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Access to justice: Our pro bono commitment
As a law firm, we recognize our professional obligation and unique ability to advance the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 16 – Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions.
Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP has a long history of pro bono work dating back to the 1930s. In the early years, the firm distinguished itself as a group of smart, courageous and public-spirited attorneys in part by taking on some major pro bono civil rights cases. One such case involved representing John Downer, a Black man accused of raping a white woman in Elberton, Georgia. Downer was given a “trial” of one day, dominated by a mob, and the jury took five minutes to convict and sentence him to death. Our law firm then worked as pro bono attorneys to have that conviction overturned based on the mob intimidation. Founding Partner Elbert P. Tuttle, as an officer in the Georgia National Guard, used gas grenades and great courage to prevent a crowd of 1,500 from lynching Downer. William A. Sutherland and Tuttle also represented Angelo Herndon, a Black Marxist who had been convicted of sedition and sentenced to 15 years on the chain gang for distributing pamphlets in front of the Atlanta Post Office. In an appeal to the US Supreme Court, the firm and co-counsel had the Georgia Sedition Act declared unconstitutional. The Johnson v. Zerbst case, which Tuttle argued in the US Supreme Court, established the Sixth Amendment right to counsel in criminal cases in federal courts, which was later expanded to the states in Gideon v. Wainwright. Those important cases by a small Atlanta firm at the time established a tradition of pro bono and public interest work that has continued to this day.
Elbert Tuttle Founding Partner, 1897-1996
William Sutherland Founding Partner, 1896-1987
Source: Library of Congress
Elbert Tuttle receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Jimmy Carter in 1981. The award was given to Tuttle for his work in civil rights in the South.
In celebration of our 100-year anniversary in the US, we are proud to share just a few legacy stories:
A story of justice
A story of tradition
A story of freedom
A story of service
Our pro bono commitment
We commit to pro bono work at a level of at least three percent of our billable hours. The firm provides unlimited billable credit, encouraging every attorney to incorporate pro bono work into their practice. In 2023, our attorneys dedicated more than 14,500 hours to pro bono efforts, making a significant impact on our communities. We consistently rank high in Vault, most recently being ranked number five in the country for “Best Law Firms for Pro Bono.” Learn more about some of the incredible work of our attorneys over the past year:
Asylum success story | 1
Our pro bono client was granted asylum in late 2023, several years after his initial application and following multiple merits hearings. Our client is a native of Chad and a prominent member of the Kanuri tribe. Like many Kanuri, our client and his family were caught in the middle of the battle between the Chadian secret police and the terrorist organization Boko Haram. After being kidnapped, tortured and falsely accused of being a member of Boko Haram, he fled to the US. Thank you to the team, Frank Nolan and Stephanie Keating, for their work achieving this significant win for their pro bono client and to Human Rights First for their invaluable support and resources.
We received wonderful news that a US immigration court judge has granted asylum to our pro bono client, a family in Afghanistan. The decision resolves their three-year-long quest for protection here in the United States after the family was targeted by the Taliban because one of the family members was a translator for the US and UK. A sincere thank-you to Meriam Nazih Al-Rashid and Levon Golendukhin for their terrific work in achieving this victory. Our client is overjoyed as a result of the decision, saying...
“We just received our asylum approval letter, and the feeling is beyond words! It’s a culmination of hope, hard work, and your unwavering support that has brought us to this moment. Our gratitude knows no bounds.”
Asylum success story | 2
Five years ago, we began representing a 15-year-old unaccompanied Guatemalan minor through the organization Kids In Need of Defense (KIND). When we learned that his adult brother and adult sister suffered the same persecution, we agreed to represent them and their young children, whom they had brought to the US. More than a decade ago, various family members witnessed a shooting by a gang member at a family birthday party. The gang member then threatened to kill anyone who talked to the police. A few family members cooperated with the authorities and testified at trial, causing the gang member to be imprisoned for several years. Upon his release from prison, the gang member and others again threatened the family. Fearing for their lives, our young client and his adult siblings didn’t speak to the police and quickly fled to the US. In April, we had our first adjudication of their claims — a trial before an immigration judge, who heard the adult brother’s case. While our clients’ lives were clearly in danger, some of the legal issues were murky because of court rulings regarding the meaning of membership in a “particular social group,” which is one of the protected grounds for asylum. At the hearing, we were able to convince the judge that, in this case, the family unit was the particular social group under the applicable legal standards. After the trial, the immigration judge ruled from the bench, finding that the adult brother and his eight-year-old daughter qualified for asylum. Our client wept with joy from the witness stand as the judge announced his decision. Thank you to our star-studded team that included Ariana Cheng, John Coffron, Carolyn Garcia, Cathy Garza, Sharon Kaur, Amanda Oliveira, Brian Rubin and Henrik Strand. Together, the team helped achieve this life-changing result for the adult brother, and we are still working on cases for the other family members.
Collaborative pro bono project for taxation of the mining industry in Africa
We led a collaborative pro bono project, drafting a paper in connection with the taxation of the mining industry in Africa. Mining is one of the major industries on the African continent, and the paper provides a toolkit for countries as they deal with the challenges of the changing international tax landscape. The paper, drafted by a team from Eversheds Sutherland and other firms supporting the International Senior Lawyers Project, will become part of the African Mining Legislation Atlas, which is a project of the African Legal Support Facility funded in part by the African Development Bank.
Empowering citizens: Pro bono FOIA representation
In late 2018, we began acting as pro bono counsel for the Brennan Center for Justice to issue Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Customs and Border Protection (CBP). These requests targeted ICE’s use of the Data Analysis System, an analytical database used to compile and share personally identifiable information, including that of American citizens, and DHS’s collection and maintenance of information stored in the National Archives and Records Administration, including social media information. Our FOIA requests went unanswered, so we filed a lawsuit against the agencies in the Southern District of New York in January 2020. Over the course of three-and-a-half years of litigation, we obtained more than 3,000 pages of documents from DHS, ICE and CBP.
In September 2023, the Brennan Center published the results of its analysis of those documents. The Brennan Center’s report details how the DHS routinely uses fake social media accounts to collect personal information about unwitting American citizens, including through online “sting” operations, with little or no evidence of adequate rules to protect Americans’ privacy rights.
This is a great result for an important organization. Thank you to the team of attorneys who worked diligently on it: Ariana Cheng, John Fleming, Andrea Gordon, Frank Nolan, Rich Noland and Jessica Rogers.
Assisting small nonprofits with legal liability forms
In partnership with the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta (PBPA), we created a pilot “Vital Signs” Forms Clinic where Eversheds Sutherland volunteers met with very small nonprofits that often don’t meet eligibility requirements to become clients of PBPA. Our attorneys assisted these local nonprofits with their legal liability forms essential to their operations, ensuring these organizations could continue their important work in the community.
New pro bono initiative helping families in need protect their disabled children into adulthood
Several of our New York attorneys and commercial clients participated in a hybrid training to launch a signature pro bono project led by Cliff Kirsch. In partnership with the Legal Services of New Jersey (LSNJ) and the Julia Anne Kirsch Foundation, this project helps families in need obtain guardianship over their disabled children when they turn 18.
Cliff Kirsch Partner, New York
“This program arises out of a desperate need identified by the Julia Kirsch Foundation, which serves disabled individuals and their families in the New Jersey area. Guardianship will provide an important tool for families caring for their adult children. So glad to be teaming with LSNJ in launching this program.”
Assisting veterans with a discharge designation
Maggie Pope and Cliff Muller successfully assisted a veteran in a discharge upgrade case through the National Veterans Legal Services Program. Our client was an Army Heavy Anti-Armor Weapons Infantryman deployed to Panama, where he was shot in the ankle by Panamanian fighters, and in a subsequent incident, he jumped out of a plane with shots being fired all around him. He later deployed to Iraq as a “combat lifesaver,” assisting those who were injured or wounded. He was awarded a Combat Infantryman Badge. Following his deployments, he began to experience marital issues and requested “early out” from the military. Shortly after filing this “early out” paperwork, his acting platoon sergeant began to harass him incessantly, leading him to go absent without leave. He was discharged with an “Other than Honorable” characterization. He applied twice for a discharge upgrade on his own and was denied. Post-discharge, he worked at nonprofits focused on treating adolescent drug and alcohol use, including serving as the Program Administrator for the only anti-smoking program directed at American Indians in the entire country, and contributed his time and resources to many social justice programs. He was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), based on combat stressors in both Panama and Iraq, but the VA determined he was ineligible for benefits due to his discharge characterization. Maggie and Cliff filed a brief at the Army Board for Correction of Military Records seeking an upgrade. They argued that the veteran’s mental health condition from combat mitigated and outweighed his misconduct. They further set forth his outstanding post-discharge conduct. The Board upgraded his discharge to “General (Under Honorable Conditions),” even though there was no documentation of a mental health condition in his military service records. The Board stated: “Even if PTSD was undiagnosed at the time of service, it is reasonable that psychiatric sequelae of combat impacted the behavior, ultimately leading to discharge.” Applying liberal consideration, the Board concluded that his PTSD mitigated his misconduct.
Regis Worley, Lydia Florez and Rich Noland represented a former Navy Sailor who sought assistance for a discharge upgrade after having been discharged from the Navy with a status that was less than “Honorable.” The client had a number of significant traumatic experiences while serving shipboard in the Navy, which ultimately led to his deteriorated mental health and his attempted suicide. Though his record reflected positive performance evaluations throughout his military career, he was involuntarily separated following a diagnosis of a mental health condition. He was not provided any retention warning counseling prior to the discharge. Because he was provided a discharge status that was less than “Honorable,” he was not eligible for certain veteran support and benefits for which he was otherwise eligible. We appealed the discharge status to the Naval Discharge Review Board on the basis of his honest and faithful service to the Navy, which was not consistent with his discharge status and reflected significant negative aspects of his service that outweighed the positive aspects of his service. The Naval Discharge Review Board agreed with us and granted our request to change his discharge status to “Honorable.” Following receipt of the decision from the Naval Discharge Review Board, the client wrote to us, saying:
“Thank you so much for all the effort you put into this matter. Although it may have seemed trivial, it was very important to me, and I am eternally grateful.”
Regis Worley, Jr. Counsel, San Diego
“As an active member of the Reserve Component of the Navy, this case is especially moving to me, as I am familiar with our Sailors’ hard work and sacrifices that span the duration of their service, and I am honored to have helped correct the inequities incurred at the end of this Sailor’s honorable career with the Navy.”
Supporting the International Rescue Committee
On World Refugee Day 2024, we marked the first anniversary of our global partnership with the International Rescue Committee ('IRC'). Founded in 1933, the IRC’s mission is to ‘help people affected by humanitarian crises to survive, recover and gain control over their future.’ We provide the IRC with financial and pro bono support to help ensure its focus can remain on supporting those most in need across the 40+ countries where the IRC works with its local partners. We are pleased to report that in the first year of our global partnership, we recorded over 1,200 hours on more than 40 different pro bono matters for the IRC involving colleagues from across the globe and multiple jurisdictions. Examples of some of the projects we have supported pro bono during the first year of our partnership include:
- Preparing a Global Data Privacy Policy
- Advising on AI provisions in various commercial agreements, including in relation to an AI-driven software subscription that would allow the IRC’s HR team to generate learning content
- Supporting the IRC with the legal and commercial framework around its flagship Signpost programme, which gives those displaced by humanitarian crises access to quick and secure support and advice
- Advising on real estate projects across the IRC’s US offices
- Providing employment law advice and training in a number of jurisdictions, and free places on our external International Employment Law courses for the IRC’s HR and legal teams
- Participating in legal research projects to support the IRC’s US RAI Immigration Programme
- Ensured compliance with new UK procurement regulations and updated a suite of documents issued to UK programming partners
“No matter how big or small the project, the dedication, expertise, and commitment by the team of attorneys at Eversheds Sutherland supporting the IRC across various matters has been fully appreciated and recognised throughout the organisation. This unwavering support has ensured that we are utilising our resources to support our programmes, both in the US and around the globe, and the clients we serve, whether caught in the midst of a conflict or disaster, displaced or being resettled into new homes.” Helene Herold, IRC Deputy General Counsel
“In Europe, the firm’s expert advice helps us navigate the complex regulatory environment we work in, which helps protect IRC, our staff and ultimately our clients. The breadth of expertise across many of the jurisdictions in which we work allows us to gain comprehensive advice for the breadth of our activities – from data protection in the EU, employment law in the UK, commercial contracts in Germany to corporate governance in Belgium.” Rachel French, IRC Associate General Counsel, Europe
“It has been very rewarding to contribute to our firm’s global partnership with the International Rescue Committee. Colleagues Kristi Thielen and Soroosh Faegh and I are helping the IRC implement new AI policies and procedures, positioning the IRC to responsibly leverage new AI technologies in support of their vast logistical requirements and challenges around the world. We are grateful for this opportunity to do our small part.” Rachel Reid, Eversheds Sutherland Partner, Atlanta
“It’s incredibly rewarding to be able to support this amazing organization fulfill its mission, especially knowing that every dollar they don’t have to spend on legal helps someone suffering from disaster.” Tim McCaffrey, Eversheds Sutherland Counsel, Chicago
“I love all of our clients, of course, but I have a special place in my heart for the real estate work we do for IRC; it is gratifying to help the organization occupy space where they can perform their important work.” Ruth Schoenmeyer, Eversheds Sutherland Partner, Chicago
Office community service committees
Across our offices, we have community service committees made up of individuals dedicated to and passionate about giving back. Together, committee members drive and promote community initiatives in their local office, identifying and encouraging participation in projects that represent the interests and causes our people care about most, and that are unique to each office.
Madison Ball Associate and New York Office Community Service Committee Lead
“The committee is so excited to serve our community! Our summer event was a back-to-school drive providing school supplies to NYC’s foster youth. We plan to continue engaging the office with opportunities to support our neighbors.”
Marc Benjamin Partner and Chicago Office Community Service Committee Lead
“Through our Chicago office community service committee, I am looking forward to helping our Chicago office organize and actively participate in events throughout the year and continue to grow our community initiatives to give back to our local community. I was pleased to have a great turnout volunteering with a food pantry event earlier this year and at our beach cleanup event this summer!”
Cindy Munoz Office Coordinator and Austin Office Community Service Committee Lead
“The Austin Community Service Committee had a great time at our summer volunteer event at the Central Texas Food Bank sorting food for those in need. We have several plans for the coming year including assisting at our local animal shelter and cleaning up local trails.”
Eversheds Sutherland Spark
Eversheds Sutherland Spark is our employee engagement and giving platform powered by Benevity. It is a space for our people to connect and come together to invest in our communities in a meaningful way through charitable giving, volunteering and action-based missions. In addition to making online giving via payroll easy, as an added employee benefit, we also provide seed funding to all new employees that can be used to donate to any charity or cause they care about most upon joining the firm. As a policy, we also provide every employee with a community service paid-time-off day.
Giving back to our communities
Each year, our offices participate in the annual Fall Giving campaign, a long-standing firm tradition. We come together for a two-week fundraising sprint to raise money for local nonprofit partners and charities our people care about most. For the past few years, we have kicked off our campaign with the Great Giveback Game Show in partnership with Impact 4 Good, an innovative group focused on the national and international delivery of community service-based activities. During the kickoff trivia event, offices across the firm compete against each other for a chance to win levels of prize donations to the winning office’s featured charity. Additionally, each individual who participates in the kickoff event is seeded funds into their personal giving account on Eversheds Sutherland Spark to make a donation to any charity of their choice. During our 2023 Fall Giving campaign, we raised an incredible $170,000 while coming together in our local offices for community service events to support local nonprofits and charity partners. A sincere thanks to all our people for their generosity and for participating in the campaign each year.
We look forward to another successful campaign this fall supporting the incredible organizations in our communities.
Making spirits bright
Our Chicago office hosted a community service event with members from the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC) Chicago to pack holiday stockings for Chicago Youth Centers (CYC). Volunteers from Eversheds Sutherland and ACC Chicago packed 800 holiday stockings with toys, games, activities and treats for deserving children in the Chicago community. Since 1956, CYC has been the place “where Possibility Lives: a trusted partner on Chicago’s South and West sides, ensuring that kids have a safe place they can go to explore, to discover, to process, and ultimately to envision a bright future that they can create for themselves.”
Washington DC summer associates volunteer with Bread for the City
Summer associates in our Washington DC office spent an afternoon volunteering at Bread for the City’s food pantry and learning more about the organization’s holistic services offered to the community, including its vital legal clinic programs. The summer associates also helped the office’s community service committee collect new and unused socks to bring along as donations to their visit with Bread for the City.
Racing for a cause
Colleagues from our Washington DC office, along with family and friends, participate annually in the Lawyers Have Heart 10K, 5K and Fun Walk to support the American Heart Association. Eversheds Sutherland has supported the annual Lawyers Have Heart race for many years, joining the legal community in Washington DC, to raise money and awareness for heart disease and stroke.
Martin Luther King Jr. day of service
In celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, our Atlanta office partnered with Hands on Atlanta to honor Dr. King’s life and legacy by participating in a garden cleanup activity by weeding, planting and mulching the native plant garden. Throughout the firm, we also hosted an acts of service campaign across our offices over the MLK weekend.
Board service highlights: Our community champions
Our community projects and initiatives at the firm follow our people’s leadership and roles with nonprofit organizations in our communities. Countless individuals at the firm serve on nonprofit boards across our offices, embodying the spirit of giving back and service to their communities. Through our “Living our purpose and values” series, which we share internally at the firm, we hear stories from our own people and the fantastic work they are doing in their local communities as they put our purpose and values into action. Here are just a few examples:
Christina Buensuceso Director of Clients (US), Atlanta – Christina began her board service with GAIN in 2021.
“In 2020, during the depths of the pandemic and the height of social distancing requirements, I found myself looking for ways to reconnect with my local community and give back. I had also been exploring Board service for some time and had been looking for an organization with a mission that I felt drawn to, where my legal background plus development and marketing skill set could be useful and where I could also have an opportunity to expand my skills into new areas like governance and finance. As an immigrant and having gone through the naturalization process myself and knowing how complex and intimidating it can be, I had an immediate affinity for GAIN’s mission and vision and jumped at the chance to get involved.”
Pedro Dorado Counsel, Atlanta – Pedro has served as a board member for the organization since 2020
“My experience as a pro bono attorney and board member with GAIN has been very rewarding. Through the years since I first started working with my first GAIN clients, I always receive updates directly from them letting me know about their progress, proudly announcing that their son graduated from high school, that they found a steady job or started working in an area related to their background and education back in Venezuela.”
Jim Silliman Partner, Houston – Jim and his wife, Clair, have been actively involved on a volunteer basis with Blessings in a Backpack over the past decade, a national organization made up of seven regional chapters and more than 1,200 community-driven programs that focuses on mobilizing communities, individuals and resources to provide food on the weekends for school-age children across the United States who might otherwise go hungry.
“Even the smallest involvement can go a long way – noting our most critical volunteers give one hour to simply assemble food bags. Community involvement is ultimately one of the most rewarding things you can do. It creates and fosters true connections and gives greater meaning to this thing we call ‘life.’“
Emily McPeters Pricing and Value Analyst, Sacramento - Emily serves on the Board of Directors as Treasurer and has been involved with the organization since its founding in 2019.
Over the years, I have had the opportunity to see students from very difficult circumstances find community, support, new pathways to education, access to mental health services and the confidence to pursue their goals into adulthood.”
Our valued partnerships
Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCo)
The APBCo is a mission-driven membership organization of more than 270 attorneys and practice group managers who run pro bono practices in more than 130 of the world’s largest law firms. We are proud members of APBCo and believe that access to justice through pro bono services is strengthened through industry collaboration.
Equal Justice Works (EJW)
We have partnered with EJW for more than 20 years to sponsor EJW Fellows. For the past eight years, we have co-sponsored our fellows with The Home Depot. These two-year fellowships mobilize passionate public service leaders and support innovative projects advancing access to justice and addressing inequities in our communities.
Pro Bono Institute (PBI)
We are proud to partner with the PBI and support their efforts in addressing critical pro bono needs worldwide. PBI is the global thought leader in exploring, identifying, evaluating, catalyzing and taking to scale new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
Boston College Center for Corporate Citizenship
We are proud members of this organization of 500+ socially responsible companies, which combines a professional network with the resources of a leading academic institution.
Corporate Volunteer Council of Atlanta (CVC)
We are thrilled to be part of this network of member companies dedicated to volunteerism in the communities where we live and work. CVC supports member companies to deliver business results through their strategic commitment to civic engagement and social impact.
Our contacts
Thank you for reading our 2024 US Responsible Business Report. To read our 2024 International Responsible Business Report, please visit our website.
If you have any questions, please contact:
Aileen Crowson Chief Responsible Business and Pro Bono Practice Officer T: 1 404 407 5094 aileencrowson@eversheds-sutherland.com
Natasha Orehowsky Responsible Business and Pro Bono Practice Manager T: +1 202 383 0356 natashaorehowsky@eversheds-sutherland.com
© Eversheds Sutherland. All rights reserved. Eversheds Sutherland is a global provider of legal and other services operating through various separate and distinct legal entities. Eversheds Sutherland is the name and brand under which the members of Eversheds Sutherland Limited (Eversheds Sutherland (International) LLP and Eversheds Sutherland (US) LLP) and their respective controlled, managed and affiliated firms and the members of Eversheds Sutherland (Europe) Limited (each an "Eversheds Sutherland Entity" and together the "Eversheds Sutherland Entities") provide legal or other services to clients around the world. Eversheds Sutherland Entities are constituted and regulated in accordance with relevant local regulatory and legal requirements and operate in accordance with their locally registered names. The use of the name Eversheds Sutherland, is for description purposes only and does not imply that the Eversheds Sutherland Entities are in a partnership or are part of a global LLP. The responsibility for the provision of services to the client is defined in the terms of engagement between the instructed firm and the client.
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