Ropes & Gray Honored for Pro Bono Work in Massachusetts and New York

Ropes & Gray was recently honored by the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court as one of the first firms to comply with the new standard set by the SJC’s standing committee on pro bono. The SJC honors law firms, solo practitioners, in-house corporate counsel offices, government attorneys' offices, non-profit organizations and law school faculties that meet the program's criteria. To be certified, a firm’s average pro bono hours for Massachusetts-based lawyers must exceed 50, and the firm must treat pro bono hours the same as billable hours.

The Legal Aid Society recognized Ropes & Gray on Nov. 9 for its extensive public interest fellowship program, which for the second year expanded the capacity of the Society to provide legal assistance to those in need while providing valuable training to the incoming associates. Recognized for their participation in the program was New York-based associate Mekhala Raghupathy, who volunteered with the Queens Neighborhood Civil Office.

Ropes & Gray encourages its lawyers and staff to engage in pro bono work. The firm does not distinguish between pro bono clients and paying clients in terms of the quality of legal services provided. On June 30, Ropes & Gray received the Law Firm Pro Bono Award from the D.C. Bar in recognition of pro bono work completed by Washington, D.C. attorneys and staff over the past year.