Our partners have set high standards that encourage us to work hard, aim higher, and remain committed to our tradition of pro bono work and service to our communities. Generation after generation of Morrison & Foerster lawyers have continued our commitment to the issues of children in poverty, education, civil rights and civil liberties, death penalty and prisoners' rights, international human rights, political asylum, housing and homelessness and AIDS-related matters.
Each lawyer is expected to take on at least one pro bono matter each year. In 2011, our lawyers recorded approximately 95,000 pro bono hours firmwide. These resulted in landmark decisions and in outcomes that improved the lives of many of our pro bono clients. In 2011, the firm was again included in
The American Lawyer's "A-List," recognizing, in part, our commitment to pro bono work.
Contacts: Kathi Pugh,
Jennifer Brown,
Rachel Williams
John H. Pickering Award
On November 3, 2011, Morrison & Foerster Chair
Keith Wetmore accepted the Pro Bono Institute's John H. Pickering Award, given in recognition of the firm's unwavering commitment to pro bono. PBI highlighted the firm's recent pro bono victories, including a ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court protecting juveniles from life sentences without parole in non-homicide offenses, and another case securing the release of a man wrongly imprisoned for 20 years.
Gordon Erspamer was recently honored by
American Lawyer with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Erspamer is one of only eight attorneys featured in
Am Law's annual special section, which seeks to honor outstanding private sector success and a devotion to public service. According to
Am Law, the 2011 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients "are extraordinary lawyers, certainly, but for them, that's just the beginning of what makes them successful." Gordy was recognized for his pro bono efforts on behalf of U.S. veterans that have spanned more than three decades, making him "a legend in military circles."
To view the video of his acceptance speech, please click
here.