Pro Bono Work

As members of a global law firm, lawyers at Shearman & Sterling undertake pro bono matters that connect them to communities around the world.  Serving the needs of individuals and groups with limited access to legal services gives our lawyers a more complete picture of the world, beyond the realm of corporate law, and encourages a diversity of viewpoints and experiences.

The range of our pro bono activities includes:

• In partnership with the advocacy group inMotion, Inc., Shearman & Sterling lawyers conduct workshops that guide women in domestic violence cases through divorce proceedings we also represent several of these women in those proceedings.
  
  
• Shearman & Sterling lawyers represent individuals seeking political asylum in the United States.  Petitioners come from a variety of countries, including Albania, Congo, Guatemala, Guinea, Pakistan and Rwanda.
  
  
• Since 2000, Shearman & Sterling lawyers have provided legal assistance to the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR), dedicating over 20,000 hours to the cause.  
  
  
• FINCA, one of the world's leading micro-credit lenders, receives legal advice from our London, Washington, DC, Paris, San Francisco, and New York offices.  One of FINCA's goals is to open small village banks that will provide loans to low-income families and micro-entrepreneurs in Armenia, El Salvador, Honduras, Kyrgyzstan, and Uganda, among other countries.
  
  
• Shearman & Sterling lawyers take part in PENCIL'S PEAK, an organization that matches businesses with New York City public schools.  Through PEAK, the firm is a partner of the International High School in Queens.
  
  
• Shearman & Sterling lawyers participate in a mentor program at Martin Luther King Jr. High School, a New York City public school that focuses on law and government. 
  
  
• Following the 2002 Bali bombings, Shearman & Sterling began providing pro bono assistance to affected families and victims of the terror attack.  One project included the firm's involvement with the Singapore Cricket Club, which lost eight players in the attack and had four more injured.  The firm assisted with the establishment of a charity fund that provided medical and financial assistance to the injured rugby players and to the surviving family members of the slain.

For more information on Shearman & Sterling's pro bono involvement, please see the Pro Bono section of this website.

Sponsorships

Lending the firm's name and providing financial support to events and programs that promote diversity are important commitments for Shearman & Sterling.  Firm sponsorships include:

• Symposiums:  In partnership with the Association of Black Women Attorneys, the firm sponsors a women's history month panel discussion on "Excelling at Motherhood and the Law."  
  
  
• Funding fellowships for Equal Justice Works:  Founded by law students, the organization aids low-income individuals in overcoming barriers to equal justice.
  
  
• The Shearman & Sterling Jessup Cup competition: Administered by the International Law Students Association, the Jessup Cup is widely recognized as the largest, most prestigious international law moot court competition in the world.