October 28, 2021
The firm was recognized as a 2021 awardee for NLJ’s Pro Bono Hot List award, celebrating law firms and their pro bono work on some of today’s biggest issues.
Willkie was profiled in the National Law Journal for its pro bono efforts this past year, as part of its recognition on NLJ’s 2021 Pro Bono Hot List, which recognizes “law firms that have led the way on access to justice.” The firm was among the Pro Bono Hot List winners and other honorees celebrated at the National Law Journal Awards, which took place on October 20 in Washington, D.C.
Willkie is recognized for its exceptional results on behalf of pro bono clients in a wide array of matters that address today’s most critical issues, including religious freedoms, gender and reproductive issues, disabilities, immigration, ethnicity and social mobility. The profile discusses Willkie’s pro bono wins this past year, including a judgment of over $8 million and early release for Mr. Dean, an Illinois prisoner with Stage 4 kidney cancer, and Willkie’s role in bringing a significant reproductive rights suit in Tennessee on behalf of a provider of women’s reproductive healthcare services, when a local zoning ordinance created an insurmountable obstacle for those seeking pre-viability abortions.
The article also discusses what other matters the firm is working on now, the firm’s philosophy to pro bono service, and why pro bono matters to the firm’s lawyers.
In discussing why pro bono work matters to him, Wesley Powell, Co-Chair of the firm’s Pro Bono Practice Group, notes that “Marian Wright Edelman called service ‘the rent we pay for being, and the very purpose of life.’ I feel privileged to be able to pay that rent by using my legal skills and our firm’s resources to serve our clients.”
