16 October 2024 • 3 minute read

Promoting access to justice in our communities: Our work with pro bono legal clinics

We promote access to justice through more than 120 legal clinics every year. At these clinics, lawyers and business professionals often work alongside our corporate clients to help clients with immigration matters, small businesses, nonprofits, veterans' benefits, and more.

Advocating for veterans with Honeywell in Houston

DLA Piper collaborated with Honeywell to provide civil legal intakes for veterans at a VA hospital. Veterans who attend the clinic are often seeking guidance on family, estate planning, and consumer matters.

Helping seniors with Capital One Legal in Washington, DC

DLA Piper collaborated with Capital One Legal and Legal Counsel for the Elderly to assist low-income elderly DC residents. Our team assisted ten seniors in completing their Schedule H applications, which helped to alleviate the financial burden of housing in Washington, DC.

Advising nonprofits with Honeywell in Atlanta

Our lawyers teamed with Honeywell and the Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta on a Rapid Remedy Clinic to provide nonprofits with guidance on articles of incorporation and bylaws.

Advocating for tenants’ rights in Miami

In collaboration with Legal Services of Greater Miami, our lawyers regularly staff the Tenants' Equal Justice Clinic, assisting tenants with security deposit disputes and conditions issues. Additionally, during a strategic planning meeting, the management team members worked with Miami Office Lawyers on a Tenant’s Equal Justice Clinic. During this clinic, they focused on providing free legal advice to low-income individuals.

Helping small businesses in Philadelphia

We teamed with Philadelphia VIP to host a small business legal clinic in our Philadelphia office. Dozens of lawyers from DLA Piper, other law firms, and in-house legal departments met with small business owners to resolve legal questions and plan their business steps. Our clients ranged from individuals with start-ups and side hustles to established businesses looking to hire new employees. The guidance the small business owners received helped them in a difficult business climate.

Helping immigrants with TransUnion in Chicago

In our Chicago office, we have hosted a variety of immigration clinics to serve individuals and families in need. For example, we hosted an asylum clinic with the National Immigrant Justice Center and TransUnion. Lawyers met with asylum seekers and helped them complete their applications. The asylum process is often complex and challenging, and we were grateful to have been able to assist these families with this critical step in their journeys. We have also hosted DACA clinics, T-Visa clinics, and more to support families in need.

Supporting Small Businesses with Verizon in Washington, DC

DLA Piper attorneys and Verizon, in collaboration with the DC Bar Pro Bono Center, and Corporate Pro Bono, hosted a Clinic in a Box^® to provide legal counsel to ten nonprofit organizations.

Helping Small Businesses with Illinois Tool Works Inc. in Chicago

In Chicago, we collaborated with Illinois Tool Works Inc. (ITW) and Lawyers for the Creative Arts to provide guidance to local small businesses. The clinic was the culmination of a two-month program that Lawyers for the Creative Arts ran for a group of aspiring small business owners who are starting businesses in the arts.

During the clinic, the artists and founders met with a team of our lawyers and ITW to prepare documents and receive instructions about how to form their business entities. Additionally, we collaborated with ITW and West Side Forward to provide entrepreneurs from Chicago with legal advice. The small business owners arrived with questions about contracts, leases, and intellectual property issues.

“It’s such a rewarding experience to help those in need and to advance justice. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to collaborate with a non-profit organization and with colleagues outside of my practice.
– Lesley Chuang, Associate, Boston

Helping individuals in legal deserts

DLA Piper, in collaboration with Legal Assistance of Western New York, participates in the Rural Area Divorce Legal Clinic. We provide free legal assistance to low-income individuals living in areas with limited access to legal services, often referred to as “legal deserts.” The clinic is virtual, allowing DLA Piper volunteers to participate in the project. The clinic’s objective is to help clients complete the necessary documents to file for uncontested divorces.

Supporting immigrants seeking citizenship

DLA Piper lawyers worked with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area (IIBA) to host an immigration clinic assisting 20 lawful permanent residents with their citizenship applications. Through our work with IIBA in 2023, we helped nearly 50 immigrants seeking to naturalize, many of whom will be citizens and eligible to vote by the 2024 election.

Supporting immigrants with Medtronic in Washington, DC

DLA Piper and Medtronic collaborated with nonprofit Ayuda to staff a virtual immigration consultation clinic helping 12 individuals. DLA Piper and Medtronic lawyers conducted interviews and provided consultations during the clinic.

Supporting seniors with Jazz Pharma and GSK in Philadelphia

In collaboration with SeniorLAW Center and corporate clients Jazz Pharma and GSK, we helped low-income older Philadelphians complete their critical life-planning documents. During the clinics, volunteers answered seniors' questions and helped them draft and execute their wills and other documents. Many of the individuals we served said that having these documents made them feel more at peace and shared their gratitude that we helped them complete this important step.

Advocating for children with Pfizer in New York

DLA Piper and Pfizer joined together to participate in a legal clinic in the New York office led by Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). Lawyers initially worked together to conduct intake interviews for unaccompanied children and following the clinic, worked with the families to petition for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).