Aiding the most vulnerable in our society is a proud calling to which we at Weil have long been committed. Pro bono work is the embodiment and expression of Weil’s values. We believe that it is every Weil attorney’s ethical obligation to help those in need and use our legal skills to support causes such as racial justice, human rights and economic opportunity that make our society fairer and more inclusive.

Because pro bono is woven deep into the culture here at Weil, we are continuously attuned to both the ongoing and sudden emerging challenges that face people who are in exigent circumstances and without the resources to defend themselves. This past year, we worked tirelessly to meet those needs with the world-class advocacy that only a firm like Weil can offer. The sheer breadth of pro bono work undertaken by Weil attorneys across the world has again been extraordinary.

Our work spans the spectrum of need and encompasses a broad range of significant issues from: asylum to criminal justice reform; human trafficking and domestic violence to civil rights; the environment to women’s reproductive rights; and LGBTQ+ rights to fair housing law. We have focused our resources where we can truly make a difference, in both high-profile and lesser-known matters, for individual clients and our pro bono partner organizations.

In 2023, we helped LGBTQ+ refugees from several nations, including Ukraine and Honduras, secure asylum in the United States. We advocated for the rights of deaf prisoners and for inmates who were persecuted for their religion. We fought for free and fair elections in Texas and against vote suppression in Florida. Weil lawyers championed women’s reproductive rights in North Dakota and secured name changes in identity documents for transgender clients. Weil is fighting for a new trial for a man convicted based on junk science and imprisoned for more than three decades. And our attorneys battled religious discrimination against an Orthodox Jewish community in suburban New York in a case involving the local town’s efforts to block the purchase of a building for a Jewish all-girls school.

We are fortunate and privileged to be able to work with nonprofit partners whose commitment to seeking justice continually inspires us. As they assist the individuals who turn to them for help, we offer our support and are rewarded with work that is so often uplifting. These organizations include the American Civil Liberties Union, the Brennan Center for Justice, the Center for Reproductive Rights, Global Citizen, Immigration Equality, the Innocence Project, the International Refugee Assistance Project, Micro Rainbow, Refuge and Sanctuary for Families.

Pro bono is part of Weil’s DNA, and our Firm policy is for all lawyers to do 50 hours or more of pro bono work each year. We admire the dedication, compassion and talent of our attorneys, who made all of this possible and together contributed nearly 80,000 hours of pro bono service last year. We believe these to be “Our Finest Hours.” We trust you will agree, as you read through these pages.

Introduction by Miriam Buhl — Pro Bono Counsel

View the 2024 Pro Bono Annual Review

Many Weil attorneys and paralegals dedicated 50 hours or more to pro bono service in 2023.
View the list of 50-Hour Plus Performers.