DLA Piper receives Pro Bono Service Award by the Legal Services Corporation

DLA Piper is the proud recipient of the Legal Services Corporation’s Pro Bono Service Award. The firm was nominated by its close pro bono partner, Legal Aid Chicago, the largest provider of civil legal aid services in the Midwest. The Legal Services Corporation is funded by Congress and is the largest funder of legal services in the country. Its board is made up of a bipartisan group appointed by the President of the United States.

During the award presentation at the LSC’s quarterly board meeting in Chicago on July 13, board vice chair Father Pius Pietrzyk, O.P. remarked on DLA Piper’s long-term support of the Legal Services Corporation as well as Legal Aid Chicago. He recognized the firm’s support of the LSC’s task forces focused on pro bono, veterans, and disaster relief, as well as DLA Piper global co-CEO and global co-chair of the Americas Frank Ryan’s service on the LSC’s Leadership Council.

DLA Piper has been a dedicated pro bono partner of Legal Aid Chicago for more than 15 years, supporting the organization’s mission to seek justice for people living in poverty in Cook County. The firm’s long history with Legal Aid Chicago includes collaborating on a walk-in legal clinic in the Woodlawn neighborhood. The clinic helps address the unmet legal needs of residents including housing and landlord-tenant issues, public benefits, child support and the expungement of criminal record. The firm has also worked with Legal Aid Chicago to establish a domestic violence help desk in a suburban courthouse, as well as an eviction brief desk that provides advice to tenants in eviction court.

“It’s an honor being recognized by the Legal Services Corporation, an organization which does so much to promote and support legal aid throughout our country. And to be nominated by Legal Aid Chicago, an organization that we admire and respect so much, makes the recognition even more special,” said Anne Geraghty Helms, DLA Piper’s director and counsel for US Pro Bono Programs. “We look forward to supporting both organizations for many years to come.”

“DLA Piper is so supportive of our efforts to ensure that everyone in Cook County has access to a lawyer when they need it most. We are grateful that their lawyers take the time to work with and provide pro bono legal assistance to some of our community’s most vulnerable individuals and families,” said Melissa Picciola, Legal Aid Chicago's director of Pro Bono & Community Partnerships.

DLA Piper has a long-standing and deep commitment to giving back to our communities. This commitment exists at every level in every office within the firm and is ingrained in the firm’s culture. Our aim is to be innovative and collaborative in our efforts so that we can provide the best possible service to our pro bono clients. We are committed to pro bono projects that advance gender and racial equality, protect children, and combat hunger.