Pro Bono
The Brennan Center works with dozens of lawyers from more than 30 law firms on a variety of projects that further our litigation, research and public advocacy efforts. The assistance and advice of our pro bono partners is vital, enabling us to leverage our internal resources and greatly increase the number of projects we undertake. Pro bono work spans our program areas and can range from short-term projects to complex multi-year litigation and public policy initiatives. Research and public advocacy are an important part of our work, creating opportunities for all practitioners.In 2007, pro bono projects included:
- A far-reaching initiative to challenge Michigan's system of funding indigent defense.
- Challenges to laws imposing onerous voting identification requirements in several states.
- Defense of North Carolina's groundbreaking system of public financing of appellate judicial elections.
- A number of amici briefs in the most important voting rights case to become before the Supreme Court in recent years, Crawford vs. Marion County Election Board, which challenges Indiana's requirement that registered voters show photo ID at the polling place.
Generally, we place litigation projects with firms that commit a senior litigation partner and one or more associates to the task. Research and drafting projects usually can be handled by a smaller group of lawyers.
If you are interested in exploring pro bono opportunities at the Center, please contact Kelly Williams, at , with "Pro Bono Work" in the subject line.