually. Transactional and litigation lawyers provide pro bono counsel to clients on a range of matters, including international human rights and immigration law, not-for-profit law, domestic violence, arts and entertainment law, community development, civil rights, family law, housing litigation and homelessness, veterans’ rights, environmental law, criminal defense and death penalty cases, and affordable housing development. We work with public interest organizations to ensure a diverse range of pro bono opportunities for our lawyers.
In addition to dedicating substantial time to pro bono legal work, many of our lawyers also act as directors of community planning organizations; serve on municipal, school and hospital boards; participate on the boards of religious organizations; and are involved in numerous civic organizations committed to the arts, community welfare, civil rights, education and the environment.
The firm employs a full-time pro bono coordinator to oversee and administer our pro bono practice, which has helped to enhance our relationships with community providers and to transform our ideals into action.
Cleary Gottlieb received the NYC Bar Association’s Thurgood Marshall Award for Capital Representation. Our pro bono practice was also recently recognized by the federal judiciary of the District of Columbia, the National Legal Aid and Defender Association, the Legal Aid Society for New York, the Mississippi Center for Justice, Sanctuary for Families and MFY Legal Services, Inc.
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