Pro Bono

Providing impactful legal services to those in need through pro bono representation has always been a core part of our firm’s culture. Pryor Cashman encourages all of our attorneys to give back and seek out legal work to advance causes that reflect their values.

Our lawyers spend more than 4,000 hours a year on pro bono matters, and the firm has been lauded in Law360’s 2023 Pro Bono Rankings. This work supports local communities and national organizations in need of legal services. Our pro bono case work is diverse and includes litigation and transactional work on behalf of the arts community, complex commercial litigation in support of vulnerable low-income populations in New York City, immigration matters, asylum seekers, intellectual property disputes, and cases involving domestic violence survivors, among other things. Time spent on pro bono matters can be credited as billable hours for all purposes, including eligibility for bonuses.

The professional energy and dedication to excellence we bring to our pro bono commitments is the same as that we devote to every client’s needs. Pryor Cashman is proud to partner with and provide pro bono services to a number of local and national organizations—learn more about each organization by clicking the links on this page.

Awards

Pryor Cashman’s attorneys are regularly recognized for their pro bono work by our affiliate organization partners. Highlights include:

Pro Bono Highlights

Attorneys at all levels across the firm say that their pro bono matters are among their most satisfying matters, leveraging their exceptional skill and dedication to helping those in need. Representative pro bono matters include:

  • Asylum Application: Counsel Matthew Lamb successfully appealed the initial denial of Gilmer Lopez-Garcia’s asylum application to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals—where the court vacated the denial due to clearly erroneous factual findings—following which a new hearing was held before an Immigration Judge. The Immigration Judge ruled in favor of Mr. Lopez-Garcia, acknowledging the extraordinary circumstances he faced which justified his delay in applying for asylum. The Department of Homeland Security waived any appeal, ensuring a final resolution in Mr. Lopez-Garcia’s favor.
  • Legal Aid Society/Case Closed: Associate Jason Pachter works with LAS on the Case Closed Project, which helps people convicted of certain crimes in New York to seal their criminal records. To date, Jason has assisted in sealing criminal records for approximately 10 pro bono clients and continues his involvement with the project.
  • Legal Aid Society/Real Estate Matters: Partners Todd Soloway and Rachel Shaw, along with Associate Abla Belhachmi, represented The Legal Aid Society for many years in a high-stakes litigation against its landlord concerning serious and recurring safety failures at Legal Aid’s Brooklyn headquarters, located at 111 Livingston Street in Brooklyn. The action arose from the landlord’s material breaches of the lease, including its failure to properly maintain the building’s HVAC system, which led to pervasive mold contamination. Following the filing of Pryor Cashman’s complaint, the parties entered into a settlement agreement requiring the landlord to install a new HVAC system, thereby ensuring clean and healthy working conditions for Legal Aid and all tenants in the building. Todd Soloway and Rachel Shaw were awarded the Legal Aid Society Publico Award in recognition of their work on this matter.
  • Her Justice: Associates Mallory Chandler, Itai Raz, and Helen (Nellie) Hunter worked with Her Justice, which provides pro bono support to New York City women in poverty, on child support and child custody litigation matters for a client. Having already prevailed in a child support trial for their client in 2021, Mallory, Itai and Nellie continue to represent her in ongoing trials to enforce the child support award and seek sole custody.
  • South Bronx United: Associate Kamille Go collaborated with SBU to represent pro bono a 16-year-old child from the Dominican Republic on a successful motion for special findings and petition for guardianship filed in Bronx County Family Court. This victory sets him on a path to lawful permanent residence in the U.S. by enabling him to apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.
  • Brooke Comegys/“Titty Monster”: Partners Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme and Kaveri Arora, Counsel William Thomashower, and Associate Kate Garber represented artist Brooke Comegys, whose trademark application for the mark TITTY MONSTER had been opposed by Monster Energy Company at the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. In addition to her art, Brooke runs a clothing company, which she named “Titty Monster” as a way to reclaim a term that bullies had used to taunt her as a child while grappling with issues related to gender and orientation. Now her company promotes body positivity and self-acceptance, and donates the proceeds from all sales of pink beanies to the Keep a Breast Foundation. In October 2023, Monster Energy withdrew its oppositions with prejudice.
  • Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts (VLA): Pryor Cashman regularly conducts intake clinics for VLA and represents individual clients in both disputes and transactional matters. Among recent representations, Partner Paul Cossu and Associate Helen P. Hunter represented a sculptural artist in a dispute with a gallery where several artworks had been consigned for sale. The artworks were damaged before being returned to the artist, raising issues of insurance coverage and consignee liability. The Pryor Cashman team successfully negotiated a favorable pre-litigation resolution on behalf of the artist. Additionally, Partner Ross Bagley, Counsel Nick Saady, and Associate Alexandra Peterson represented two pro bono clients at pivotal moments in their careers. They secured the dismissal of a copyright infringement lawsuit pending in the Southern District of New York that threatened a journalist’s small business, allowing it to continue operating without the burden of litigation. They also represented an emerging electronic music artist in a dispute concerning a restrictive management agreement, enabling him to move forward with his career.