DLA Piper named to Bloomberg Law’s 2024 Pro Bono Innovators list

DLA Piper is pleased to announce that the firm was named to Bloomberg Law’s 2024 list of Pro Bono Innovators, which recognizes law firms for successful and impactful legal work across the globe. DLA Piper was one of just 10 law firms recognized on the 2024 list for going “above and beyond in delivering pro bono legal services.”

DLA Piper was recognized in part for its role in the successful resolution of a voting rights lawsuit brought on behalf of the Navajo Nation, the Navajo Nation Human Rights Commission and individual Navajo voters in San Juan County, New Mexico. The lawsuit challenged a local redistricting plan that packed Indigenous voters into one of five districts, even though these voters represented almost 60 percent of the county’s total population. Plaintiffs argued the county’s redistricting plan violated the Voting Rights Act by denying Indigenous voters the right to have their voices heard. A settlement agreement was approved in March 2024 that included a new county map with a more appropriate distribution of Navajo voters.

“This victory is a significant step in protecting voting rights for Indigenous people in New Mexico, as the suppression of their voting power has made it harder to achieve important policy priorities, such as providing and maintaining critical infrastructure on Navajo Nation land,” said DLA Piper senior counsel Raymond Williams, who led the firm’s involvement in the case.

The firm was also recognized for its work on an annual training program for women lawyers in Nepal, consisting of sessions on topics like negotiations, arbitration, mediation, advocacy skills, intellectual property, corporate and commercial law, and legal ethics. Organized through New Perimeter, DLA Piper’s global pro bono initiative that provides long-term pro bono legal assistance around the world, the program has created a first-of-its-kind network of Nepali women lawyers who can rely on one another for support and mentorship.

“We have been able to build relationships with key stakeholders in Nepal, tailor our program to the needs identified by local lawyers and women lawyers undergoing the training and involve people at the highest levels of the bar association and legal sector in Nepal,” DLA Piper Pro Bono Counsel Suzanna Brickman and Sara Andrews, co-director of New Perimeter, told the publication. “Following their participation in the project, we’ve seen the women lawyers make significant strides in their careers, securing prestigious job positions and attaining high-ranking roles within the legal profession.”