Lawyers at Hunton & Williams get involved in pro bono work because it is the right thing to do. Because it strengthens our skills and our communities. With more than 800 lawyers in 19 US and international offices, our pro bono practice continues to expand into new communities and causes, cultivating numerous opportunities to partner for the public good.
Our tradition of pro bono service is well recognized. As a signatory member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge
©, our US offices have met or exceeded the goal of providing more than 3% of our billable time to pro bono service since 1993. We were recognized in 2009 with the
Pro Bono Institute Pickering Award for the extraordinary record of 99% lawyer participation in the preceding year. In 1999, the firm was awarded the American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico Award for its noteworthy contributions in extending legal service to the poor and disadvantaged.
We live out this tradition of excellence every day. Through our three neighborhood pro bono offices, our lawyers volunteer to represent the working poor in various family law matters. This groundbreaking model for providing pro bono service originated in 1990 with the Church Hill office in Richmond, Virginia and was awarded with the American Bar Association's Louis M. Brown Award for Legal Access in 2003.
Recognitions aside, the true testament to the importance of pro bono at Hunton & Williams is the continual growth in lawyer commitment. In 2009, 2010 and 2011, 100% of our full-time US lawyers participated in pro bono projects and more than 50,000 hours were donated to low-income and charitable clients during each of those years.