Pro Bono

Venable has long recognized the importance of providing first-rate legal representation to those unable to afford a lawyer. Accordingly, we are signatories to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, which calls upon law firms to devote a percentage of their billable hours to addressing the unmet legal needs of the poor and disadvantaged in the communities we serve.

During the past six years, Venable has increased its pro bono commitment by nearly 45%. In 2008, the firm's attorneys spent over 23,000 hours representing pro bono clients in cases ranging from children's rights to death penalty appeals, and from veterans' and prisoners' rights to political asylum litigation. Venable attorneys are involved in numerous activities that benefit a broad array of individuals and organizations, including:

• staffing legal clinics for non-profit, non-governmental organizations;
• establishing an organization to assist in preserving the intellectual property rights of residents of developing countries;
• providing counsel to community organizations, such as the William Wendt Center for Loss and Healing and Frederick Douglass Gardens, Inc.; and
• representing writers and artists in need of pro bono help.

In the past year, prominent pro bono engagements have included representation of detainees at Guantánamo Bay, training of Chinese public defenders and an Alabama death penalty case.

Gerry Treanor, a well-known Washington white-collar litigator, serves full-time as our pro bono coordinator.