Notable Representations, Key Contacts
Ingrained in Our Culture
Weil’s commitment to pro bono work is deeply ingrained in our culture. We believe that it is our obligation to volunteer our skills to those who would otherwise face severe challenges as victims of injustice or abuse without legal representation. As economic difficulties amid the pandemic exacerbate the problem of unequal access to quality legal representation, the need is greater than ever, and we continue to respond to it. Along with helping individual clients, Weil considers it essential to assist groups that work on behalf of the public to address issues of economic and social justice.
Demonstrating Our Commitment
The importance Weil places on providing these services to the community is demonstrated by our goal of having all lawyers at the Firm perform 50 hours of pro bono work each year. Toward that end, every partner is expected to work on a pro bono matter every year, and every new attorney – including lateral partners – is required to take on a pro bono matter. Since our current policy was instituted in 2005, Weil has performed more than 1 million hours of pro bono work and has had a meaningful effect on thousands of lives.
Read Celebrating Years of Pro Bono Commitment and Service for a timeline of some of Weil’s most significant pro bono work since 2005.
Our Finest Hours
This past year, our combined efforts – and the skill, dedication, energy, and empathy of Weil attorneys – again led to outcomes that transformed lives. These included winning asylum for those persecuted in their home countries; eliminating the Innocence Project’s backlog of more than 5,000 prisoner requests for assistance and pressing for the release of those wrongfully convicted of crimes; assisting victims of domestic violence and human trafficking; and upholding the First Amendment right to religious freedom. It is for good reason that we call the time we spend on pro bono work "our finest hours."
Global Reach
Our pro bono efforts extend across our offices in the United States and well beyond. Weil attorneys from Miami to Silicon Valley and London to Paris donate their time, skill, and energy to improving the lives of fellow citizens in their own cities. They support an array of not-for-profit organizations, many of which work to redress legal wrongs and ameliorate humanitarian problems well beyond their own national borders. Each year Weil holds a Pro Bono Week to highlight and galvanize these efforts in every office.
Not-for-Profit Practice Group
Weil’s leadership position and longstanding expertise in counseling not-for-profit organizations is overseen and marshalled by the Firm’s Not-for-Profit Practice Group. Founded in 2006, the Group consists of Weil lawyers, from a wide cross-section of practice areas, each having extensive experience with not-for-profit organizations.
Pro Bono Committee
- Ed Gander, Co-Chair
- Benjamin E. Marks, Co-Chair
- Miriam Buhl, Pro Bono Director
Pro Bono Department
Key Contacts
See list of lawyers globally
Shortcut Links
View the 2024 Pro Bono Annual Review
Many Weil attorneys and paralegals dedicated 50 hours or more to pro bono service in 2023.
View the list of 50-Hour Plus Performers.
Guide to Nonprofit Governance
Speaking Engagements, Latest Thinking, Firm News & Announcements, Speaking Engagements
Speaking Engagements
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Legal Battles Over Eruvin: Tales From The Trenches
Speaker(s):
Yehudah L. Buchweitz
October 23, 2023 — New York, NY — Weil Complex Commercial Litigation partner Yehudah Buchweitz led a seminar discussion entitled “Legal Battles Over Eruvin: Tales From the Trenches,” which was held as part of the City Eruv Conference. Yehudah discussed his experiences litigating a number of important civil rights and religious freedom cases regarding the establishment of eruvs in different towns in the New York City region.
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Pro Bono Basics: Best Practices and Practical Strategies
Speaker(s):
Adam B. Banks
March 9, 2023 — Weil Appeals and Strategic Counseling partner Adam Banks participated in a panel discussion entitled "Pro Bono Basics: Best Practices and Practical Strategies," during PLI's annual conference, "Pro Bono Basics 2023: Best Practices and Ethics." The panel discussed the access to justice gap and the need for pro bono counsel, how to identify opportunities for both transactional and litigation attorneys, and practical tips for working with trauma-impacted individuals and individuals with multiple marginalizations, among other things.
Latest Thinking
- 2024 Pro Bono Annual Review Publication — May 22, 2024
- 2023 Pro Bono Annual Review Publication — July 14, 2023
Firm News & Announcements
- Weil Honored at the Legal Benchmarking Group Social Impact Awards Firm Announcement — September 16, 2024
- Weil Secures Ruling Striking Down North Dakota’s Near-Total Abortion Ban Litigation Win — September 13, 2024
- Gabriel Morgan and Jenae Ward Named Finalists at 2024 Texas Legal Awards Firm Announcement — August 16, 2024
- Weil Ranks on The American Lawyer's A-List Firm Announcement — August 07, 2024
- Jenae Ward Receives Dallas Association of Young Lawyers’ 2024 Young Lawyer Pro Bono Service Award Firm Announcement — July 29, 2024
Speaking Engagements
-
Legal Battles Over Eruvin: Tales From The Trenches
Speaker(s):
Yehudah L. Buchweitz
October 23, 2023 — New York, NY — Weil Complex Commercial Litigation partner Yehudah Buchweitz led a seminar discussion entitled “Legal Battles Over Eruvin: Tales From the Trenches,” which was held as part of the City Eruv Conference. Yehudah discussed his experiences litigating a number of important civil rights and religious freedom cases regarding the establishment of eruvs in different towns in the New York City region.
-
Pro Bono Basics: Best Practices and Practical Strategies
Speaker(s):
Adam B. Banks
March 9, 2023 — Weil Appeals and Strategic Counseling partner Adam Banks participated in a panel discussion entitled "Pro Bono Basics: Best Practices and Practical Strategies," during PLI's annual conference, "Pro Bono Basics 2023: Best Practices and Ethics." The panel discussed the access to justice gap and the need for pro bono counsel, how to identify opportunities for both transactional and litigation attorneys, and practical tips for working with trauma-impacted individuals and individuals with multiple marginalizations, among other things.