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.

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 .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), with "Pro Bono Work" in the subject line. 

Recent pro bono projects include:

  • A lawsuit challenging the New York State Board of Elections’ implementation of new electronic voting technology in advance of the 2010 elections.
  • An amicus brief on behalf of retired military officers in support of habeus corpus rights of detainees at Baghram Air Force Base in Afghanistan.
  • Two amici briefs before the Supreme Court defending laws restricting independent expenditures by corporations in Citizens United v. FEC.  One such brief was cited twice by Justice Stevens in his lengthy dissent. 
  • Al Maqaleh v. Gates – pro bono counsel is helping us represent a group of retired military officers concerned about the rights of detainees at Bagram Theater Internment Facility in Afghanistan.
  • Defense of North Carolina's groundbreaking system of public financing of appellate judicial elections.  In November 2008, the Supreme Court denied certiorari, resulting in a complete victory.
  • 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 challenged Indiana's requirement that registered voters show photo ID at the polling place.
  • Research and drafting voter registration requirements in all 50 states, for use in preparation of the Center’s online Student Voting Guide.
  • Representation of the Mexican Government in negotiations with the US Department of Labor over enforcement of NAFTA labor standards.
  • Kiyemba v. Obama – pro bono counsel assisted the Center on an amicus brief to the Supreme Court arguing for the release from Guantanamo Bay of 17 members of the ethnic Uighur community.  At our request, a second law firm agreed to prepare an amicus brief on behalf of the Uighur community in the United States. 
  • Caperton v. Massey Coal – pro bono counsel represented an ally in a certiorari petition to the Supreme Court.  The case resulted in a complete victory -- affirmation of the right to a fair hearing before an impartial judge.  
  • Green Party of Connecticut v. Garfield.  In a longstanding project, the Center has been defending Connecticut’s public financing system for legislative races since 2006 with assistance at all stages from a pro bono law firm.
  • A far-reaching initiative to challenge Michigan's system of funding indigent criminal defense.

Note that the degree of involvement of law firms with each of these projects varies.  It is our goal to make pro bono work a rewarding and enriching experience.  Many of our pro bono counsel have gone on to become long-term supporters and active participants at the Center.