In Brief

Pro bono and community service activities are an important part of Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP's practice. We routinely rank highly among New York firms in the annual AmLaw 200 pro bono survey. We have won numerous pro bono awards, including the 2007 John Minor Wisdom Public Service and Professionalism Award, the 2006 National Law Journal Pro Bono Award, and the Legal Aid Society's Exceptional Pro Bono Publico and Public Service Law Firm Award for 2000.

Principal Areas of Focus

Our lawyers are encouraged to pursue the pro bono work most meaningful to them, and thus have broad involvement in such areas as political asylum, First Amendment issues, civil rights, Social Security disability, housing and homelessness, divorce and custody, criminal trials and appeals, service to nonprofit groups, and more.  We have brought class actions for homeless children with asthma, hospitalized newborns and infants, and children seeking SSI disability benefits, and have filed amicus briefs in many important civil rights and civil liberties cases, including Lawrence v. Texas. We were co-counsel in Hernandez v. Robles, which sought equal marriage rights for same-sex couples under the New York Constitution, and League of Women Voters v. Cobb, which struck down Florida's burdensome voter registration law. Through our Associate Service Program, associates staff a full time position at South Brooklyn Legal Services representing low-income tenants in Housing Court. Summer associates also actively participate in political asylum, SSI, and other pro bono matters. 

The firm has a rich history of involvement in public and community service. Many of our partners have served as directors of leading nonprofit legal service providers, such as the Legal Aid Society, Human Rights First, South Brooklyn Legal Services, Volunteers of Legal Services, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest, the Center for Disability Advocacy Rights (CeDAR), and the New York Legal Assistance Group, as well as other community-based, cultural, and religious nonprofits. Many of our attorneys are involved in volunteer service to nonprofit organizations, high school mentoring and moot court programs, and other public service activities.

For a full description of our recent pro bono and public service activities, see our most recent Pro Bono Annual Report, which includes a listing of our lawyers' community service activities. Please click here for our Pro Bono brochure.

In addition, Kramer Levin participates in a wide range of non-legal community service activities that involve both lawyers and staff.