Pro Bono Happy Hour

Through an innovative pro bono partnership, Duane Morris LLP* and Gilead Sciences are combatting HIV criminalization, supporting people living with HIV who face unjust criminal charges, sex offender registry requirements and other legal consequences rooted in outdated science and stigma. In this Challenge Signatory Showcase episode of the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, Nihad Mansour, Associate Director of the PBI Law Firm Pro Bono Project and Innovation Specialist, is joined by Katharyn I. Christian Voit, Pro Bono Special Counsel at Duane Morris, and Joel Silver, Vice President of Legal at Gilead Sciences, to discuss their partnership on this powerful pro bono initiative.

At the PBI 2026 Annual Conference held in Washington, D.C., Nihad Mansour, host of the PBI Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, and Alicia Aiken, host of the Practising Law Institute Pursuing Justice podcast, recorded interviews with Conference attendees. This special, collaborative episode features inspiring pro bono stories and insights from a few of those interviewees, including Sirena Castillo (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips), Sara Ghadiri (Chapman and Cutler), Elba Gutiérrez Castillo (Greenberg Traurig), Sateesh Nori (LawDroid), Jim Sandman (Penn Carey Law), Brian Soja (LPL Financial) and Angela Vigil (Baker McKenzie).

Corebridge Financial partners with the Alliance for Children’s Rights in Southern California to help children in foster care find permanent homes through adoption and legal guardianship. Through this initiative, Corebridge attorneys and paralegals prepare adoption documents and represent families in court, ensuring adoptions are finalized on National Adoption Days. Their work has brought joy to countless families, strengthened collaboration across legal and compliance teams, and provided critical support to children navigating difficult transitions. This effort underscores how pro bono service can transform lives, build community, and create lasting impact one family at a time.   In this Signatory Showcase episode of the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, Nihad Mansour, PBI Associate Director of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project, is joined by Sarah Baldwin, Chief Counsel of the Corporate Legal Team, Mitchell M. Chupack, Associate General Counsel of Institutional Markers, and Kyoko Rossman, Senior Director of Legal Services and Individual Retirement, at Corebridge Financial.

Kramer Levin’s commitment to justice is powerfully exemplified in its pro bono work to overturn the wrongful conviction of Anthony Hall, who spent 26 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. Through relentless legal advocacy, strategic litigation, and an impactful partnership with Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project, the firm fought to expose critical flaws in the case – from unreliable eyewitness testimony to systemic issues within the criminal justice system. Their unwavering dedication not only helped secure Hall’s freedom but also underscored the transformative power of pro bono work in changing lives and addressing injustice. In this Challenge Signatory Showcase episode of the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, Nihad Mansour, Assistant Director, Law Firm Pro Bono Project, is joined by David Alexander, Litigation Associate at Kramer Levin. Listen to hear more about this inspiring work!

Accenture has been a leader in expanding legal access, with impactful projects like Disability:In and a name change pro bono initiative in Brazil with NGO Casa Florescer. These efforts highlight how in-house legal teams can structure and deliver different pro bono legal services, even within the same corporation. In this Challenge Signatory Showcase episode of the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, Nihad Mansour, Assistant Director, Law Firm Pro Bono Project, interviewed Derek Bolka, Contract Specialist and Project Lead for Disability:In at Accenture, and Luciana Arana, Senior Contracting Counsel at Accenture Brazil. Listen to hear more about their respective pro bono efforts.

Mattos Filho, Veiga Filho, Marrey Jr. e Quiroga has been a trailblazer in advancing access to justice in Brazil, dedicating its pro bono efforts to some of the most pressing social issues. Their work addresses racial discrimination, women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and refugee protection, leaving a profound and lasting impact on both individuals and communities. In 2023 alone, the firm provided approximately 20,000 hours of free legal assistance, handled 270 cases, and engaged over 400 legal professionals. Their comprehensive pro bono practice spans individual case defense, support for civil society organizations, strategic litigation, and impactful partnerships with both national and international entities. In this episode of the Pro Bono Happy Hour podcast, we’re joined by Flavia Regina Oliveira, Pro Bono Partner and Partner of Social Impact and Philanthropy, along with Caroline Sena, Litigation Associate in Mattos Filho’s 100% Pro Bono Practice Group. Listen to hear more about this inspiring work!

The St. Louis Pro Bono Partnership is a remarkable collaboration involving three key organizations, Citigroup Inc. (Citi), Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner, and the local legal aid organization, Legal Services of Eastern Missouri, that are focused on providing legal support to underserved communities. The partnership is a testament to the impact that can be achieved through collaboration. From elderly clients to domestic violence victims and micro-entrepreneurs, this decade-long initiative has made a significant difference in the community.  We spoke with Emily Elam, Head of Legal Strategic Priorities at Citi, for this Signatory Showcase podcast. Find out more about this exemplary collaboration.

In 2022, Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO), the global in-house project of Pro Bono Institute (PBI), partnered with the legal department of Entergy Corporation and Edison Electric Institute (EEI) to establish EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day. EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day is an annual day of pro bono service for volunteer attorneys and legal staff from electric and gas companies. For the past two years on EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day, Entergy has offered significant pro bono events and opportunities across jurisdictions engaging their pro bono volunteers in innovative ways. We spoke with Christy Kane, Pro Bono Counsel at Entergy, for this Signatory Showcase episode. Listen to hear more about Entergy’s participation, community, and leadership around PBI’s annual EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day. The third annual EmPOWERing Pro Bono Day will take place on November 14, 2024.

In partnership with The Bronx Defenders, Cleary attorneys have been supporting the launch of New York State’s Conditional Adult-Use Retail Dispensary licensing program. The first of its kind, this program prioritizes licensing individuals affected by the past criminalization of marijuana use. We spoke with Cleary Gottlieb Pro Bono Counsel, Katherine Hughes, for this PBEye Signatory Showcase podcast. Listen to Hughes speak about creating a successful program in New York that could serve as a blueprint for other states when looking towards cannabis legalization from a social equity and social justice perspective. 

In 2023, 148 members of GSK's Legal and Compliance Department global pro bono program served 160 clients,providing over 1200 hours of service. Since 2015, GSK has partnered with Homeless Advocacy Project (HAP), an organization that provides free legal services to individuals and families who experience or face homelessness in Philadelphia. GSK lawyers and legal professionals assist with securing birth certificates for clients which addresses homelessness and enables them to apply for housing. GSK also participates in HAP’s SOAR (SSI, Outreach, Access, and Recovery) project to obtain expedited rulings on Supplemental Security Income and SSDI cases to help provide income to individuals who are unable to work due to a disability. We spoke with GSK Assistant General Counsel, Andy Boczkowski, for this special edition of the Pro Bono Happy Hour Podcast. Listen to how GSK got involved with HAP.