Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files

When hurricanes, floods, fires — and sometimes all of the above — strike, how can lawyers help individuals and communities respond and recover? In this episode, Alicia Aiken talks to seasoned disaster relief attorneys about how pro bono can make a difference in disasters, and how lawyers can prepare to pitch in.    Related CLE content:  Connect with our on-demand pro bono disaster relief resources...

“This isn’t about surviving. This is about thriving.” – Bridgette Carr What does it mean to design a fulfilling life in the law? And how does pro bono fit in? In this month’s episode of Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files, host Alicia Aiken talks to Michigan Law professors Bridgette Carr and Vivek Sankaran and Jessica Morton of Democracy Forward about taking stock and forging your own path — and...

Nonprofit board service is “a different way of bringing your legal talent to your volunteer work,” says Pursuing Justice podcast host Alicia Aiken. In this month’s episode, she interviews Judy Siegel of the Pro Bono Partnership, and Raphael Stern of Lawyers Alliance for New York, on what lawyers should know about the benefits of serving on a board. This episode features the co-chairs of PLI’s prog...

The stakes are high for low-income tenants facing the threat of eviction. In this month’s episode of Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files, learn why pro bono representation is essential for renters facing outsized rent hikes, uninhabitable properties, and other challenges to their housing.  This program features Lorraine A. López , the chairperson of PLI's program " California Eviction Defense: Pr...

Unaccompanied immigrant children, often fleeing dangerous situations in their countries of origin, need legal representation when they appear in immigration court.   Want to get involved and make a profound difference in the life of a child? This month “Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files” talks with three lawyers about the critical role of volunteer lawyers in these kinds of cases,  and  the tra...

Are you (or your law firm) thinking about taking on a pro bono asylum case? Hear how three commercial litigators at Forman Watkins, with the guidance and support of the Mississippi Center for Justice, worked on two pro bono asylum cases. What drew them to take on this kind of pro bono case? What were their “takeaways”? What was the experience like for them both personally and professionally? Explo...

Running a pro bono program costs money ‒ and Indiana’s statewide legal services program faced a serious financial challenge. Find out how Indiana’s pro bono stakeholders pulled together and, with a law firm’s help, turned a financial crisis into an opportunity.   PLI is proud to offer programs , pro bono memberships , and scholarships to support the essential public service work of the legal profe...

In Episode 14, we met three of the lawyers who worked on landmark litigation to transform New Mexico’s education system. In this bonus episode we hear from Martin Estrada, Ernest Herrera and Preston Sanchez about their interesting, but very different paths to the legal profession.  

What does an adequate public education look like? And what happens when a state fails to provide an adequate education to its Latino, Native American, and other children? Meet three lawyers who worked as part of a team of civil rights lawyers and pro bono attorneys in the consolidated education adequacy case Yazzie/Martinez v. State of New Mexico, a landmark decision that is laying the groundwork...

In this special two-part episode, we turn the tables and interview the host of Pursuing Justice, legal services veteran Alicia Aiken, and engage in some “real talk” about her unique combination of experiences with pro bono work. How have her ideas about what works (and what doesn’t work) in representing pro bono clients changed?  In Part 2 of our conversation, Alicia is very open about her experie...

In this special two-part episode, we turn the tables and interview the host of Pursuing Justice, legal services veteran Alicia Aiken, and engage in some “real talk” about her unique combination of experiences with pro bono work. How have her ideas about what works (and what doesn’t work) in representing pro bono clients changed?  In Part 1 of our conversation, Lish talks about being a full-time no...

Over half a million veterans have received less-than-honorable discharges (known as “bad paper”) since 1980. This prevents them from accessing veterans’ services, often with devastating results. On this episode of PLI's Pursuing Justice hear how Matt Caplan, a partner with Cooley LLP, and Holly Christian, a pro bono manager and staff attorney with Swords to Plowshares dedicate their time to helpin...

The United States is having a national conversation about historical discrimination against people of color. Many lawyers are also working on the question of “How do we address the economic inequalities caused by discrimination?” Entrepreneurship is one traditional path to building stability and strengthening communities in the U.S., but many Black and Brown business owners lack access to the capi...

The question we are looking at today is: Should businesses get free legal help? When put like that, your gut reaction might be 'No'. But, the sudden changes caused by COVID-19 have shone a light on how important small businesses are. In fact 89% of US businesses have fewer than 20 employees. Their impact on our lives is not small at all. COVID-19 might have caused many of us to see small business...

Pro bono work is usually focused on the power of legal representation. How does one organization use pro bono legal help to promote fundamental change? Can pro bono lawyers be mobilized to amplify the voices of the marginalized? Pursuing Justice sits down with Ariadna Godreau Aubert to explore how Ayuda Legal Puerto Rico is working with pro bono lawyers to educate and partner with communities to a...

How does the world of private practice work successfully with that of nonprofits? Ultimately both sides want to do good and find the best results for their pro bono clients in desperate need of representation and resolution. Pursuing Justice sits down with Brenna DeVaney, Director of Skadden’s global pro bono practice; Jennifer Kroman, Director of Cleary Gottlieb’s pro bono practice; and Annie Pin...

A single mother is raising four sons when her newborn stops gaining weight. She brings the child to the hospital for a diagnosis, but someone makes a call to the child abuse hotline. Later that night, she answers her door – and the nightmare begins. Having to send your child away while the authorities investigate you is a mother’s worst nightmare. In this case, it was just the beginning, as the mo...

Big Law lawyers are among the best-resourced counsel out there, and they are eager to provide pro bono assistance for those that need it most. But legal issues faced by women dealing with poverty and domestic violence are a far cry from the legal needs of corporations and multinational organizations. Pursuing Justice explores how one organization is mentoring Big Law lawyers to harness their amazi...

Imagine waking up tomorrow and being sued for tens of thousands of dollars to pay your ex-husband’s debt — a debt you had no part in creating. Dorothy thought her difficult divorce was far behind her, but years later, her ex-husband had amassed a debt which threatened to evict her from her own home. Facing a committed collection lawyer, she felt overwhelmed until a smart pro bono team found a crea...

Millions of low-income Californians face pressing legal problems without access to legal help. Julia R. Wilson, CEO of OneJustice, explains how the nonprofit she leads has provided legal assistance to more than a quarter-million residents of the Golden State. Because lawyers are largely based in cities, pro bono services are predominantly dedicated to urban areas, often leaving rural communities t...

A natural disaster strikes Haiti. A plane full of medical volunteers and supplies sits on a tarmac hundreds of miles away waiting for clearance. What’s stopping them from delivering this much needed cargo? And how does a corporate attorney in New York solve the problem? In 2010, Haiti was devastated by a catastrophic earthquake that registered 7.0 on the Richter scale. Relief efforts, medical assi...

Practising Law Institute (PLI), a nonprofit provider of authoritative legal training and continuing education, is excited to announce the launch of Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files, a new limited series podcast focused solely on the pro bono and public interest community. Hosted by long-time legal services advocate Alicia Aiken, Pursuing Justice provides a behind-the-scenes exploration of pro...