PEOPLE SERVICES INDUSTRIES INSIGHTS & EVENTS ABOUT OUR WORK LOCATIONS | PRO BONO & COMMUNITY SERVICE Overview Leadership Pro Bono Community Service Insights & Events/Media HOME ABOUT PRO BONO & COMMUNITY SERVICE Our McDermott family feels a personal and professional responsibility to our communities around the world. Through pro bono legal services, volunteer service or charitable giving, our lawyers and professional staff are committed to giving back. We strive each year to expand our efforts to support those in need. EXPLORE MORE Social Responsibility We offer a comprehensive pro bono and community service program managed and led by our Firm-wide Pro Bono and Community Service Partner and the chair of our Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, which seeks to ensure that the same Firm standards of quality, service and care that are given to our paying clients are also afforded to those we serve on a pro bono basis. SHOW MORE EXPLORE OUR EXPERIENCE 7/7 OBTAINING ASYLUM FOR AN ERITREAN PRO BONO CLIENT Mussie Mehari Zerae was forcibly conscripted into the Eritrean military as a teenager. When he questioned the government’s conscription policy and conditions for soldiers during unit meetings with military leaders, he was arrested and removed from his home. Over the course of more than a year, he was tortured and imprisoned in deplorable and overcrowded conditions. 1/7 LIFTING A FINANCIAL BURDEN: PRO BONO TEAM ACHIEVES INNOCENT SPOUSE TAX COURT VICTORY After building a family and spending years as a stay-at-home mom of three children, Melody Smith* learned through local TV news coverage that her husband, Robert*, had been indicted for fraudulent and criminal activity related to the use of client investment funds. LEARN MORE LEADERSHIP Elizabeth P. Lewis Partner | Chicago Email / +1 312 984 7655 View Profile Terrence J. Dee, PC Partner | Chicago Email / +1 312 984 7715 View Profile Michael W. Weaver Partner | Chicago Email / +1 312 984 5820 View Profile PRO BONO It is estimated that at least 80 percent of low-income Americans go without desperately needed civil legal assistance and that more than one billion people around the world survive on less than $1 per day. McDermott’s pro bono program seeks to bridge the gap for low-income individuals by providing critical legal services in the areas of family law, civil rights, housing, benefits, special education, school discipline, adoption and guardianship, elder abuse, criminal defense and asylum and immigration. We provide legal services to nonprofits and entrepreneurs serving disadvantaged communities. We also seek to alleviate poverty, protect human rights and effect legal and social change around the world through our collaborations with international non-governmental organizations and social enterprises. COMMUNITY SERVICE McDermott’s volunteer service and philanthropy programs seek to revitalize the Firm’s local communities. Whether mentoring youth, sponsoring walks or runs, packaging food for the homeless or serving as board members or trustees, our lawyers and staff roll up their sleeves and get involved. As part of our Kids First Initiative, McDermott lawyers and staff dedicate countless hours to mentoring and tutoring inner-city students, teaching students about their constitutional rights, encouraging students to pursue higher education and careers in the legal profession, and acting as mock trial and debate coaches for schools in some of the poorest communities in the United States. Through our community service and charitable giving programs, we seek to revitalize our communities by cleaning up parks and other public spaces; painting and updating schools and community centers; landscaping low-income neighborhoods; and donating clothing, equipment, supplies and financial contributions to schools and community-based organizations. PRO BONO & COMMUNITY SERVICE MEDIA Filter by: Accolades & Rankings Coverage Diversity News Press Releases Pro Bono News Previous Miami / Accolades & Rankings / October 29, 2021 McDermott’s Miami Office Recognized with Equal Justice Collaborative Partnership Award Boston / Accolades & Rankings / August 2, 2021 McDermott Recognized with Greater Boston Legal Services Associates Drive Innovator Award Chicago / Accolades & Rankings / June 15, 2021 McDermott Named 2021 Champion of Justice by Ascend Justice Washington, DC / Accolades & Rankings / June 8, 2021 McDermott Partner Paul Hughes, Recognized by the American Immigration Lawyers Association Miami / Accolades & Rankings / October 30, 2020 McDermott’s Miami Office Recognized for Outstanding Commitment to the Community Link Papers / February 29, 2020 US Air Force Updates Dress Code to Accommodate Sikhs Next 1 2 3 4 5 6 Previous << < ... 7 Next >> > Alumni Temporary Visitor Policy Legal Notices/Imprint Privacy & Cookie Policy Terms of Use Client Connect McDermott Remote Desktop Subscription Preferences Contact Us Cookie Settings Related Site: McDermott+ Consulting Attorney Advertising © 2021 McDermott Will & Emery Your privacy is important to us. 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