WASHINGTON, D.C. – Pro Bono Institute (PBI) announced today that it will present White & Case LLP with its 2016 John H. Pickering Award at the 2016 PBI Annual Dinner on November 3 in New York. White & Case is receiving the award for its expansive global pro bono program that demonstrates an institutionalized approach to performing pro bono and a reach beyond traditional service models to strengthen access to justice and rule of law around the world.
“White & Case’s pro bono program exemplifies a longstanding commitment to pro bono,” said PBI Board of Directors Chair James W. Jones. “From direct representation to research to advocacy, the firm takes a multifaceted approach to making a positive impact on the disadvantaged populations that it represents and the communities that it serves.”
White & Case, a member of PBI’s Law Firm Pro Bono Project and a signatory to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge® initiative, has been a leader in pro bono since the firm was founded in 1901. The firm’s pro bono program supports and promotes access to justice and rule of law through various projects, including cross-border research projects, direct representation to underserved and disadvantaged groups, justice system reform projects, post-incarceration re-entry services, and death penalty representation and advocacy. In 2010, the firm established pro bono as one of its global practice groups, allowing White & Case to work on pro bono as one firm across all 39 offices.
“What stands out about White & Case is that its approach to pro bono is both global and local—advancing the rule of law and utilizing its global reach while addressing some of the most important civil rights issues of our time,” said PBI President and CEO Eve Runyon. “The firm’s work makes a difference in the lives of its clients to ensure the best possible outcomes and a more equal global society.”
Among many accomplishments, White & Case helped create the first worldwide online database of human trafficking cases on behalf of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and conducted legal research and analysis that helped bring about the “Magna Carta for Domestic Workers” in the Philippines which secured legal protections and welfare benefits for approximately 2 million people. The firm won the court victory overturning the U.S. military’s “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Policy” regarding openly gay service members which resulted in the policy being signed out of law. White & Case also successfully halted the execution of a Texas inmate pending DNA testing of evidence and is involved in three other active death penalty cases.
“We are grateful to be selected for this honor by Pro Bono Institute,” said White & Case Chairman Hugh Verrier. “It prompts us to reflect on John H. Pickering’s spirit of service and on the commitment to pro bono work he sought to inspire.”
About the John H. Pickering Award
John H. Pickering, a founding partner of Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr (now WilmerHale), was a distinguished appellate lawyer and a leader of the legal profession who was well known for his extraordinary commitment to pro bono and public interest law. He served on Pro Bono Institute’s (PBI) Law Firm Pro Bono Project Advisory Committee from its inception in 1989 until his death in March 2005. This award is given annually to a major law firm that embodies Mr. Pickering’s spirit of service and demonstrates the exceptional culture of pro bono service he worked to imbue in his firm.
About Pro Bono Institute
Founded in 1996, Pro Bono Institute (PBI) is a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit organization. With an unparalleled depth of knowledge, resources and expertise, PBI is the respected resource for all things pro bono. Through our work with law firms, in-house corporate legal departments, and public interest organizations, PBI is the global thought leader in exploring, identifying, evaluating, catalyzing, and taking to scale new approaches to and resources for the provision of legal services to the poor, disadvantaged, and other individuals or groups unable to secure legal assistance to address critical problems.
About White & Case LLP
White & Case LLP is a leading global law firm with lawyers in 37 offices across 26 countries. Among the first US-based law firms to establish a truly global presence, we provide counsel and representation in virtually every area of law that affects cross-border business. Our clients value both the breadth of our global network and the depth of our U.S., English and local law capabilities in each of our regions and rely on us for their complex cross-border transactions, as well as their representation in arbitration and litigation proceedings.
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