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Wiley Rein LLP prides itself on its strong tradition of service to the local community, and encourages its lawyers and paralegals to participate in pro bono activities.  Not only do such activities fulfill our obligation to give back to our community, they also contribute to a heightened sensitivity to client needs, increased depth of experience, sharpened legal abilities and the development of a well rounded lawyer. Simply put, participation in pro bono work makes Wiley Rein attorneys better lawyers.

Wiley Rein and its lawyers have regularly been recognized in the community for their pro bono contributions. For example, the firm was recently honored for exceptional volunteer work by the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, an organization Wiley Rein has served for more than 12 years, providing numerous clients with legal guidance on issues such as housing, disability, benefits and public assistance.  Last year, the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs presented Wiley Rein its Outstanding Achievement Award in the field of Public Accommodations for our pro bono representation of the NAACP and several individuals in a federal lawsuit alleging a widespread pattern and practice of race discrimination against restaurant patrons throughout the South.

A primary goal of Wiley Rein's pro bono program is to offer its attorneys and paralegals broad opportunities in matters that interest and best allow them to make a difference. Our representations over the past decade include “impact cases” (cases with broad potential ramifications or those requiring significant resources), cases handled on behalf of individuals referred through legal service providers with whom we have developed close relationships, as well as a diverse category of other matters appealing to the individual interests, strengths and ideals of our Wiley Rein pro bono participants.

Wiley Rein’s pro bono program also has sought to address emerging issues throughout the world.  For example, taking advantage of our knowledge of and ties to the insurance industry, we currently serve as insurance counsel for LeapFrog Investments, Ltd., an innovative investment fund that seeks to provide numerous varieties of “microinsurance” in developing nations.  Microinsurance is an offshoot of the burgeoning micro-finance movement in the developing world whose leading proponent, Muhammad Yunus, won the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize.  Like microloans, microinsurance seeks to protect the poor in Africa and South Asia. Initial coverages will include “shack”/low income housing insurance, health insurance and funeral insurance; additional coverages will follow.  The goal is to reach 25 million poor and low income people during a relatively short launch period.

“ Impact” Cases

A sampling of some of our “impact cases” reveals the breadth of our pro bono representations:
  • On behalf of The Equal Rights Center, Wiley Rein LLP and the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs secured a multi-million dollar settlement of a class action lawsuit brought against MetroAccess, alleging that Metro had violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act by failing to provide adequate service to customers with disabilities.
  • In resolution of pro bono litigation pursued on behalf of DC Jail inmates by Wiley Rein’s Theodore A. Howard, the DC government agreed to establish and enforce a 2,164-inmate population cap at the DC Jail.  Mr. Howard, in conjunction with the DC Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, sued the District of Columbia in June 2005 to force compliance with the DC Jail Improvement Act of 2003 – a law enacted in order to alleviate dangerous conditions in the jail attributed to overcrowding.  In August 2007, DC Superior Court Judge Melvin R. Wright granted Mr. Howard’s clients summary judgment and ordered the city to submit in writing its plan to adhere to the law and implement a population cap.  
  • Wiley Rein secured an important pro bono victory against the operators of a years-old realty scheme to defraud poor and homeless persons in the Washington metropolitan area.  Attorney Daniel P. Graham, in conjunction with The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, represented one of the scam’s victims in a DC Superior Court lawsuit.  According to the suit, Mr. Graham’s client paid the scam entity – Apartment Finders and its proprietor, Jasmine Worthy – a non-refundable application fee, as well as a security deposit and the first month’s rent for the promise of low-rent housing.  The client never received housing and Apartment Finders stopped responding to her inquiries.  The court judgment in this case imposed the maximum civil penalty available under the DC Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
  • On November 7, 1996, the firm's longest running pro bono matter came to a successful conclusion when then Virginia Governor George Allen commuted the death sentence of Joseph Patrick Payne three hours before his scheduled execution based upon “a substantial question involving the reliability of evidence presented at...the trial.”  This was the culmination of a nine-year odyssey through Virginia's state and federal habeas corpus system, with three separate petitions to the U.S. Supreme Court. Wiley Rein is currently representing Danny Joe Bradley, an inmate on Alabama's death row. In 2001, the firm initiated an action to secure the production of DNA evidence the state had gathered during the investigation but claimed to have lost.  The Eleventh Circuit created a positive precedent when it reversed and remanded the Alabama District Court's dismissal of Danny's action. See Bradley v. Pryor, et al., 305 F.3d 1287 (11th Cir. 2002). We continue to work to try to save Danny Joe's life.
Relationships With Legal Service Providers

A key part of Wiley Rein's pro bono mission is to provide access to the justice system for individuals otherwise unable to afford it. We do this primarily by taking cases referred through local legal service providers with whom we have forged close ties.

DC Bar's Law Firm Clinic

For many years, the firm has successfully participated in the DC Bar's Pro Bono Clinic Program, which matches indigent clients with volunteer attorneys. We staff the clinic biannually and are committed to taking at least 10 to 14 cases a year. The clinic is an excellent opportunity for individual attorneys and paralegals to gain valuable experience and skills by taking on pro bono representation in landlord/tenant, family law (child custody) and Social Security benefit matters.

Whitman-Walker Clinic

Wiley Rein has a long-standing relationship with the Whitman-Walker Clinic Legal Services Program. The clinic is the primary provider of medical, legal and support services for people in the metropolitan DC area living with HIV and AIDS. Through the Legal Services Program, Wiley Rein attorneys and paralegals provide to clinic clients pro bono representation for the range of legal problems that are faced by people living with HIV and AIDS, including entitlement to Social Security and private disability benefits, insurance issues, discrimination in employment and public accommodations, debt counseling and immigration issues. The Legal Services Program named us its Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year in 2001.

Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

For many years, the firm has been a strong supporter of the clinic. Once a month, Wiley Rein attorneys and paralegals conduct intake at a location near Capitol Hill, meeting with potential new clients and providing whatever legal assistance we can to the homeless and near-homeless. Typical cases involve Social Security benefits, food stamps, housing issues, veterans issues and many others.

DC Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs

As the successor of the DC Prisoners’ Legal Services Project, Inc., the mission of the DC Prisoners’ Project of the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights & Urban Affairs remains to advocate for the humane treatment and dignity of all persons convicted or charged with a criminal offense under DC law housed in prisons, jails or community corrections programs; to assist their family members with prison related issues; and to promote progressive criminal justice reform.  The DC Prisoners’ Project is the only legal organization with a mission of advocating for the interests of over 7,000 DC prisoners currently held in 99 federal Bureau of Prisons facilities across the country, in addition to more than 3,500 held in the DC Jail and the Correctional Treatment facility.

Wiley Rein partner Theodore A. Howard has served on the Board of Directors for the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs since 2006 and was President and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the DC Prisoners’ Legal Services Project from 1995-2006.  In 2007, Mr. Howard and the Prisoners’ Project won a long-fought legal battle to reduce overcrowding in the DC jail.

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Washington Metropolitan Chapter provides a variety of services to individuals living with blood-related cancers. Wiley Rein provides pro bono assistance to the society in two ways: Wiley Rein attorneys speak on topics relevant to individuals living with cancer, including leave rights, employment discrimination, disability and health insurance and the Social Security disability process, and Wiley Rein attorneys also provide assistance to individuals that are referred by the society with specific problems that they need professional help in resolving.

Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts

Washington Area Lawyers for the Arts (WALA) supports artistic expression and creative innovation by serving the legal needs of Washington, Maryland and Virginia's arts and cultural communities. WALA provides education, advocacy and volunteer legal services through workshops and seminars, legal clinics for artists and arts organizations and pro-bono referral services. Wiley Rein helps many WALA referrals with non-litigation matters in the areas of contract drafting and review, corporation formation, intellectual property analysis and general advice.

Legal Aid Society of DC

The Legal Aid Society provides free civil legal assistance to low-income residents of Washington, DC in the areas of family law (including custody, visitation, child support and domestic violence issues), landlord-tenant (including Superior Court evictions as well as Section 8 and DCHA administrative proceedings), public benefits (TANF, food stamps, Medicaid and Alliance, General Assistance for Children or POWER) and special education cases.

Other Pro Bono Activities

For those not inclined to litigation, Wiley Rein's program includes a number of opportunities to become involved in transactional pro bono matters. In addition, Wiley Rein attorneys will often pursue matters related to their own personal areas of interest.

Transactional Pro Bono Work

Below are some recent examples of our non-litigation pro bono matters:
  • Represented the American Red Cross in obtaining use of 1-800-RED-CROSS for the organization’s post-hurricane Katrina work.
  • Assisted Leah Lamb, then Community Development Coordinator at Virginia Commonwealth University, form a non-profit corporation, The Performance Initiative Inc. (TPI) and successfully apply with the IRS for recognition as a 501(c)(3) entity. The group describes itself as an innovative organization dedicated to cultivating positive social change by facilitating collaboration between issue oriented individuals, artists, and community members. TPI is based in the belief that the arts (especially theater) can engage our humanity and deepen our understanding of difficult social issues. While socially driven organizations and professionals can systematically and strategically address such issues, TPI serves as a bridge between groups and creates partnerships with ordinary citizens for significant and lasting change.
  • Assisted administrators and alumni of McKinley Technology High School, a District of Columbia charter school, form a non-profit corporation to raise funds to support the students and programs of the high school. Associates continue to work with McKinley Tech Fund on its application with the IRS for recognition as a 501(c)(3) entity.
Matters of Interest to Individual Attorneys

Wiley Rein lawyers and paralegals have a broad array of outside interests and are encouraged to pursue pro bono matters relating to areas about which they feel passionate. For example:
  • Avid Wiley Rein fishermen and outdoorsmen worked with a group in Maine's Kennebec Valley to enforce an agreement with the local energy company to permit fish passage past the Fort Halifax dam and ultimately to remove the dam.
  • A partner with an interest in oceanography has been providing varied legal assistance to Bermuda Biological Research Station, a 501 (c)(3) corporation conducting marine biological and oceanographic research in the mid-Atlantic.
  • An associate helped The Lab School of Washington create a successful relationship with the Academy in Manayunk in Philadelphia, PA, allowing the Academy to form a new school based on the programs and methods created by The Lab School of Washington. The Lab School of Washington, founded in 1967 by Sally L. Smith, is internationally recognized for its innovative programs for children and adults with learning disabilities.
  • A partner assists the International Senior Lawyers Project, a group of experienced lawyers who volunteer to work on legal projects in developing countries. He is the coordinator for a 60-hour commercial law training program designed to assist historically-disadvantaged black South African lawyers to improve their commercial law skills and attract corporate clients. The program is co-sponsored by the Black Lawyers Association of South Africa. Last year the project recruited eight U.S. and UK attorneys to help train about 50 Johannesburg and Durban lawyers and this year’s program is being expanded to Cape Town.
  • An associate represented a small DC congregation in its dispute with an electrical contractor and achieved a dismissal of all claims.
Why We Do It

An associate recently received a letter from a formerly homeless client for whom he had won Social Security disability benefits that sums up Wiley Rein's reason for maintaining its pro bono commitment. The client began by thanking the associate for the attentiveness and compassion he had received and closed his letter with:

“Not only did your winning my case help me to make up for time as far as family relationships and my home. It's also served as a template to the remainder of my life…I want to work. I hope to overcome these disabilities some day…Due to my disabilities for so many years, I panhandled, drifted, lived in abandoned buildings…the back of U-haul trucks, abandoned cars and shelters...My disabilities persist, but you have brought me a long ways, and I'm never going back.”

While not all cases can end on such rewarding notes, Wiley Rein believes that these success stories evidence the purpose of its pro bono program—to make a difference in the community.

Program Management

Wiley Rein's program is managed by the Pro Bono Committee and receives the full support of the firm and its resources. The committee serves to ensure the development of the pro bono program and operates on an equal basis with the many other standing committees that oversee the governance of the firm. Wiley Rein requires that every pro bono matter be performed in accordance with the firm's high professional standards. The firm provides associates with up to 50 hours of “billable” credit for pro bono work, and pro bono work is favorably considered in the annual associate evaluation process and bonus determinations.

Community Service

Wiley Rein coordinates, through its Associates Committee, a series of quarterly community service events. Brief descriptions of the main activities are provided below.

Feeding Those in Need

During the summer, Wiley Rein attorneys, summer associates and staff gather in the firm's main conference room to make sandwiches that are then distributed by D.C. Central Kitchens to underprivileged children in day camps. In just under two hours, enthusiastic volunteers make more than 2,000 sandwiches in true team fashion. For some of the children, these sandwiches provide their first protein-containing meals for the summer. Over and above the donations that are used to purchase the sandwich-making supplies, Wiley Rein attorneys and support staff also donate more than $1,000 so that DC Central Kitchens can feed additional children.

School Supplies Drive

The firm provides over 1,000 school supply items to a nearby DC elementary school so that students can begin the school year with the support necessary.

Giving Thanks and Sharing Our Bounty

At Thanksgiving, in conjunction with the Salvation Army Food 4 Friends program, attorneys and support staff pool resources to prepare baskets of food for a Thanksgiving dinner for families in need.

DVD Drive for CAUSE

The firm has organized an ongoing DVD and video game drive to benefit Comfort for America's Uniformed Services (CAUSE).  CAUSE provides recreational and entertainment programs for members of the U.S. Armed Services recovering from injuries suffered in Iraq, Afghanistan and other military theaters.  DVD and video game donations directly benefit the CAUSE Digital Entertainment Library at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

In addition to these events coordinated by Wiley Rein's Associates Committee, the firm's attorneys and staff support a variety of other community service activities including the donation of holiday toys and gifts to underprivileged children, as well as warm clothes and blankets to local shelters. Our associates also support the Legal Aid Society “Generous Associates” campaign, and our entire firm participates in a blood drive to benefit the American Red Cross in memory of Wiley Rein partner Karen Kincaid. 

Wiley Rein “green team” members regularly participate by running and walking to raise funds for several races or walks including:
  • Lawyers Have Heart  for  the American Heart Association
  • AIDS Walk Washington for the Whitman-Walker Clinic
  • Light the Night Walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
  • Fannie Mae Help the Homeless Walkathon for Calvary Women's Services
Wiley Rein continues to recognize the growing severity of the unmet legal needs in the local community and is mindful that major law firms must play a leading role in addressing those needs. The firm believes that its approach to encouraging its attorneys to participate in a broad and eclectic array of pro bono matters helps to develop its lawyers' expertise while also providing important services to many organizations and individuals.

For more information on Wiley Rein's pro bono representation and service to the local community, please contact Paul F. Khoury at 202.719.7346 or pkhoury@wileyrein.com.