Overview
WASHINGTON, DC – McDermott Will & Emery is being honored by Washington, DC-based nonprofit Children’s Law Center (CLC) as this year’s Pro Bono Champion in recognition of the firm’s deep engagement and longstanding support for the organization’s mission and the individuals it touches. Since McDermott began working with CLC in 2008, the firm has accepted more than 80 pro bono matters and dedicated nearly 17,000 hours to those matters.
“Health, education, family. For more than a decade, the McDermott team has partnered with Children’s Law Center to advocate for DC children – and they have done so with a passion for every aspect of our mission,” said Judith Sandalow, CLC’s executive director. “From their pro bono work to piloting our first special education program, they have been trusted partners in child advocacy. We’re proud to name McDermott our 2018 Children’s Pro Bono Champion.”
McDermott lawyers serve as guardians ad litem for children at the center of contested custody proceedings and assist in drafting wills and providing estate-planning services to parents facing difficult medical challenges. They regularly advocate to ensure that children with special education needs receive the specialized instructions, therapy and classroom accommodations that they need to achieve their maximum potential. The Firm has also provided advice and strategic analysis on critical policy changes, primarily in the area of special education, and offered evidence to city officials and lawmakers based on their experiences working on CLC matters.
“We are honored to receive the Children’s Pro Bono Champion award and proud to work alongside CLC to provide critical legal services and improve the lives of children and families in DC,” said Elizabeth P. Lewis, McDermott’s pro bono and community service partner. “Our team values the opportunity to help our pro bono partners make meaningful progress toward their goals and to contribute to the overall well-being of the communities where we live and work. We look forward to continuing this important relationship with CLC.”
CLC will recognize McDermott at its annual “Helping Children Soar” benefit at the Kennedy Center Roof Terrace Restaurant on September 26, 2018. Additional information about the benefit is available here.
About Children’s Law Center
Celebrating more than 20 years of advocacy, Children’s Law Center fights so every District child can grow up with a loving family, good health and a quality education. Judges, pediatricians and families turn to CLC to advocate for children who are abused or neglected, who aren’t learning in school, or who have health problems that can’t be solved by medicine alone. With 100 staff and hundreds of pro bono lawyers, CLC reaches one out of every nine children in DC’s poorest neighborhoods – more than 5,000 children and families each year. More information is available at www.ChildrensLawCenter.org.
About McDermott
McDermott Will & Emery is a premier international law firm with a diversified business practice. Numbering more than 1,000 lawyers, we have offices in Boston, Brussels, Chicago, Dallas, Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, New York, Orange County, Paris, San Francisco, Seoul, Silicon Valley and Washington, DC. Further extending our reach into Asia, we have a strategic alliance with MWE China Law Offices in Shanghai.
McDermott offers a comprehensive pro bono and community service program managed and led by its full-time pro bono partner and the chair of our Pro Bono & Community Service Committee, which seeks to ensure that the same standards of quality, service and care that McDermott gives to its paying clients are also afforded to those it serves on a pro bono basis. The Firm strongly encourages its lawyers and staff to participate in pro bono initiatives, volunteer services and charitable activities
