Pro bono attorneys from Orange County office contributed nearly 2,500 hours to PLC clients
The Public Law Center will honor the Orange County office of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP as the Law Firm of the Year at the upcoming Volunteers for Justice Dinner. Gibson Dunn attorneys have dramatically increased their pro bono contributions to PLC in the last three years and taken on a wide range of legal issues on behalf of low-income Orange County residents.
“It is difficult to fully describe in a sentence or two Gibson Dunn’s pro bono accomplishments in the past year, because they worked on cases ranging from family law to consumer, and from immigration to veterans,” said Kirsten Kreymann, PLC’s Pro Bono Director. “Furthermore, Gibson Dunn represented PLC clients in everything from impact litigation to direct representation, and from appellate work to pro se clinics.”
Gibson Dunn devoted over 1,000 pro bono hours in 2014 alone assisting one low-income senior facing the potential loss of her home of 40 years (trial is set to begin next month). Gibson Dunn is one of the rare firms that accepts family law cases and their attorneys go way beyond the call of duty to assist PLC clients – including one instance where an attorney on maternity leave voluntarily flew from out-of-state to argue a case. And this commitment to justice for all extended into legal areas that were new to Gibson Dunn attorneys, like adoption law. In one particular case, the firm not only spent considerable research hours to provide top-notch legal service to a family, but even paid the social services investigation fee for the low-income grandparents adopting their 8-year-old grandson.
“Gibson Dunn is committed to serving the Orange County community, and it is a great privilege and honor to work alongside PLC in providing access to justice for low-income and vulnerable residents,” said Jeffrey Reeves, Partner in Charge of the Orange County office. “We are proud to be recognized as Law Firm of the Year and will aim to further deepen Gibson Dunn’s relationship with PLC in the years to come,” he added.
Indeed, in this past year alone, Gibson Dunn attorneys helped a legally blind man in his late 70s discharge his federal student loans, which he could not pay with his very limited income (less than $1,000 per month). The firm also worked on behalf of veterans on issues such as discharge upgrades and small business ownership. In fact, Gibson Dunn attorneys regularly assist small business and non-profit clients with their legal needs. The firm’s track record and expertise in immigration cases is also stellar. Finally, Gibson Dunn attorneys help staff PLC’s Pro Se Clinic at the Federal District Court in Santa Ana once a month.
Gibson Dunn approaches their long tradition of service to the community with the same passion, creativity and motivation as applied to their paying work. For this and all the reasons stated above, PLC will honor Gibson Dunn on June 22nd at the 2015 Volunteers for Justice Dinner. PLC will also honor Anna Strasburg Davis of UC Irvine School of Law as the Attorney of the Year and Hyundai Motor America as the Corporate Partner of the Year. To find more information about VFJ, please visit www.publiclawcenter.org.