Dechert has a longstanding tradition of providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel. Lawyers in all our offices and in all our practice groups make a difference every day by contributing their talents to providing pro bono legal services. The firm’s dedication to its pro bono practice has been recognized in recent months by various organizations.

The firm received numerous honors for the pro bono programs in its New York and Philadelphia offices. The New York office was given the Safe Haven Award by Immigration Equality for their willingness to accept challenging immigration cases. Since 2005, dozens of attorneys in Dechert’s New York office have represented nine clients, including the recent representation of a gay, HIV-positive man who was discharged from the U.S. military for his homosexuality and faced removal proceedings. Dechert successfully defended the man's right to remain safely in the United States under the high standard of the Convention Against Torture. Dechert’s award was presented at the Safe Haven Awards ceremony on May 31.

Dechert’s Philadelphia office was honored with the United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania's Partners in Caring Award at their Champions for Impact event. Dechert received the award in honor of the pro bono legal services that the firm provides to the United Way organization.

In addition, several Dechert attorneys have been honored for their commitment to pro bono work. Joseph A. Tate was awarded the 2011 Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network (PLAN) Excellence Award in recognition of his outstanding work on behalf of PLAN's client community in Pennsylvania. The award was presented at the PLAN Awards Dinner on March 22.

Stephen J. McConnell, Meghan Rohling Kelly and David S. Caroline were honored in the category of civil rights by the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and the Foundation for Criminal Justice for the brief they submitted in Turner v. Rogers addressing the right to counsel for an indigent individual in a civil contempt hearing.

Corey F. Rose of Dechert’s Charlotte office received the Legal Aid of North Carolina's 2011 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Award, given by the Mecklenburg County Bar and its Volunteer Lawyer Program. The award, presented at Mecklenburg County Bar's Annual Meeting on May 19, recognizes pro bono attorneys who have contributed a significant amount of time and energy towards pro bono work throughout the past year.

Francis J. Rizzo was honored with the Supervisor of the Year Award from the Penn Housing Rights Project for his work advocating for the indigent tenants of Philadelphia. The award was presented at the project’s Public Interest Recognition Event on April 14.

Dechert LLP was once again named to The American Lawyer's list of leading pro bono law firms for work done in 2010.