NEW YORK, May 6 2020: Morgan Lewis has been named a 2020 Pro Bono Hot List honoree by The National Law Journal. The annual list identifies law firms that have made a significant impact through pro bono service in the communities where they practice.
A profile of the firm published by The National Law Journal highlights two of the firm’s most impactful pro bono representations from 2019. In the first, Morgan Lewis obtained a client’s release from an Illinois prison where he had served more than 30 years for murder and attempted murder—crimes the state now acknowledges he did not commit. Following a seven-year litigation battle, a judge vacated the client’s convictions and released him the next day.
In the second featured case, we secured a landmark settlement in the first federal class action to spotlight the widespread use of psychotropic drugs to medicate foster children. The settlement overhauls the state of Missouri’s administration of psychotropic medications to as many as 13,000 foster children, establishes fundamental protocols and safeguards around the administration of such medication, and sets a strong legal precedent to encourage greater safety among foster children across the United States.
“We are proud of our longstanding pro bono commitment and honored to serve those underrepresented who are in need of legal counsel,” said Firm Chair Jami McKeon. “Our representation of pro bono clients is wide and diverse, and crosses virtually every practice and every geography at Morgan Lewis. In the immigration arena, for example, we are advising two sets of married fathers whose children were born through surrogacy outside the United States and are being denied US citizenship, and noncitizen military members who participated in the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest program and have been denied the US citizenship they were promised.”
Morgan Lewis is dedicated to serving the public good. In 2019, lawyers at the firm completed more than 130,000 hours—and 100% recorded 20 hours or more—of pro bono work. Each year, we provide more than 1,800 pro bono clients with the highest possible level of service.