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, through the providing of pro bono legal counsel and by the embracing of public works.

Cleary Gottlieb’s longstanding commitment to public service dates back to three of its founders: Henry J. Friendly became Chief Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, George W. Ball served as Undersecretary of State and U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and Fowler Hamilton served as Director of the Agency for International Development. Since then, partners of the firm have taken prestigious posts within the government, including as Director of the Division of Corporation Finance of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and Assistant Secretary for Tax Policy of the U.S. Treasury Department, among many others. Many of our lawyers have also trained as judicial clerks before or shortly after joining the firm, including for justices of the U.S. Supreme Court and the European Court of Justice.

Cleary Gottlieb’s founding spirit and conviction also live on today with our legal staff dedicating 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 immigration law, criminal defense and death penalty cases, family law, art and entertainment law, not-for-profit law, housing litigation and affordable housing development. We work with public interest organizations to ensure a diverse range of pro bono opportunities for our lawyers. For instance, Cleary Gottlieb works in partnership with ACCION NY, a not-for-profit organization serving microentrepreneurs, by providing pro bono legal services to help establish successful businesses and foster greater development of the community as a whole.

Additionally, in 1968, we became the first law firm to establish an externship program granting lawyers paid leaves of absence to work at selected legal services organizations. The firm provides fellowships to recent law school graduates who join the Legal Aid Society and for one student to staff the Harvard Law School Immigration and Refugee Clinic during the summer.

Believing in the importance of giving back to the communities in which we practice, Cleary Gottlieb initiated a business “partnership” with Washington Irving High School (WIHS), a New York City public school, in 1991 to assist in revitalizing the NYC public school system. The partnership allows both the legal and non-legal staff to help prepare these students for college and for adult life by mentoring, tutoring and advising them. In addition, the firm sponsors annual events to promote the various academic and cultural talents of these students.

Our Washington, D.C., practice has a dynamic pro bono program and works regularly with a number of national and local legal services, civil rights, and community organizations. Among many other matters, our lawyers have actively defended the rights of the homeless, represented individuals seeking asylum, fought for better access to public facilities for people with disabilities, and served as guardians ad litem in child neglect and abuse proceedings, as well as helped community organizations incorporate under tax-exempt status and helped international micro-lenders expand their programs.

The firm seeks pro bono and public works opportunities in all of its offices. In London, Cleary Gottlieb was the second American firm to sign the Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Legal Work and is also active with LawWorks (formerly the Solicitors Pro Bono Group), the leading pro bono resource for legal volunteers in the United Kingdom. In addition to the range of pro bono work our lawyers engage in regularly, our London office supports Citizen Foundation’s “Twinning” program in which lawyers inform and inspire students about the role of law in our society.