Our attorneys and staff donate their time, energy, and resources to improve the quality of life in the local communities where we live and work.
In addition to public service through volunteering and fundraising for local and national charitable non-profit organizations, our lawyers also provide pro bono legal services to non-profit organizations all over the country. We believe our lawyers have a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those of limited means, and that pro bono service is an opportunity for the professional development and growth of all lawyers.
FordHarrison partners and associates throughout the firm serve as national labor and employment counsel on a pro bono basis for Habitat for Humanity International and Habitat affiliates located near our firm's offices across the country. We assist the organization and affiliates with their growing human resources needs. FordHarrison has donated over 5,000 billable hours to the organization since establishing the relationship in 2007.
For the past three years, we have dedicated our annual holiday card to celebrate our long-term pro bono partnership with Habitat for Humanity International and allowed recipients to participate in an interactive fundraising campaign. For each card made, FordHarrison contributed $40 to Habitat, with the goal of raising up to $15,000. View our holiday cards below.
FordHarrison periodically "loans" an associate to the Atlanta Legal Aid Society for a three-month pro bono fellowship, named in memory and honor of former partner F. Carter Tate. During the fellowship, the associate works full-time at Atlanta Legal Aid and focuses his or her efforts and talents exclusively on representing impoverished clients in civil legal matters while continuing to receive full salary and benefits from FordHarrison. The firm has sponsored six F. Carter Tate fellows to date.
FordHarrison has also been a long-time sponsor of the Equal Justice Works Fellowship program. Equal Justice Works partners talented lawyers pursuing public interest careers with law firm or corporate sponsors to support projects that serve underrepresented populations across the country. Aarti Sharma, FordHarrison's current Equal Justice Works Fellow, designed the Legal Educational Advocacy Project (LEAP), focused on providing court-involved youth aged six to eighteen with educational stability. In addition to the important work in the community, LEAP provides opportunities for FordHarrison associates to get involved in representing the youth in the program.
In addition to firmwide pro bono and public service projects, FordHarrison encourages its attorneys to do pro bono work for causes of their choice. Associates may apply up to 50 hours of pro bono work towards their annual production goals.