Haynes and Boone, LLP and Chicago-based Associate Judy He were named 2020 Pro Bono Leaders by the American Bar Association’s (ABA’s) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service.
The committee presents this annual recognition to individual lawyers, law firms, corporate law departments and other organizations that have provided extraordinary pro bono services through the ABA’s Free Legal Answers program.
Created to increase access to advice and information about non-criminal legal matters for income-eligible clients, Free Legal Answers serves as a virtual walk-in legal clinic. Those who meet financial eligibility requirements can post civil legal services questions to be answered by pro bono lawyers from their jurisdiction. The program is now active in 41 jurisdictions within the U.S.
The 2020 recipients of the Pro Bono Leaders distinction answered 50 or more civil legal questions, and the firm/organization recipients collectively answered 75 or more questions in the 2020 calendar year.
In May 2020, Haynes and Boone’s Chicago office hosted a virtual Free Legal Answers clinic, where attorneys were trained to answer various civil legal questions.
“We are immensely proud of the work Judy and her colleagues Laura Beth Miller and Eugene Goryunov in our Chicago office have done on behalf of the ABA Free Legal Answers project,” said David Taubenfeld, co-chair of the firm’s Pro Bono and Public Service Committee. “The firm is honored to have been recognized for our ongoing pro bono efforts.”
Also in 2020, Haynes and Boone’s Chicago office was named to the Public Interest Law Initiative’s 2020 Pro Bono Recognition Roster, which honors law firms and corporations that have made significant commitments and contributions to pro bono throughout the state of Illinois.
Haynes and Boone has long been committed to providing pro bono legal aid, believing that a fulfilling professional career is much more than simply handling major business transactions or trying complex commercial lawsuits. The firm’s lawyers focus their pro bono efforts on helping those who need it most but are least able to afford legal services.