PHILADELPHIA – Sept. 21, 2020 – Innovative leadership and demonstrated commitment to pro bono service resulted in global law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP winning the 2020 “Trailblazing Partner of the Year” award from a leading citywide legal services agency.
Philadelphia VIP announced the award during a virtual ceremony held on Thursday, Sept. 17. The honor recognizes firms that exhibit exemplary commitment to the organization’s mission to deliver pro bono civil-related legal services to city residents, nonprofits, and small businesses that otherwise could not afford them. The firm was one of three in contention for the award.
“Greenberg Traurig pro bono volunteers are nothing short of heroes. Every person is compassionate, diligent, asks excellent questions, and strives to go above and beyond in helping clients who have limited resources,” said P. Michael Jones, Philadelphia VIP Homeownership Staff Attorney. “The firm sets a high standard for its attorneys, promotes equity and equality, and understands that pro bono work is a necessary part of being an attorney. It has been an honor and a pleasure working with the volunteers at Greenberg Traurig, who very much embody the Trailblazing Partner award they won.”
“To win this award among the collection of other law firms that are also making considerable pro bono contributions makes this recognition uniquely special,” said Curtis B. Toll, managing shareholder for the Philadelphia office. “Pro bono service, social action, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are baked into our DNA at Greenberg Traurig. And the need for leadership in these areas could not be clearer after this tumultuous year.
“Despite the strife we all have witnessed, we remain energized and inspired,” Toll said. “We will continue to play an active role in helping address social inequities in our city and our nation through applicable legal and social action.”
Attorneys in the Philadelphia office engage in and handle a range of discrete pro bono matters for Philadelphia VIP clients. The firm also has partnered with the organization in presenting a legal clinic designed to aid small businesses citywide.
This was the second consecutive year the firm was named a finalist for the award.
“We are exceptionally proud of the work performed and leadership exhibited in the Philadelphia office,” said Caroline J. Heller, who leads the firm’s Pro Bono Program.
“As a firm with 30 U.S. offices and 10 international ones, GT’s Global Pro Bono Program encourages each office to tailor its efforts to address the legal needs of those most vulnerable in its community. GT Philadelphia continues to do that in new and exciting ways, serving as a great example of how robust pro bono work and civic engagement helps to empower neighbors and communities as well as our lawyers,” she added.
Greenberg Traurig lawyers were among the 1,600 volunteers working with Philadelphia VIP to address critical legal challenges of more than 3,700 individuals and families this year alone.
Founded in 1981 and renamed in 1986, Philadelphia VIP arose from the Philadelphia Bar Association’s pro bono program. It serves as a nonprofit hub to recruit, train, support, and match volunteer attorneys with low-income residents embroiled in civil legal problems that impact their housing, education, health, employment, or financial stability.
Since its founding, Greenberg Traurig’s Philadelphia office has cultivated relationships with local legal organizations that support vulnerable and marginalized people seeking justice, including the Philadelphia Public Interest Law Center, Pennsylvania Innocence Project, Women’s Law Project, Women Against Abuse, and many others.
About Greenberg Traurig Philadelphia: Founded in 1997, Greenberg Traurig’s Philadelphia office is home to some 50 attorneys whose practices include Real Estate, Public Finance, Litigation, Labor & Employment, Environmental, Government Law & Policy, Restructuring & Bankruptcy, White Collar Defense & Special Investigations, Corporate & Securities, Intellectual Property, Immigration & Compliance, Investment Regulation, and Tax. The Philadelphia office represents clients in the manufacturing, health care, real estate, energy, financial, and insurance industries, state and local governments, professional service, and energy firms and individuals.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Pro Bono Program: Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firm provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing, and homelessness.
About Greenberg Traurig, LLP: Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GT) has approximately 2,200 attorneys in 40 locations in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. GT has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, diversity, and innovation, and is consistently among the largest firms in the U.S. on the Law360400 and among the Top 20 on the Am Law Global 100. Web: www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.