Lexology Index has named White & Case LLP the 2025 "North America Pro Bono Firm of the Year" based on the Firm's "significant contributions to access to justice, legal aid, and community service."
The award recognizes the Firm's work on several notable matters in 2024, including:
- City of Ferguson settlement: White & Case, partnering with ArchCity Defenders, Civil Rights Corps and the St. Louis University School of Law Civil Litigation Clinic, obtained a US$4.5 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit against the city of Ferguson, Missouri. The lawsuit, filed in 2015, challenged the city's unconstitutional practice of jailing indigent residents for failing to pay fines and fees for minor violations. As a result of the lawsuit, Ferguson reformed its policies, significantly reducing the issuance of tickets and warrants, and thereby reducing the number of incarcerations of low-income people from these practices.
- Natural disaster-driven conflict report: White & Case collaborated with the Public International Law & Policy Group, a global pro bono law firm and longstanding pro bono client, to analyze and draft a report for the Kenyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the impact of natural disasters and resource scarcity on conflicts. The report aims to help Kenya prepare for natural disasters and extreme weather events that could have significant geopolitical, economic and humanitarian impacts.
- City of New York settlement: White & Case secured a US$9.45 million settlement from the city of New York for a client who was wrongfully convicted of first-degree assault and robbery in 1999 and spent more than 20 years in prison. After our client had served 18 years, White & Case filed a motion to vacate his conviction based on new evidence. Our client was exonerated in June 2020—the first finding of innocence in New York state since 2014. Our lawyers then pursued a civil rights lawsuit against the city, resulting in the US$9.45 million settlement, which our client has used to rebuild his life.
"Being named 'North America Pro Bono Firm of the Year' is an honor that speaks to the heart of who we are," said partner and head of the Firm's Global Pro Bono Practice, Jack E. Pace III. "We believe that access to justice is not a privilege, but a fundamental right—and we take seriously our responsibility, as lawyers, to help make that right real for people and communities around the world. We are deeply honored by this recognition, which reflects the extraordinary dedication of our lawyers."
Lexology also recognized White & Case as Law Firm of the Year in 2021 and 2022. Read the Firm's Lexology profile here.
