Lowenstein Sandler has announced the release of its 2020 Pro Bono Report, which details the firm’s pro bono efforts last year through the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest. In 2020, Lowenstein dedicated more than 23,000 hours to pro bono work and served 778 pro bono clients, including populations hard-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, on issues involving nonprofits and microbusinesses, housing, civil rights, immigration, and more.

“2020 was a year filled with unimaginable challenges, and yet we persevered by leaning into our core commitment to colleagues, clients, and communities,” says Gary M. Wingens, Chair and Managing Partner of the firm. “Events last year also influenced us to approach our pro bono matters through an explicit and conscious racial justice lens, making us more deeply examine the effects of historic injustice on people of color and commit to initiatives aimed at addressing that inequity.”

Catherine Weiss, partner and Chair of the center, says, “2020 wrought devastation on so many, but it also gave rise to many generous and creative responses to crises by our own lawyers and the nonprofits with which we partner. For example, our corporate lawyers assisted hundreds of microbusinesses and nonprofits to obtain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. We worked with new coalitions of housing advocates to prevent mass evictions. Hundreds of volunteers joined us through Election Protection to protect our much-assailed democracy by helping eligible voters cast valid ballots in November. These initiatives and more continually reminded us of how, if we all work together, we can tip the scales toward justice.”

Highlights of the firm’s 2020 pro bono work include:

  • Providing guidance to more than 230 microbusinesses and nonprofits in securing assistance from federal and state relief programs, as well as educating the public with regularly updated FAQs about how to benefit from the PPP; efforts also included sending letters to Congress with recommendations for more equitable access to loans for nonprofits and microbusinesses, many of which are owned by people of color and women.
  • Protecting the rights of tenants facing eviction in the wake of the pandemic through such initiatives as:
    • Leading a coalition of housing and racial justice advocates to demand a broad moratorium on evictions as well more stringent steps to protect tenants’ rights;
    • Representing tenants in an ongoing lawsuit over the use of rent subsidies funded by New York City’s Special One-Time Assistance (SOTA) program, resulting in significant improvements to the program to ensure residents’ health, safety, and right to legal housing;
    • Educating tenants and homeowners on their protections and obligations in frequently updated FAQs in both English and Spanish (viewed to date by more than 126,000 distinct visitors to the firm’s website).
  • Partnering with Election Protection, a nationwide, nonpartisan, voter protection coalition led by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, to recruit more than 240 legal professionals, including firm lawyers, support staff, and alumni, to answer calls from voters on a hotline in an entirely remote setting due to the pandemic, in the midst of a highly volatile presidential election.
  • Protecting the rights of immigrants through such actions as filing appellate amicus briefs to prevent the unlawful removal of juveniles with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS).

Access a digital version of the 2020 Pro Bono Report at this link. A PDF version is available here.

With the ongoing challenge of the COVID-19 crisis, the firm continues to work with our nonprofit partners to advocate for those who continue to face inequities in access to relief and support. For more information, please visit this 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.

About Lowenstein Sandler LLP
Lowenstein Sandler is a national law firm with over 350 lawyers based in New York, Palo Alto, New Jersey, Utah, and Washington, D.C. The firm represents leaders in virtually every sector of the global economy, with particular emphasis on investment funds, life sciences, and technology. Recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit and high standard of client service, the firm is committed to the interests of its clients, colleagues, and communities.