Miles & Stockbridge announced today that it has been named Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by FreeState Justice (FSJ), a statewide advocacy non-profit that seeks to improve the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) Marylanders. The firm received the honor during the nonprofit’s annual Jazz Brunch, held virtually this year on September 12.
Miles & Stockbridge established a FSJ team in 2018 to perform name changes and legal gender identity changes for low-income LGBTQ clients on a pro bono basis. Since that time, 15 Miles & Stockbridge lawyers have helped more than 20 FSJ clients.
“A relatively small time commitment of time—5 to 10 hours on average per case—can lead to a life changing result for a FreeState Justice client,” said Jeff Renner, who co-leads the firm’s FSJ team with fellow principal Holly Drumheller Butler. “And, through our team structure, we create an opportunity for our lawyers to collaborate in a meaningful way in the community across practice groups, offices and generations, bringing together those who may not ordinarily work together.”
About Miles & Stockbridge’s Pro Bono Work
The firm’s Pro Bono Committee, led by Principal Kelly Powers and Staff Attorney Fran Brinker, has been taking steps toward making pro bono work more accessible, more collaborative and easier to carry out at Miles & Stockbridge, including the establishment of the FreeState Justice Team.
The committee has provided a greater variety of and accessibility to pro bono opportunities for lawyers in all practice areas by establishing structured teams and offering training for specific pro bono projects. Through the team approach, the firm offers more internal support, mentoring and information.
In addition, all non-principal lawyers have the opportunity to earn credit for up to 50 hours of firm-approved pro bono work (according to the ABA Model Rule 6.1) each year, as if those hours were billable.
For more information, please follow Miles & Stockbridge on Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook.
About FreeState Justice Pro Bono Award
FreeState Justice recently renamed the annual honor as the Silber, Perlman, Sigman & Tilev Pro Bono Firm of the Year Award in recognition of the Takoma Park, Maryland, law firm, which closed earlier this year. The firm worked closely with FreeState Justice to advance LGBTQ rights, much of it done pro bono, over the past 40 years.
