2025 CPBO Pro Bono Partner Awardee

Koch** and its Pro Bono Initiative, Baker Botts L.L.P.*^†, and the Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles (OMV) launched their partnership in 2024 to help those facing driver’s license suspensions in St. James Parish, Louisiana. The initiative exemplifies a transformative effort to address a critical legal need while delivering measurable benefits to a vulnerable community.

The partnership has had a profound effect on St. James Parish and nearby areas. Located midway between New Orleans and Baton Rouge, this predominantly rural parish has limited access to legal services, much less pro bono services, emphasizing why this initiative is vital. Many low-income residents struggle with mobility and face license suspensions due to unpaid fines and court-imposed penalties, which limit their ability to secure employment, access healthcare, or engage in essential daily activities.

After seven months of preparation, Koch, Baker Botts, and OMV launched the inaugural clinic at the Koch Methanol St. James (KMSJ) facility on July 17, 2024. The clinic drew almost 300 attendees, including residents from approximately a dozen neighboring parishes, with 150 indigent individuals directly supported. To accommodate the large turnout and serve as many people as possible, the clinic’s hours expanded on July 17 and added new hours on July 18. The clinic enabled 59 people to obtain new licenses the same day, and 90 people left with reinstatement plans.

Building on the first clinic’s achievements, the partnership developed a replicable framework and launched a second clinic at the same KMSJ facility on March 12, 2025, expanding partners and service offerings. In addition to OMV on-site participation, this clinic featured on-site participation from 23rd Judicial District Court judges, who waived court-imposed fines and penalties, removing additional financial barriers for low-income residents.

This collaborative approach brought together legal and non-legal professionals from Koch and Baker Botts, OMV officials, and local judges, as well as participation from attorneys at the Kean Miller and Liskow & Lewis law firms and Entergy, a Fortune 500 energy company based in New Orleans. Because of the public and private sector partners present, attendees resolved license issues and received fine waivers the same day — a streamlined, innovative model in the state.

The partnership’s innovation shines through its substantive and structural approaches. Substantively, it tackles the intersection of legal and socioeconomic barriers by addressing license suspensions. Structurally, it creatively merges private-sector resources, legal expertise, and government collaboration to maximize efficiency and outcomes for all attendees. Initiative partners continue to discuss ways to replicate and grow the service for future clinics.

By providing free legal assistance and systemic solutions, this partnership empowers an underserved community to regain essential rights and opportunities.

About Koch, Inc.

Based in Wichita, Kansas, Koch, Inc. is one of the largest private companies in America, with annual revenues that have exceeded $125 billion. It owns a diverse group of companies involved in manufacturing, agriculture, pulp and paper, packaging, consumer products, building materials, glass, automotive components, refining, renewable energy, chemicals and polymers, electronics, software, network solutions, health care technology, engineered technology, project services, recycling, supply chain and logistics, commodities trading, real estate, and investments. Since 2003, Koch companies have invested more than $168 billion in growth and improvements. With a presence in more than 50 countries, Koch companies employ about 120,000 people worldwide, with nearly half of those in the United States.  

Koch’s Pro Bono Initiative seeks to empower individuals to achieve their true potential. Our approach is guided by principles embodied in our stewardship vision and Principle Based Management™ philosophy as we seek to remove barriers and improve lives. Our work touches several areas where we use our legal expertise to drive positive change: criminal record expungement and record sealing; driver’s license restoration; veterans discharge upgrades; and supporting nonprofit organizations dedicated to making a difference in their communities.

About Baker Botts L.L.P.

Baker Botts L.L.P. provides legal services to a broad range of clients, including multinational corporations, government entities, and individuals, across sectors such as energy, technology, and life sciences. With offices around the globe, Baker Botts is known for its deep industry knowledge, strategic counsel, and commitment to service.

The firm’s pro bono program reflects a longstanding dedication to advancing justice and supporting underserved communities. On average, Baker Botts attorneys dedicate nearly 30,000 hours annually to pro bono causes. This work spans critical areas such as asylum and immigration, veterans’ benefits, civil rights, housing and homelessness, criminal justice reform, and legal support for nonprofit organizations. The firm partners with legal service providers and community organizations nationwide to ensure that individuals and groups without access to legal representation receive high-quality counsel. Guided by a commitment to service and the rule of law, Baker Botts integrates pro bono work into its broader mission to make a positive and lasting impact.

About Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles

The Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles serves people through the administration of motor vehicle registration and driver licensing laws in a professional, compassionate and responsive manner, while maintaining a high standard of quality through our innovative approach to customer service today and in the future.

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About the CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award
Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), a project of Pro Bono Institute, created the CPBO Pro Bono Partner Award to recognize innovative pro bono collaborations of in-house legal departments with law firms and public interest organizations. Pro bono partnerships that include at least one in-house legal department with one or more law firms and/or public interest organizations are eligible. The CPBO Advisory Board selects the award recipients.

The award honors legal departments and the organizations with which they partner in the provision of legal services to those in need. The award recipients are departments, law firms, and public interest organizations that have demonstrated an impact in their community through their partnership project, shown substantial involvement in the project by in-house lawyers, made tangible steps toward sustaining the relationship among the partners, developed innovative substantive or structural approaches in support of the partnership’s effort, and addressed a critical legal need or assisted a particularly vulnerable community or target population.