Civil Rights Advocacy and Pro Bono Legal Assistance Lawyers’ Committee Relies on at Risk

WASHINGTON, DC— The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law filed an amicus brief in Perkins Coie v. DOJ asking a federal court to block the Trump administration’s executive order that attacks the Perkins Coie LLP law firm.

The Lawyers’ Committee strongly opposes all of the unconstitutional executive orders and directives targeting law firms and the zealous pro bono advocacy, which lies at the heart of why the Lawyers’ Committee was founded over 60 years ago. Perkins Coie was an early target and was the first firm to bring a lawsuit against the administration. The Lawyers’ Committee is supporting its request for summary judgment, which would stop the administration from enforcing the unlawful executive order. A victory in this case would be a favorable development for the other firms that have challenged sanctions against them, as well as for the legion of law firms that may soon be forced to make a choice between fighting back or bowing to the pressure the administration is placing on them.

Damon Hewitt, president and executive director of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law stated, “The Trump administration is seeking to silence its critics, and take away the path to justice for those who depend upon robust pro bono legal support. Without pro bono attorneys to take on the most contested and controversial of causes, many cases may never make their way to the courts.

The Lawyers’ Committee was founded to support Black people and communities by marshaling the substantial resources of the private bar. Over the years, we have created a peaceful army of private attorneys general committed to vindicating the civil rights of our clients. Alongside our own attorneys, pro bono lawyers represent people who would not be able to bring cases otherwise due to the high cost of litigation and difficulty navigating a complex and inaccessible legal system. Thousands of lawyers from across the country have partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee to provide pro bono legal services, often in cases of government overreach and abuse. Hundreds of civil rights cases have been filed and won through this effective model.

But Trump’s executive actions threaten to unravel that impact and that tremendous progress. We will not sit idly by and allow this to happen. We call upon every law firm, bar association, and individual people of conscience to join us in upholding the rule of law and preventing efforts that would impede access to the courts and access to justice.Our clients and communities deserve that, and they are counting on us all to fight back. Silence is not an option.”

The amicus brief warns, “In no area of our justice system will this chilling effect have a greater adverse impact than pro bono advocacy.” In fact, executive orders have cited pro bono work by attorneys as grounds for punishment.

The amicus brief states, “Allowing this undeserved punishment to go unchecked will threaten the independence of the judiciary by chilling the advocacy on which it depends to function, including as a shield against abuses by the other coordinate branches.”

More from the brief on the impact of the orders:

“Beneficiaries of pro bono representation often come from communities who have been sidelined in this country and left without a voice, usually because they cannot afford the kind of zealous representation necessary to have a fair shot in our adversarial system. They will be harmed greatly from the fallout from law firms no longer taking on pro bono representation. In particular, the communities of color and vulnerable populations whom the Lawyers’ Committee serves will be among the groups disproportionately hurt if the Executive Order is upheld.”

###

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law

Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization, formed in 1963 at the request of President John F. Kennedy to mobilize the nation’s leading lawyers as agents for change in the Civil Rights Movement. Today, the Lawyers’ Committee uses legal advocacy to achieve racial justice, fighting inside and outside the courts to ensure that Black people and other people of color have the voice, opportunity, and power to make the promises of our democracy real. The Lawyers’ Committee implements its mission and objectives by marshaling the pro bono resources of the bar for litigation, public policy, advocacy and other forms of service by lawyers to the cause of civil rights.