Venable has long recognized the importance of providing first-rate legal representation to those unable to afford a lawyer. We are proud to be among the signatories to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge.
The firm expects its attorneys to devote their time and diverse talents, on a pro bono basis, to improving their communities and the lives of others. For the past decade, Venable attorneys have collectively logged, on average, approximately 23,000 hours per year firm-wide representing a wide range of pro bono clients, including:
Public school children with special education needs
Women and children immigrants fleeing violence and seeking legal status in the United States
Nonprofit entities with organizational, transactional, tax, and operational needs
Veterans and persons with disabilities wrongly denied benefits
Victims of domestic violence seeking restraining orders against their abusers
Low-income seniors with estate planning needs
Low-income children who are the subjects of custody disputes between caregivers
Prisoners wrongfully convicted or improperly sentenced
Low-income tenants seeking to maintain their housing and correct substandard living conditions
Victims of police misconduct, including racial profiling and the use of excessive force
Individuals and organizations seeking to protect intellectual property rights in developing countries
Clinic Support
We regularly staff walk-in clinics for low-income individuals with pressing legal needs, including the DC Bar Pro Bono Program's Advice and Referral Clinic, the DC Bar Pro Bono Program's Consumer Law Clinic, and various clinics in DC and Baltimore to assist low-income individuals with income tax preparation.
Gerry Treanor Pro Bono Fellowship
In 2015, we launched the Gerry Treanor Pro Bono Fellowship, named after our partner who headed the pro bono program for many years. Each fellow is placed with either Bread for the City in Washington or Maryland Legal Aid in Baltimore, and works full-time for six months representing low-income clients.
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“Human beings, who are in terrible trouble, turn to this firm for relief, for some friendship, some support.”
Pro Bono Engagements
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Representing an Alabama death row prisoner and a federal death row prisoner
Forming and counseling Warrior Canine Connection, which uses service dogs to rehabilitate service members returning from combat
Requiring the Maryland State Police to disclose records showing whether it meaningfully investigates complaints of racial profiling
Challenging Virginia regulations that impose certain non-medically necessary requirements on women’s healthcare facilities that perform first-trimester abortions
Securing recognition of the right to counsel at initial bail hearings for criminal defendants throughout Maryland
Handling long-term litigation to reform the foster care system in Baltimore
Obtaining post-conviction relief in three different cases for men wrongfully imprisoned for murder in DC for approximately 20 years apiece
Accomplishing the merger of Maryland's two largest food banks
Pro Bono Partners
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Archdiocesan Legal Network of Catholic Charities
American Bar Association Death Penalty Representation Project
American Civil Liberties Union of Maryland
Bread for the City
Children's Law Center
Coalition of Asylum & Immigration Rights
Community Law Center
D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program
Equal Justice Initiative
Federal Public Defender – Eastern District of Virginia
Kids in Need of Defense
Lawyers' Coalition for the Homeless
Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
Lawyers' Committee for Human Rights
Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia
Legal Aid Society of New York
Legal Counsel for the Elderly
Maryland Disability Law Center
Maryland Legal Aid
Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service
Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project
Neighborhood Legal Services
New York City Bar Justice Center
New York Legal Assistance Group
Northern Virginia Legal Services
Public Interest Intellectual Property Advocates
Pro Bono Institute
Pro Bono Resource Center of Maryland, Inc.
Southern Center for Human Rights
Tahirih Justice Center
Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program
Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
Recipient of 2015 Maryland Firm of the Year Award by Tahirih Justice Center
2014
Jackie Bottash received the Helping Hands award from the Children's Law Center for her selfless dedication to the firm's pro bonoprogram and the work of the Center
Public Interest Project honors Venable partner Michael A. Gollin with Innovators Award
Washington Post Features Venable’s Successful Pro Bono Effort to Free Troy Burner from Prison After Nearly 25 Years and Clear Him of 1994 Murder Conviction
