This is the third in a three-part series on the 2024 Pro Bono Award recipients.
The New Jersey State Bar Association is proud to recognize attorneys who go above and beyond in their work to ensure fair representation under the law. To celebrate exemplary pro bono service, all are welcome to attend the annual NJSBA Pro Bono Awards on Oct. 29, an event that will honor six remarkable individuals, firms and corporate legal departments that show an outstanding commitment to providing legal services to the state’s underserved residents. This year’s winners have taken up noble causes in child immigration, criminal expungements, fair housing and more. Hear from two of the award recipients as part of an ongoing series exploring the vital work by the honorees. Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP and JPMorgan Chase each responded to the following questions as a firm.
Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP – Pillar of Justice Award
The Pillar of Justice Award recognizes significant and innovative pro bono contributions of law firms toward advancing access to justice. Since 2022, New Jersey attorneys at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius have assisted 148 pro bono clients, totaling 3,138 hours of service. The cases span a wide range of practice areas, including criminal representation and expungements, business legal advice for non-profits, prisoner rights civil rights cases, parole violations and immigration status for children.
Since 2022, all 36 attorneys in the firm’s Princeton office have volunteered at least 20 hours for pro bono cases. Why does the firm place such a high priority on pro bono service?
Morgan Lewis’ commitment to advancing meaningful social impact and supporting the most vulnerable members of our communities is a foundational pillar of the firm. We are proud that this culture of service thrives in Princeton, and in all our offices around the world. For the last seven years, each of the firm’s nearly 2,000 eligible lawyers met—and many far exceeded—our goal of devoting at least 20 billable hours to pro bono service. Each year, we handle more than 2,200 pro bono matters and donate more than 120,000 hours, while striving to provide the highest possible level of service.
Our shared dedication to pro bono unites us in a commitment to help those in our communities who otherwise would go without access to justice. Whether assisting individuals and families in need or nonprofit and nongovernmental groups that service vulnerable populations, the need is great, and we believe it is both our privilege and duty to use our talents and resources to make a meaningful difference in the world.
Much of the firm’s pro bono service is dedicated to helping unaccompanied immigrant children with their immigration status. Why is it important to support this population with pro bono representation?
Our support for the most vulnerable in our global communities is at the core of why we do pro bono work. Unaccompanied immigrant children are among the most at-risk groups, and their need is acute. There are tens of thousands of immigrant children in the United States who are unaccompanied and have no legal representation in cases where deportation is being considered. We are both grateful and proud that our partnership with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) allows us to champion these children, whose voices are often not heard. Through this partnership, Morgan Lewis has helped many unaccompanied children obtain legal status in the United States, fostering a more secure and promising outlook for their futures. The ability to serve these children and other at-risk members of our communities fosters a culture of belonging that we strive for at Morgan Lewis. It is also a source of deep personal and professional satisfaction for our lawyers.
What lessons can the firm offer on how attorneys can balance their professional responsibilities with pro bono service?
Donating our time and talents to help fill the justice gap is a core philanthropic principle of our firm. We believe that pro bono service is one of our professional responsibilities. It is also an opportunity for our lawyers to work on issues they would not encounter in their billable practice, have more responsibility on a matter, develop skills, gain experience and work with a diverse group of professionals, including our legal services partners. The scope of available pro bono work at our firm is broad. From helping low-income and marginalized people in critical areas – including immigration, civil rights, LGBTQ+ and veteran rights, child advocacy, eviction defense, criminal justice and many other subjects – there are ample ways to serve. While we aim to help those in need through our pro bono work, we recognize that our lawyers derive great professional benefits from having access to these opportunities. In addition, being able to assist a pro bono client in need can bring a sense of personal fulfillment that our lawyers value.
JPMorgan Chase – Mark Daniel Excellence in Pro Bono Award
The Mark Daniel Excellence in Pro Bono Award recognizes exemplary pro bono efforts of corporate legal departments. JPMorgan Chase provides pro bono support to Northeast New Jersey Legal Services through the Pro Bono Partnerships Project. Since 2017, JPMorgan Chase has hosted multiple in-person clinics in its Jersey City offices each year, offering pro services to 160 clients for naturalization, uncontested divorces, criminal expungements and other matters.
How has JPMorgan Chase’s pro bono practice grown over the years?
JPMorgan Chase’s (JPMC) pro bono efforts continue to grow and evolve. Since the Legal department established the Pro Bono Program nearly 20 years ago, JPMC legal colleagues have dedicated thousands of hours toward pro bono work focused on strengthening our local communities, empowering families and advocating for vulnerable individuals.
The Pro Bono Program is run by a committed group of volunteers who support our ongoing global projects and create countless opportunities to partner with local organizations. Two of our ongoing projects include a Pro Bono Day of Service – where legal colleagues from around the globe participate in pro bono projects on the same day every year. In addition, each region is empowered to develop local pro bono relationships and offer various opportunities throughout the year.
Why is it important for corporate legal departments to perform pro bono services?
Helping the communities we serve is central to our mission at JPMC. Pro bono work allows us to use our unique skills to help those in need. Aside from giving back, pro bono work also enhances our employees’ skill sets by forcing them to navigate areas of the law in which they are unfamiliar. Any corporate legal department will benefit from having their employees expand their knowledge and gain experience in an unfamiliar territory, and they can often apply their new learnings to their corporate work.
In an all-volunteer program like JPMC’s, participating in pro bono work also provides individuals an opportunity gain leadership experience that they may not have in their day-to-day role, as well as connecting them with colleagues that they haven’t met before.
What lessons can JPMorgan Chase offer on how attorneys can balance their professional responsibilities with pro bono service?
JPMC’s pro bono program includes opportunities that involve limited time commitment, such as clinics or legal research, which is not urgent and can be done on one’s own time over a period of weeks or months. These limited opportunities provide clear time requirements and a set time frame, which allows for better time management. In ongoing representations, such asylum cases, juvenile immigrant applications and visas, the Pro Bono Program will ensure sufficiently large teams so everyone involved, including clients, feels supported and that other team members can fill in if needed.
Register for the 2024 NJSBA Pro Bono Awards Reception here. Admission is free for all attendees.