John H. Pickering Award

The John H. Pickering Award honors a law firm for its outstanding commitment to pro bono legal services.

The award is selected by PBI staff and leadership and is presented annually, in conjunction with John Pickering’s law firm, Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP (now WilmerHale), at the PBI Annual Dinner.

Recognized law firms have:

1. Signed the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge^® initiative, committing to contribute either 3% or 5% of total billable hours to pro bono legal services;
2. Met or exceeded the Challenge performance goals, including participation by partners and senior-level lawyers in pro bono legal services;
3. Devoted a majority of their pro bono time to serving low-income individuals and their families;
4. Engaged in time-intensive, high-impact pro bono work;
5. Created or expanded new pro bono opportunities within their community;
6. Cultivated meaningful relationships with legal services providers and pro bono organizations; and
7. Achieved active and visible support of firm leaders for pro bono.

John H. Pickering Award Nominations

Nominations should be submitted to PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project at lawfirm@probonoinst.org. The deadline for nominations is April 1 for that year’s PBI Annual Dinner.

There is no form to submit a nomination for this award. Instead, nominees are asked to submit a letter of nomination that addresses each of the seven criteria listed above.  Nominations must be limited to six pages. 

Nominees are also encouraged to include additional materials to further demonstrate the impact of the law firm’s pro bono service (e.g., press releases, letters of support, and articles).