PALO ALTO, CA (September 16, 2020)—Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati recently held a virtual version of its annual “Wilson Sonsini Gives” event to celebrate attorneys and staff throughout the firm who have made outstanding contributions to the firm’s pro bono and community service programs over the past year. Click here to see an abbreviated version of the program and hear comments from some of the individuals who were recognized for their efforts.

During the virtual celebration, Litigation Of Counsel and Pro Bono Counsel Luke Liss shared updates on a number of current pro bono initiatives, adding that “Wilson Sonsini is laser focused on new clients and initiatives that are focused on racial justice and civil rights.” Liss announced several new initiatives that augment the firm’s civil rights efforts. The new initiatives include:

• Racial Justice/Civil Rights Pledge: Wilson Sonsini is pledging to increase the value of pro bono legal services by $15 million over the course of the next three years ($5 million per year). The additional pro bono legal services will be dedicated to racial justice and civil rights work.    The progress towards this goal will be measured based on the increase over the average dollar amount value of pro bono services recorded for the last 3 years.
• Juneteenth 2021: In 2021, Wilson Sonsini plans to celebrate Juneteenth with a firmwide day of service. Attorneys and staff will receive volunteer time off to participate in community service projects, with a focus on racial justice and civil rights, near each of the firm’s offices.
• The Harry Bremond Award: Commencing in 2021, the firm will add a new pro bono award, The Harry Bremond Award, named for a Wilson Sonsini retired partner who, for decades, has been actively involved in civil rights and helping ensure equal access to justice. The award will recognize an attorney who has consistently upheld Harry Bremond’s excellence in character, leadership, and service to community.

Wilson Sonsini and the Wilson Sonsini Foundation have a long history of supporting nonprofit organizations that are seeking to advance justice and civil rights, including providing pro bono legal services, financial support, and volunteer services.

For example, most recently, in August 2020, Wilson Sonsini announced it has raised more than half a million dollars to support organizations that are focused on promoting racial justice and ending racial discrimination. The firm’s employees and the Wilson Sonsini Foundation raised a total of $510,845 in a matching-funds campaign that began on June 5. In July, Wilson Sonsini joined the ACLU of Louisiana’s “Justice Lab: Putting Racist Policing on Trial,” the ACLU chapter’s campaign to dismantle racially discriminatory policing practices.

“Wilson Sonsini is strongly committed to ensuring access to justice, and I am continually impressed with, and inspired by, the work of our teams across the firm on so many impactful matters and initiatives,” said Wilson Sonsini Managing Partner Doug Clark.

About Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati
Wilson Sonsini represents clients in a broad range of legal disciplines that address the principal challenges faced by the management and boards of directors of business enterprises. Known worldwide for its representation of technology and life sciences clients, Wilson Sonsini is a leading corporate law firm, representing clients in capital markets, M&A, private equity, venture finance, and technology transactions. The firm’s recognized litigation and trial practice represents clients in antitrust, class action, commercial, governance, IP, privacy, securities, and other types of contested matters. Wilson Sonsini also has a substantial and growing regulatory and compliance practice, advising clients as to antitrust, consumer products, CFIUS and FCPA, FDA, international trade, privacy, and other matters. With deep roots in Silicon Valley, Wilson Sonsini has offices in Austin; Beijing; Boston; Brussels; Hong Kong; London; Los Angeles; New York; Palo Alto; San Diego; San Francisco; Seattle; Shanghai; Washington, D.C.; and Wilmington, DE. For more information, visit www.wsgr.com.