Dechert, winner of our 2016 Law Firm Award, encourages all of its lawyers to do public-interest work. The firm maintains 26 offices around the world, and each office follows the passions of its lawyers and pursues pro bono work that is vital to their communities.

Dechert’s pro bono chair, Partner Suzanne Turner, says, “Our program is more than just a tag line or a policy. Our attorneys are doing the work—that might not be sexy, that might not reach the papers—but, indeed, are serving the individuals or serving the organizations in the communities that might not otherwise be receiving services.”

In addition to serving pro bono clients around the world, Dechert has supported our work at Washington Council of Lawyers. Dechert Pro Bono manager Paul Lee is a long-time Washington Council of Lawyers board member and recently served two terms as our President—a period in which we expanded both our programming and outreach. Dechert has encouraged and supported Paul’s many hours of work on our behalf.

Dechert also played a key role in launching DC Pro Bono Week. For several years, Dechert coordinated DC’s participation in the American Bar Association‘s national celebration of pro bono, before Washington Council of Lawyers began coordinating the event in DC. And Dechert continue to serve as the physical home of DC Pro Bono Week, hosting our planning and committee meetings to put together each year’s events.

We look forward to many more years of essential pro bono and public-interest contributions from Dechert, and we are proud to honor them with our 2016 Law Firm Award. You can join us in doing so at our 2016 Awards Ceremony on December 1.

Oh, and we’re not the first to recognize Dechert’s work. The firm received the ABA’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2014; and this video highlight’s even more of its work: