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Pro Bono
We believe that lawyers have an obligation to provide high quality legal services to those who do not have access to them. The firm is deeply supportive of the efforts of individual lawyers on behalf of the underserved; many of us have never spent a day at the firm without an active pro bono matter. Some of us have focused on pro bono matters almost exclusively for a period of time – for example, when involved in a death penalty trial, when forming a nonprofit corporation, when structuring debt-for-nature swaps in developing countries, or when working on an appellate brief and argument. If you are interested, you will have the opportunity to participate in the firm’s pro bono work.
Although we undertake high-profile cases, much of our pro bono work serves the poor. For example, in 2002, Covington's New York office initiated a pro bono collaboration with The Bronx Defenders, a nationally recognized non-profit devoted to representing indigent criminal defendants. Since then, our New York associates have provided representation to a number of individuals and helped win a complete acquittal for a defendant facing a potential life sentence. On the civil side, attorneys in the New York office have recently provided corporate advice to charitable organizations, handled landlord/tenant disputes, represented asylum seekers, and filed amicus briefs in a number of important matters.
The firm’s abiding commitment to pro bono work has consistently ranked us among the leaders in the nation and has earned us many awards over the years from individual clients, legal services organizations, and the legal profession. The American Lawyer magazine has ranked Covington the number one or two pro bono law firm in the United States for eight of the last ten years. Covington has received the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award and the ABA Litigation Section’s John Minor Wisdom Award.
Recent awards include:
- National Legal Aid & Defender Association gave its "Beacon of Justice" award to Covington for its work with Guantanamo detainees.
- The Mississippi Center for Justice presented an award to Covington for "Advancing & Ensuring Fairness in the wake of Hurricane Katrina."
- The ABA Death Penalty Representation Project honored Covington for its outstanding contribution to ensure justice for men and women on death row.
Our pro bono work immerses our lawyers in many controversial, interesting, and important public policy issues, and it reflects the fact that we are a firm of diverse viewpoints. We believe that all views, even of the most controversial issues, are entitled to high quality legal representation.
Please click here to view an electronic copy of the firm’s annual Public Service and Pro Bono Report, which summarizes all of its active pro bono projects.
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