DC Courts Name 257 Arnold & Porter Attorneys to 2020 Pro Bono Honor Roll
The District of Columbia Courts named 257 Arnold & Porter attorneys to their 10th annual Pro Bono Honor Roll, which recognizes contributions of DC Bar members who donated 50 hours or more of pro bono service during the last calendar year. Of the 257 Arnold & Porter attorneys who were named to the list, 148 of them were granted the distinction of "High Honors" in recognition of providing 100 hours or more of pro bono service.
The 2020 Honor Roll included a record number of attorneys who provided many hours of free legal help to those in need during the COVID-19 pandemic, helping thousands of DC residents" face unprecedented economic disruption, job losses, and other legal hurdles. This year's list of honorees reflects a diverse cross-section of the DC Bar's membership, spanning 168 law firms and solo practices, federal government agencies, and public interest organizations that provided support to DC residents during a tumultuous year.
Since the onset of the pandemic, Arnold & Porter has secured a number of favorable results on behalf of its pro bono clients. The firm pioneered a national program offering pro bono assistance to restaurant workers who lost jobs or had hours reduced following business closures in the wake of COVID-19 and subsequently expanded the program to assist workers in numerous additional industries in response to evolving pandemic-related needs. The firm also secured the release of medically vulnerable people from ICE custody in Colorado and obtained an order for Pennsylvania prisons to implement potentially lifesaving health measures aimed at reducing the risk of COVID-19 for incarcerated people. The firm also filed a lawsuit to compel the Trump Administration to provide American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters during television broadcasts of their pandemic press conferences and briefings to make them accessible to deaf and hard of hearing people. The Washington Council of Lawyers recently commended the firm's dedication to pro bono service and public-interest law in the DC area during the pandemic. These results reflect the firm's commitment to use the power of law in order to achieve equal access to justice.