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Pro Bono
As committed professionals, we believe that lawyers have an obligation to assist in providing high quality legal services to those who do not have access to them. As a result, 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. On occasion, some of us have focused on pro bono matters almost exclusively for a period of time—for example, when representing a defendant in a death penalty trial, when forming a nonprofit collaboration to advocate for marriage equality, when structuring debt-for-nature swaps in developing countries, or when briefing and making arguments in appeals of civil rights cases. If you are interested, you will have the opportunity to participate in the broad array of the firm’s pro bono work.
The firm's pro bono program is directed by the firm's Pro Bono Counsel, and a team of Pro Bono Managers, Andrea Fitanides, , and . They help lawyers find projects that best align with their interests. Individual lawyers, including many associates, often bring worthy projects to the attention of the firm.
Although we undertake high-profile cases, much of our pro bono work serves the poor. For over 40 years, we have offered our lawyers and paralegals the opportunity to do a six-month rotation with a community legal services organization. This began with Neighborhood Legal Services, (www.nlsp.org), and now includes Bread for the City, (www.breadforthecity.org), and the Children’s Law Center, (www.childrenslawcenter.org). Over 240 Covington lawyers have participated in these six-month stints. The Washington office also works with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender pro bono program. This program allows Covington attorneys to represent criminal defendants in felony cases from shortly after presentment to the Grand Jury through disposition.
In 1996, Covington established a Child Welfare Initiative to benefit the children of the District of Columbia. This initiative includes the firm’s partnership with a DC public high school, Cardozo Senior High School. As part of the partnership with Cardozo, firm employees conduct a Saturday Academy Program with weekly enrichment activities and coach juniors and seniors to compete in a citywide Mock Trial Competition organized through the Street Law program. In 2010, Cardozo’s mock trial team went to the final round of the competition for the first time—the team landed a second place finish. The initiative also includes the Covington & Burling Public School Project, Inc., which funds efforts of DC public school teachers and staff to enrich their students’ educational experience.
The firm’s abiding commitment to pro bono work consistently ranks 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’s annual ranking of law firm pro bono work has placed Covington among the top three firms for 17 of the past 21 years. Covington has received the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award, the ABA Litigation Section’s John Minor Wisdom Award, the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year Award, and a special award from the D.C. Bar for 20 Years of Outstanding Pro Bono Service. Recent awards include:
- Since 2003, the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference has recognized the firm at its “40 at 50 breakfast.” This award recognizes those firms where at least 40% of the attorneys perform 50 or more pro bono hours during the previous year. This year, 51% of the firm’s DC attorneys volunteered 50 or more pro bono hours.
- Law360 designated Covington as a 2012 Pro Bono Firm of the Year, noting that dedication to the responsibility of pro bono service “permeates culture of Covington.” Law360 previously named Covington as a 2010 Pro Bono Firm of the Year.
- The Innocence Project New Orleans recognized the firm with its Outstanding Volunteer Counsel Award for its work recovering compensation for IPNO’s exonerated clients.
- The Legal Community Against Violence recognized Covington as its 2012 Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year.
- Kids in Need of Defense gave Covington its Allegiance Award for pro bono assistance to unaccompanied children who have immigrated to the United States.
- The Foundation for Criminal Justice honored the firm for representation of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers before the U.S. Supreme Court.
- DC Appleseed awarded Covington for our work to revitalize the Anacostia River.
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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