Firm Maintains High Ranking on AmLaw Pro Bono Survey

July 16, 2019 — Hughes Hubbard again earned one of the leading spots in The American Lawyer's annual pro bono survey, ranking as a top 10 firm in U.S. pro bono commitment for the fourth consecutive year.

In the special report, published in the magazine's July edition, HHR came in sixth place nationally with a 103.5 pro bono score. The rankings are based on a score that combines the percentage of lawyers who performed 20 or more hours of pro bono work with the average number of hours contributed in 2018.

The American Lawyer ranked those components independently, placing HHR seventh in average hours with 123.8 hours per U.S. lawyer, and 12th in breadth of commitment (percentage of lawyers who performed 20 or more pro bono hours). The report showed that 83.8 percent of HHR's lawyers performed at least 20 hours of pro bono work.

In 2018, HHR continued to devote substantial time to immigration issues, working on over 85 immigration matters and achieving life-changing results for clients, including asylum for three clients from Guatemala, Guyana and Nigeria. HHR also helped a young mother secure release from immigration detention on a minimal bond and reunite with her daughter, who was separately detained.

In other pro bono victories, the firm won a $355,000 jury verdict for a transgender woman who was denied medically prescribed hormone replacement therapy during her 16-month incarceration; and secured a settlement for several activist groups that lifts a restriction on free speech at Lawyers Mall in Maryland's capital.