Lisa Dewey became DLA Piper's first full-time Pro Bono Partner over 20 years ago. Lisa cultivates DLA Piper's strategic thinking on pro bono, including the vision for DLA Piper's US program, which encompasses more than 1,400 lawyers. She works extensively with the firm's clients as well as legal aid providers, nonprofits and academic institutions to develop and deliver collaborative and impactful pro bono projects. Lisa leads the US pro bono team to inspire and facilitate pro bono participation across the firm and helps firm lawyers establish pro bono practices that complement and expand their billable practices.
From July 2011 until December 2021, Lisa was the director of New Perimeter, DLA Piper's nonprofit affiliate that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance in under-served regions around the world to support access to justice, social and economic development and sound legal institutions with an overarching focus on women’s advancement.
As director of New Perimeter, Lisa led the strategic direction and vision of the program to engage DLA Piper lawyers around the globe to work for a more just world for all. She worked with the Advisory Board and also developed and worked on New Perimeter projects and managed global teams of DLA Piper lawyers. Lisa has led and contributed to projects focused on legal education, access to justice and women's advancement in Latin America, SE Asia and the Balkans. She has developed partnerships with NGOs, government agencies, in-house departments and other joint venture partners.
As part of her practice, Lisa has advised and represented individuals and public interest organizations on a pro bono basis. She has worked on a range of pro bono initiatives and cases, including representing a man on death row in Alabama, refugees seeking asylum in the US and individuals in family law, domestic violence, juvenile, veterans and housing matters. Lisa's experience also includes federal criminal appeals, and civil rights work, including representing a class of plaintiffs who filed suit for sexual harassment and retaliation under Title VII.
Before becoming the firm's Pro Bono Partner, Lisa represented and counseled corporations and individuals in criminal investigations and federal jury trials in the areas of public corruption, mail fraud, money laundering, and healthcare fraud. She has argued cases before the US Courts of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, the District of Columbia, and the US District Court for the Middle District of Alabama. Lisa has also counseled clients regarding development of corporate ethics and compliance programs.
Lisa frequently presents on pro bono and access to justice. She has been a regular speaker at the Pro Bono Institute Annual Conference and has presented at the Equal Justice Conference, the International Bar Association annual meeting, Canadian National Pro Bono Conference, Pyxera's International Corporate Volunteerism Conference, DC Bar Pro Bono Center sessions and at various law schools. She has also co-taught practica on tackling the access to justice crisis and co-taught a seminar on pro bono in large law firms at Georgetown Law Center. Lisa currently serves as a Commissioner on the DC Access to Justice Commission and on the board of the DC Affordable Law Firm.
