Pierce Atwood is proud to represent numerous individuals and organizations on a pro bono basis, and has formed a particularly close relationship with the organizations listed below.
GLAD
Pierce Atwood attorneys from offices firmwide have worked in partnership with GLAD to help establish equal justice under law for the LGBTQ community. Whether providing oral arguments on behalf of a divorce case for a same-sex couple, challenging a denial of widow’s benefits in a same-sex marriage, or successfully arguing that “a parent is a parent, regardless, of gender,” we are proud to provide ongoing support to GLAD attorneys.
Mary Bonauto of GLAD recently said, “Pierce Atwood has long partnered with GLAD on a pro-bono basis to establish equal justice under law for the LGBT communities. We wouldn’t have been able to make the strides that we’ve made thus far if it wasn’t for the attorneys who have given their time and expertise to advancing a whole range of LGBTQ issues. There is much more to do, but it’s great to have Pierce Atwood in our corner.”
PAIR
Our lawyers in Boston have partnered with the Political Asylum and Immigration Representation Project (PAIR). Through PAIR, we take on clients from all over the world who are seeking political asylum in the United States because of persecution or fear of persecution in their home countries based on their political or religious beliefs or membership in an ethnic group or social group. In 2014, PAIR awarded former Pierce Atwood attorney Reza Sadr with its Outstanding Pro Bono Detention Attorney Award in recognition of his extraordinary commitment to representing immigration detainees through PAIR.
CASA
Pierce Atwood first partnered with the Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in the late 1980's. In 2002, the firm formally unveiled its lawyer referral partnership with the Maine CASA program, and in 2004, Pierce Atwood's Portsmouth office launched a similar program. Through its partnership with CASA, Pierce Atwood lawyers represent guardians in contested court proceedings and difficult negotiations.
Learn more about the Maine CASA program.
Washington Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
The Washington Lawyers Committee specializes in civil rights cases, in employment, housing, public accommodations, and other aspects of urban life. It represents people with claims of discrimination based on race, gender, national origin, disability, age, religion, and sexual orientation. It also assists immigrants seeking asylum and other help, and has a prisoners' rights project. The Committee also works for education reform in the DC Public Schools. Through the Committee's DC Public School Partnership Program, our DC office attorneys and staff have worked with students from Anne Beers Elementary School and Patterson Elementary School on reading programs and helped coach GeoPlunge, a U.S. geography game with a DC schools competition.
Learn more about the Washington Lawyers Committee.
ILAP
Our attorneys and staff provide pro bono legal assistance in immigration and asylum cases referred by the Immigrant Legal Advocacy Project. Under our partnership with ILAP, Pierce Atwood has represented clients from Somalia, Rwanda, Liberia, Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Haiti, and other countries where war, political instability, and violence have created extraordinary hardship for people.
Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project
We have long been the leading provider of volunteer services to the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project's (VLP) Lawyer of the Day program. Our lawyers also represent clients in cases referred by VLP and through VLP initiatives like its Courthouse Assistance Project for family law litigants.
Homeless Law Clinic
We have committed to provide one hour of pro bono service per week helping the homeless with their legal needs through the Maine Homeless Law Program (MHLP). The MHLP began in 2014 and complements the work of Pine Tree Legal Assistance and the Maine Volunteer Lawyers Project.
Learn more about the Maine Homeless Law Program.
LARC
The New Hampshire Legal Advice and Referral Center (LARC) provides legal advice and referrals for low income and vulnerable New Hampshire residents who need, but cannot access legal advice for civil matters such as domestic abuse, access to health care and education, and preserving safe housing for their families. In 2016, former firm attorney Jack Sanders was named Chairman of the 2016 Campaign for Legal Services Leadership Council. The NH Campaign for Legal Services is the fundraising arm for New Hampshire Legal Assistance (NHLA) and LARC.