A Longstanding Commitment to Public Service
Ropes & Gray’s public service commitment is a hallmark of the firm, rooted in the example set by the firm’s founders more than a century and a half ago. From securing asylum for immigrants and helping military veterans and others access critical benefits, to winning the release of the wrongfully convicted, Ropes & Gray strives to provide the highest level of pro bono legal advice and support to those who need it most.
Expanding Our Reach
Pro bono offers wonderful opportunities for our attorneys to use their legal skills to give back to the communities where we live and work, as well as grow professionally. Ropes & Gray actively encourages all attorneys firmwide to engage in pro bono work. In addition, for the purposes of associate reviews and compensation, the firm gives equal credit for time spent on pro bono matters as it does on matters for the firm’s paying clients.
Over the last seven years, our attorneys, paralegals, summer associates and other professionals worldwide have donated more than one million hours of legal services.
How We Help
Through partnerships with legal services organizations, Ropes & Gray helps low-income individuals, underserved communities, nonprofits, and small businesses that might otherwise lack access to legal services. We cover a variety of legal areas, including political asylum and immigration, family law, education, civil litigation, constitutional and civil rights, poverty, environmental issues, real estate, small business, and bankruptcy.
The firm also supports important legal work and talented lawyers by funding legal fellowships at public service organizations, often by using fee awards generated in significant public interest litigation. In 2023, we created the Ropes Impact Fellowship, a public-interest fellowship with the nonprofit Equal Justice Works, a longtime partner of the firm in advancing public interest work.
