NEWS
Maslon Meets the Pro Bono Institute's 2021 Pro Bono Challenge for Seventh Consecutive Year
June 23, 2022
Maslon is pleased to announce that it has met and exceeded the 2021 Pro Bono Institute's Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® for the seventh year in a row – in a year in which the total hours by participating firms fell 15%. The Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge is a commitment made by major law firms around the country in which firms must devote at least 3% of their annual billable hours or a set number of hours per attorney to the provision of pro bono legal services to low-income and disadvantaged individuals, families, and nonprofit groups. The challenge is administered by the Law Firm Pro Bono Project of the Pro Bono Institute.
A majority of Maslon's attorneys participated in qualifying pro bono work in 2021. In total, Maslon attorneys contributed 4,478 of their hours to pro bono service in 2021. Maslon's 2021 pro bono service included:
- Key participation by Maslon Partner Steve Schleicher, through special appointment by Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, as part of the prosecution team for the trial of Derek Chauvin, with support from other Maslon attorneys.
- Drafting of language for Minneapolis' new ordinance ensuring low-income eviction defendants have access to an attorney, which most previously did not.
- Representation of asylum seekers, including new arrivals from Afghanistan, through referrals from the Advocates for Human Rights.
- Pro bono legal assistance in the creation of Lake Street Speaks, a new commemorative art book highlighting the street murals that emerged in Minneapolis in the wake of George Floyd's killing and protests.
- Continued representation for a nonprofit organization's fight to protect and preserve the Boundary Waters in Minnesota against a proposed copper-nickel mine.
"It is our privilege as attorneys to work on behalf of those who would not otherwise have access to legal representation," said Julian Zebot, partner and chair of Maslon's Pro Bono Committee. "Pro bono work is also our moral and ethical responsibility. It is fundamental to the integrity of the judicial system and maintains our firm's long-standing commitment to community service."