Making a World of Difference

“Our attorneys combine compassion with legal knowledge to make a significant difference in the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable individuals and communities.” 
                    —Senior Partner Rohan Weerasinghe

Shearman & Sterling believes that engaging in pro bono work is an essential part of every lawyer’s practice. While serving the needs of indigent individuals and nonprofit organizations with limited access to legal services, the pro bono experience connects our lawyers to the communities in which we work.

According to Senior Partner Rohan Weerasinghe, “Our attorneys combine compassion with legal knowledge to make a significant difference in the lives of some of the world’s most vulnerable individuals and communities. This dedication to pro bono service is a hallmark of our culture, we are committed to supporting attorneys who want to be of service, and we are proud of the results they are achieving.”

We are dedicated to offering pro bono opportunities to all our lawyers in every office. Our multi-jurisdictional practice uniquely qualifies us to address pro bono matters around the world, whether at a San Francisco legal clinic or in Tanzania at the Office of the Prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR).

Our full-time Pro Bono Counsel and her staff work exclusively on directing our pro bono efforts and assists in effectively matching the interests of our lawyers with the needs of individual clients and nonprofit organizations. In 2008, Shearman & Sterling lawyers devoted more than 60,000 hours to pro bono matters, ranging from assisting low-income veterans to micro-finance and development work for low-income entrepreneurs around the globe.

The firm’s pro bono program is also about choice. Our lawyers are encouraged to select their own qualifying pro bono matters, subject to standard conflicts of interest policies. There are no ideological limitations or geographic boundaries. Lawyers in the London office can represent artists in New York City while lawyers in the New York office can do work with nonprofits in China. No matter is too large or too small. Attorneys in the Bay Area spend a few hours at a clinic assisting the homeless, while others in the Washington, DC office represent death row inmates.

Combining outstanding lawyering skills with good intentions to produce practical results is the cornerstone of Shearman & Sterling’s pro bono practice. The firm’s long-standing engagements in assisting communities around the world stems from our belief that there are many levels to our professional mandate. We are also deeply committed to doing all we can to support our lawyers in their pro bono contributions.