This year, the conversation around pro bono, historically defined as legal work performed on behalf of the underserved without charge, has, let’s say, evolved.
Earlier this year, as my colleague Mahira Dayal and others have reported, a group of large law firms made a total of $940 million in free legal service agreements with the Trump administration, most after being the targets of executive orders or Equal Employment Opportunity Commission inquiries. (More of our coverage on that is here.) Other firms targeted litigated against the administration. (More on that here and here.)
At Bloomberg Law, our approach to Pro Bono Innovators is simple and based on the work. We want to celebrate the law firms and other legal service providers working to improve the lives of a wide range of underserved pro bono clients. These lawyers, who donate their time and talent, and the institutions that support them, are at the front lines of increasing access to justice. They help to solve issues acutely impacting human welfare and strengthen the fabric of our society.
In the fourth edition of our annual report, we highlight nine law firms that our team of editors rated as going above and beyond in delivering impactful pro bono work. They achieved success with sizable impact in matters ranging from disability rights and affordable housing to environmental improvement and human trafficking.
So how did the honorees get here? This year, they shared that they achieved success by combining legal acuity and innovation with a strong mission. They also coordinated with co-counsel across practice areas, and in some instances, around the globe.
Sidley Austin’s work included winning a class action in Steward v. Young in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas on behalf of thousands of Texans with intellectual and developmental disabilities who have been placed in segregated nursing facilities without services required by federal law.
“With this win, the court found that Texas’ long-term-care infrastructure and service delivery model must be redesigned—redirecting policy toward individualized, integrated supports and away from placing people in nursing homes,” wrote Yvette Ostolaza, management committee chair and member of the Commercial Litigation and Disputes practice, in her firm’s nomination, joined by partners Robert Velevis and Natali Wyson. “In addition to the direct and powerful impact on the more than 4,000 Texans with IDD who have been wrongly institutionalized over decades, this case affects future individuals (and their families) who will not have their civil rights denied.”
Jenner & Block secured a Federal Communications Commission order adopted in July 2024 reducing exploitative communication rates for incarcerated people after a decades-long push. The firm reported that the team benefited from having FCC alums on board.
“With this intimate knowledge of how the FCC operates and what drives decisions, the team of agency veterans was able to fine tune the advocacy to prioritize arguments that would return the greatest results,” Partner Rebekah Goodheart and Special Counsel Greg Capobianco wrote in their submission.
Latham & Watkins secured a US Supreme Court win in A.J.T v. Osseo Area Schools, on behalf of Ava Tharpe, a student with severe epilepsy, establishing that students with disabilities suing for education-related discrimination under the ADA and Rehabilitation Act must be treated like all other plaintiffs suing.
“The unanimous US Supreme Court ruling is a major victory. The decision makes it easier for students with disabilities and their families to prove education-related discrimination and ultimately obtain relief under federal law,” wrote Roman Martinez, global chair of the firm’s Supreme Court & Appellate practice, in the firm’s nomination, along with associates Nick Rosellini, Peter Prindiville, and Uriel Hinberg.
Congratulations to all of our 2025 Pro Bono Innovators! Read more about their wins and projects in their Q&As below.
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