--- title: Pro Bono date: 2023-07-28T17:57:00-04:00 author: "julie@usesharepoint.com" canonical_url: "https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono" section: Pages --- # Pro Bono Attorneys making a difference for those in need. ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Hero-Objects/paper_heart.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=1880&q=80&w=1880&s=112fc632ed8a911fd67ee432759a2cb5) ### Our History of Helping Kelley Drye has a long history of pro bono service. This passion for justice and commitment to advocacy positively impacts our clients’ lives and our communities. ### Our Duty to Those in Need We believe it is the firm’s professional and ethical duty to provide legal support to individuals in need and to organizations that impact change. We empower lawyers and legal professionals to pursue pro bono cases that reflect their personal passions and that put their legal acumen to best use in the community. As a result, our initiatives are as varied and diverse as the professionals at our firm. For example, while some are inspired to fix the cracks in the criminal justice system, others advocate for neglected children or help asylum petitioners navigate the country’s complex and changing immigration laws. ### Our Focus on Individuals in Crisis We invite you to read about some of our pro bono impact initiatives as described by clients and the attorneys who advocate for them. These personal reflections illustrate what inspires us to pursue our passion for helping others who need us the most—to right a wrong, obtain asylum relief, secure guardianship, protect diverse communities, and support prisoners who have been denied necessary medical and psychological care. ## Impact Initiatives ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/pride_pin_textandimage.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=9af566e6e1a9a394f63652d3bcb3951c) ## LGBTQ Rights Assisting members of the LGBTQ+ community facing discrimination and persecution based on their sexual orientation. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/lgbtq-rights) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/justice_reform.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=9f4a37f11c6e99b34e0bcc243eab7079) ## Criminal Justice Reform Helping to protect and defend the rights of the accused. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/criminal-justice-reform) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/march.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=0df5aa8dd8daa14f4438b23aa49f06dc) ## Racial Equality Advocating for racial justice by supporting clients in matters involving systemic threats of unfair and unequal treatment based on race or ethnicity. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/racial-equality) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/nonprofits.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=9974dfc77e3637875dd7478704fe56b7) ## Nonprofits Supporting nonprofits with transactional legal issues so they can focus on their mission within their communities. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/nonprofits) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/children_hands.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=c536988814aaa3cbe8935e932ae9bb40) ## Advocating for Children Helping to ensure that the voices of children are heard and to advocate in times of crisis for their safety and wellbeing. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/advocating-for-children) ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/immigration.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=616&q=80&w=900&s=e8a8be2e8ca1250cc55d0e1d89ff4723) ## Immigration and Asylum Representing immigrant clients and their families seeking a safe and secure life in the United States. [ Read more ](https://www.kelleydrye.com/responsible-business/pro-bono/immigration-and-asylum) ## Statement from Leadership Kelley Drye’s strong commitment to pro bono service is essential to close the justice gap and provide life-changing assistance to individuals, families, and communities who are most vulnerable in our society. We empower our attorneys to turn values into action, and we support them with training, guidance, and mentorship. ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/rosenthal_TI.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=492&q=80&w=756&s=c9f4735ce2204cc79b96245be1ca2b99) ## Paul Rosenthal, Chair I want to ensure that we continue to provide valuable opportunities for lawyers to develop their skills, gain practical experience, and expand their legal knowledge through pro bono work. My own pro bono work allows me to work on worthwhile causes (curing blindness and expanding educational opportunities) that I don’t encounter in my regular practice, and always reminds me that I’m practicing law to help people. ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/Image-and-Text-Cards/index_card_people_dana_v2.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=492&q=80&w=756&s=73c239b3db1ba000711bd03ae6d13305) ## Dana Rosenfeld, Managing Partner I am proud of the work that Kelley Drye has accomplished for our pro bono clients and of the partnerships we have developed among the legal community that help amplify our impact. Firm leadership is committed to a robust pro bono program, and we remain 100 percent invested in each matter that the firm takes on. We aim to help make the world a better place by offering support and free legal services to those in need and to address issues of societal importance. We are humbled to see the good results in our communities and the many personal relationships that remain long after a matter is resolved. ![](https://d3iuizmsm2hayf.cloudfront.net/content/uploads/test-images/marissa_index.webp?auto=compress%2Cformat&crop=focalpoint&fit=crop&fp-x=0.5&fp-y=0.5&h=492&q=80&w=756&s=d2c4bbcbf66ed6635e4e325fd316a4d1) ## Marisa Lorenzo, Pro Bono Counsel I am dedicated to mentoring and supporting attorneys who provide a wide variety of pro bono legal services in our local communities and beyond. It is a privilege to collaborate with teams across offices, states and borders to honor the firm’s commitment to providing meaningful, and often life-changing, pro bono service for our clients. I firmly believe that devoting ourselves to pro bono matters makes us better attorneys, strengthens our ties to our communities, provides us with a platform to confront societal injustices, and effectuates change. ### View our community partners list [City Bar Justice Center](https://www.citybarjusticecenter.org/do-pro-bono/) [Immigration Equality](https://immigrationequality.org/) [Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)](https://supportkind.org/) [Legal Aid D.C.](https://www.legalaiddc.org/) [The Legal Aid Society](https://legalaidnyc.org/) [New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) ](https://nylag.org/) [](https://vlany.org/)[Volunteers of Legal Services](https://volsprobono.org/) [Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts](https://vlany.org/) #### For more information about our pro bono efforts contact: [Marisa A. Lorenzo](https://www.kelleydrye.com/people/marisa-a-lorenzo) Pro Bono Counsel (212) 808-7745[ mlorenzo@​kelleydrye.​com](mailto:mlorenzo@kelleydrye.com)