National Law Journal Honors Dechert’s Pro Bono Achievements

Dechert LLP has been named by the National Law Journal to the publication’s Pro Bono Hot List for 2020, a listing of law firms judged by the magazine to have led the way on access to justice. Winning firms are chosen for pro bono work with a broad policy, social or financial impact or which requires great time or sacrifice from lawyers.

Dechert’s commitment to pro bono is widely seen as setting the standard for international law firms. Globally, the firm’s lawyers performed more than 90,000 pro bono hours last year, equivalent to 5.5 percent of billable hours. Headline initiatives focused on protecting the rights to vote, to freedom of speech, and to live free from discrimination, violence and persecution.

In a profile of the firm’s pro bono achievements, the National Law Journal featured the work of senior staff attorney James Figorski, a veteran of the Philadelphia Police Department, who dedicated years of work to win freedom for two pro bono clients imprisoned for crimes they didn’t commit. Figorski pursued the cases of Shaurn Thomas and Willie Veasy, who each spent more than two decades in prison, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project.

The publication also highlighted a notable voting rights victory in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, challenges to the criminalization of the homeless in Texas, and work that helped win freedom for a Mauritanian accountant sentenced to death by firing squad for writing a Facebook post.

About Dechert

Dechert is a leading global law firm with 26 offices around the world. We advise on matters and transactions of the greatest complexity, bringing energy, creativity and efficient management of legal issues to deliver commercial and practical advice for clients.