Lowenstein Sandler Announces 2019 Pro Bono Report
Lowenstein Sandler announced today the release of its 2019 Pro Bono Report, which details the firm’s pro bono and community service efforts last year through the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest. In 2019, Lowenstein dedicated more than 23,000 hours of pro bono work, much of which focused on immigration, civil and human rights, and criminal justice. Over the last 23 years, the firm has dedicated 441,531 hours to pro bono matters.
“Integral to our firm’s core values is our commitment to pro bono work,” said Gary M. Wingens, Chairman and Managing Partner of the firm. “In 2019, it was gratifying to see years of collaborative effort with our nonprofit partners produce positive results, such as the passage of New Jersey’s new juvenile justice reform bill, which will be a national model, and the affirmation of protections such as Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for young immigrants. In this period of major challenge and disruption, the firm continues to focus its energy and talent on addressing the problems that hit vulnerable communities hardest.”
Catherine Weiss, partner and Chair of the center, adds, “This report highlights the resilience and perseverance of pro bono clients who have faced, and overcome, challenges that would flatten most of us. Celebrating with them reminds us that with determination, humor, and compassion, we can tip the scales toward justice. Thanks to our network of volunteers, legal service organizations, and corporate partners, we will continue to fight alongside those who are seeking safety, peace, freedom, and fairness.”
Highlights of the firm’s 2019 pro bono work include:
• Overturning a policy that illegally disqualified a class of young immigrants from a key form of relief specifically intended for abused and neglected children called Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS);
• Preventing the government from deporting young people who had already been granted SIJS but who were stuck in long lines, waiting for the chance to apply for their green cards;
• Helping to draft a New Jersey bill–now a law–that provides a national model for juvenile justice reform by reducing incarceration while promoting incentives for positive youth behavior and successful reintegration into society through such measures as the removal of onerous financial penalties, which often inhibit successful reentry;
• Joining a federal challenge to the government’s restrictions on military service by transgender people;
• Arguing for systemwide reforms to ensure that, when transgender people are incarcerated, they are held in units appropriate for their gender identity and most likely to protect their safety; and
• Assisting more than 100 nonprofits to form, grow, achieve, and expand their missions of providing high-quality services to individuals in need.
Access the 2019 Pro Bono Report.
With the new challenge of the COVID-19 crisis, the firm continues to work with our nonprofit partners to advocate for those who will be hardest hit. For more information, please visit this new feature of the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest website. You can also find timely Lowenstein articles and other materials related to the pandemic on the firm’s COVID-19 resource page.
About the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest
From its founding, Lowenstein Sandler has been committed to advancing the public interest and serving communities in need. The Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest embodies this commitment, directing the firm’s strong pro bono program and other forms of civic and philanthropic engagement. Through these efforts, the center addresses significant social problems and offers meaningful assistance to low-income and other marginalized people, along with the organizations that advocate for and support them. This work engages the full range of the firm’s talents and reflects the core values that imbue all of the firm’s efforts: to perform work of the highest quality in a manner that maximizes results for our clients and causes.
