Firm Receives Pro Bono Award From Women’s Bar Foundation
Among those in attendance were Partner Mary Jo Johnson, a former president of the WBF; Partner Jack Regan, who accepted the award on behalf of the firm; and Public Service Manager Anne Bowie, who serves as a liaison between the firm and the WBF and helps organize WilmerHale’s pro bono efforts with the organization.
“The firm has a deep and longstanding relationship with the WBF, and the organization provides us with an excellent flow of pro bono cases,” says Regan. “The WBF is an ideal partner as a referral agency for pro bono work.”
Adds Johnson: “Over the past few years our involvement in taking on cases for the WBF has increased and allowed our attorneys to gain hands-on experience with pro bono clients. It’s great to see our attorneys being recognized for this work.”
A steadfast commitment to pro bono representation has been a hallmark of WilmerHale since the early 20th century, when our partner Reginald Heber Smith—considered the father of legal aid in the United States—authored the seminal book Justice and the Poor and galvanized the organized bar nationally to secure equal justice for those unable to afford counsel. More than seven decades later, in 1992, our partner John Pickering led the effort to establish the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge and ensured that we were its charter signatory. Today, as measured by The American Lawyer, our pro bono program ranks as one of the top in the country.