White & Case has a robust pro bono tradition.

The Firm's involvement in public service began with founding partners Justin Dupratt White, who was appointed a commissioner of the Palisades Park Commission in 1900, and George B. Case, who helped transform the Red Cross from a small charity to an international institution.

Another partner, Colonel Joseph M. Hartfield, assisted George Case with his work for the Red Cross during WWI and WWII, making several trips to Europe during military action to bring relief to the Red Cross' most battered areas. In 1926, White & Case opened an office in Paris, which better served the growing Red Cross. All of the Firm's work for the Red Cross was on a pro bono basis.

Orison S. Marden, a leading partner at White & Case, who served as longtime director and chairman of the board of The Legal Aid Society, is memorialized through the Orison Marden Fellowship established at New York University. This fund supports summer fellowships for 1L students who choose to work in a public interest capacity to help developing nations' economies and, in particular, at organizations that focus on the advancement of women and children. 
 
Haliburton Fales II took an interest in legal aid activity and pro bono service in his early career. He was also involved in the Legal Aid Society and acted as court-assigned appellate counsel for people who had been convicted of criminal offenses and who could not afford to employ their own legal representation.

In June 2010, James B. Hurlock, former chairman of the Firm, was awarded the prestigious 2010 Root/Stimson Award by the New York State Bar Association. The annual award honors an attorney who has demonstrated an exemplary commitment to community service. Hurlock serves as a trustee of the Corporation of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, New York-Presbyterian Hospital, and the Parker School of Foreign and Comparative Law. However, it is his impact in the world of international affairs that is particularly noteworthy. As chairman of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO) from 2001-2004, Hurlock was widely credited with IDLO’s evolution into an institution with a significant voice in global affairs. Under Hurlock, the United Nations General Assembly in 2001 granted IDLO observer status giving it the influential right to speak at United Nations General Assembly meetings, participate in procedural votes, and sponsor and sign resolutions. Later, IDLO was given a permanent observer office at the UN.

For several years, former Managing Partner Duane Wall served on the Board of the Legal Aid Society and today many of our lawyers are actively involved with the organization. In 2008, White & Case received an award from the Legal Aid Society for our work in supporting its Criminal Appeals Bureau.

White & Case's rich pro bono tradition is stronger than ever. Many of our lawyers across our global network are recognized and awarded by the organizations they serve, but more importantly, their work changes the lives of the people they help.