L4GG's Spring 2022 Newsletter is here!

We’re at a critical time in the fight for human rights — between the invasion of Ukraine, the legislative attacks on bodily autonomy and the worsening climate crisis, the situation seems dire. But I am heartened by the way the Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) community of lawyers and advocates has risen to meet the moment. 

For example, we’ve kicked off our TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, we’re teaching municipalities how to access funding for green infrastructure, shedding light on corporal punishment in public schools and much more.

Take a look at our newsletter below to learn more, and if you want to help us continue this vital work, consider making a donation. 

Ukrainians Receive Free Legal Help to Apply for U.S. Immigration Status

Pro Bono Lawyers from 130 Major Law Firms and Companies Are Volunteering to Help Ukrainians in the U.S. to Apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and a broad coalition of 130 law firms and companies have partnered to launch the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, a nationwide pro bono remote legal clinic to provide legal services for Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

Interested Ukrainians who would like to request free legal assistance in filing for TPS should click HERE and fill out the online screening form: L4GG.org/TPS-Ukraine.

Eligible Ukrainian nationals will be offered free legal assistance from pro bono attorneys who can help answer legal questions and assist in applying for TPS. TPS is a form of immigration relief offered to foreign nationals in the United States whose home countries are considered unsafe, and provides the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary period. The Biden Administration designated Ukraine for TPS in early March of 2022, and has declared that Ukrainian nationals who entered the U.S. on or before April 11, 2022 are eligible to apply. 

The initiative has recruited more than 2,400 attorney volunteers. A full list of participating law firms and companies is below. Additionally, the clinic was launched with financial support from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Alston & Bird LLP, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Comcast NBCUniversal, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, DLA Piper LLP US, Eversheds Sutherland, Fenwick & West LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, GE, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, K&L Gates, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, King & Spalding, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, Linklaters LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Nelson Mullins, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, PayPal, Inc., Robins Kaplan LLP, Seyfarth Shaw, Sidley Austin LLP, Verizon Communications, White & Case LLP, and the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation.

“TPS is an important tool to safeguard lives, increase economic stability, and keep families united during a time of unprecedented uncertainty for Ukrainians,” said Traci Feit Love, Executive Director of Lawyers for Good Government. “We are proud to mobilize the legal community in support of this project and are grateful to the 130 law firms and companies who are standing beside us to serve the Ukrainian community.”

“Ukrainians in the United States are facing a period of extreme instability, in which they cannot return to their home country, and do not know what they will find when they can eventually return,” said Jacqueline Haberfeld, Global Program Director and Pro Bono Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. “As lawyers, we feel fortunate to have the skills necessary to help relieve them of the burden of concern about their immigration status, and to be able to help them obtain permission to work and support themselves while they shelter in the United States during the war.”

The TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine is an initiative of L4GG’s Project Corazon, an immigrants’ rights program defending the rights of asylum seekers and other migrants. Project Corazon runs a legal clinic in the Rio Grande Valley that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, with a focus on serving particularly vulnerable asylum seekers, such as those with medical or psychological conditions, disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and third-language speakers.  

If resources allow, L4GG hopes to expand the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine to provide legal assistance to nationalities of other countries designated for TPS, such as Afghans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Cameroonians, and more. 

Full List of Participating Law Firms and Companies:

Akerman LLP

Alpert, Slobin & Rubenstein, LLP  

Alpha Medical

Alston & Bird LLP

Amgen

Arnold & Porter

Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

BakerHostetler

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

Blank Rome

Bloomberg

BNY Mellon

Brainly

Bristol Myers Squibb

Buckley LLP

Cable & Wireless Communications LLC

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft

Clark Hill PLC

Cohen & Siegel

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman and McKenna

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Comcast NBCUniversal

Crowell & Moring LLP

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Dechert LLP

DLA Piper LLP US

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Dykema

Elastic

Eversheds Sutherland

F5, Inc.

Fennemore

Fenwick & West LLP

Fidelity Investments

Fish & Richardson P.C.

Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley Hoag LLP

Ford Motor Company

Fragomen

Freshfields US LLP

GE

Goodwin Procter LLP

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart LLP

Hopin

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

IBM

Infineon Technologies

Intel

International Legal Counsels PC (d/b/a femida.us) 

Irwin IP LLC

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jenner & Block LLP

JPMorgan Chase

K&L Gates

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

LinkedIn

Linklaters LLP

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Lyft, Inc.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Mayer Brown LLP

McCarter & English, LLP

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McGuireWoods LLP

Milbank

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P. C.

Nelson Mullins

Norton Rose Fulbright 

Orrick

Pacific Life Insurance Company

Paramount Global

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

PayPal, Inc.

Pfizer

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pro Bono Strategies

Reed Smith LLP

RELX, Inc.

Robins Kaplan LLP

Robinson & Cole LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Seyfarth Shaw

Shearman & Sterling

Sheppard Mullin

Sidley Austin LLP

JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP

State Farm

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Stroock

USAA

Vault Health

Verizon Communications

White & Case LLP

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts. 

Kirkland & Ellis is committed to providing legal services without charge to those who cannot afford counsel, with the goals of improving lives, bettering communities and deepening our attorneys’ professional experience. Kirkland attorneys at all levels pursue pro bono matters dealing with a variety of issues such as immigration, disability rights, civil rights, prisoner rights, death penalty cases and criminal appeals, guardianship, veterans’ benefits, and the representation of nonprofit organizations, among other areas. In 2021, Kirkland devoted more than 122,000 hours of free legal service to pro bono clients. Learn more about Kirkland’s commitment to pro bono and corporate social responsibility at www.kirkland.com/CSR.

TELL BIDEN ADMINISTRATION: Protect Ukrainians in the United States

In response to Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine, L4GG is working on two important fronts to ensure that the U.S. government protects Ukrainian nationals within the U.S. We invite you to join us today.

CALL FOR TEMPORARY PROTECTED STATUS (TPS) FOR UKRAINIANS IN THE US.

We’ve written a letter to President Biden, Secretary of Homeland Security Mayorkas, and Secretary of State Blinken urging them to designate the 30,000 Ukrainian nationals within the United States as eligible for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) or Deferred Enforced Departure (DED), as well as Special Student Relief (SSR).  TPS provides protection from deportation and permission to work for eligible nationals of countries that have been designated temporarily too dangerous for return.

Join us today by calling directly on the Biden Administration to make this designation.

CLICK TO TWEET:

The serious and ongoing armed conflict in Ukraine is a humanitarian crisis. @POTUS @SecMayorkas must immediately designate TPS or DED and SSR for Ukraine. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov calling for TPS: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge @SecMayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation. Read letter from @lawyers4goodgov: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter

COPY AND PASTE TO FACEBOOK:

A country reeling from military aggression is not appropriate for safe return! We urge President Biden and Secretary Mayorkas to designate Ukraine for #TPS and protect 30,000 people from deportation.

Read L4GG’s Letter Here: https://L4GG.org/TPS4UkraineLetter.

DEVELOPING RAPID RESPONSE PRO BONO PROJECT TO ASSIST UKRANIAN NATIONALS

Just as we’ve done in similar moments of crisis, we’re currently working in coalition with partner organizations to better ascertain the needs of Ukrainian nationals and determine how L4GG might be able to mobilize the legal profession to help at this moment. If TPS/DED status is granted to Ukraine, we intend to move very quickly to implement a new pro bono project to provide legal assistance. We have already begun building the infrastructure for this potential project and will keep you apprised as things develop.

Urgency to Continue Transitioning to Renewable Energy

The war in Europe also highlights the urgency for the US to transition to renewable energy sources and away from reliance on fossil fuels and petrostates like Russia. L4GG remains committed to helping localities transition to renewable energy, and you can learn more about our work doing so with our Climate Change program here. 

L4GG Celebrates Five Years With Event Series

In November of 2016, Traci Feit Love made a post on Facebook, as a lawyer, a parent, and a person uncertain about the future, and wanting to make change. When she made that post, she had no idea what that spark would ignite, and how many lawyers would respond. 

Now, five years later, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) has grown into an organization with thousands of supporters like you, all across the country, who are working towards real change. We are lawyers, law students, and activists who believe in using our skills and expertise to build a better world, from the halls of legislation to making an impact on-the-ground.

L4GG would like to invite you to join us for a series of events to celebrate L4GG’s impact over the last five years, and share with you our vision for the future of L4GG. 

Check out the schedule of events here and click Follow Calender to register. You can attend as many events as you’d like — whatever works for your schedule. 

Can’t make an event? Register and we’ll send you the recording, that way you don’t miss out. 

From the bottom of my heart, L4GG thanks you for your continued support throughout the years. We hope you’ll join us to celebrate the future, and for whatever the next 5 years will bring. 

New Report: Voters of Color Suffer Without Paid Leave

Today, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) released its new report indicating that there are still many legal barriers that prevent people from exercising their civic duty, and that those barriers primarily affect Black and Brown voters.  

The report, titled “No Time To Vote: Achieving Racial Equity in Paid Time Off on Election Day”, says that during the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections, Black and Brown voters waited longer to vote than white voters. In 2016, voters in predominantly Black communities waited 29% longer than voters in predominantly white communities. 

To combat the discriminatory impacts on voters of color, the report offers the recommendation that states require that employees have time to vote without penalty or loss of wages. The report found that while thirty states require employers to allow their employees time off to vote on Election Day, the vast majority of the states that require leave for voting cap the time requirement at one, two, or three hours. These caps are problematic because voters must often stand in line for far longer, forcing them to choose between their income and exercising their right to vote. Additionally, six states require employers to allow leave, but require that the leave is unpaid.

“Making voting accessible and equitable is a racial justice issue. Significant numbers of people continue to vote in person on Election Day, and while our nation has progressed beyond the overt racism of poll taxes and literacy tests, a persistent barrier has been long lines to vote and the so-called ‘time tax,’ which continues to disenfranchise people of color. Our report hopes to shed light on this disparity and suggest viable solutions to make voting fairer for all Americans.”

— Adam Fernandez, L4GG’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement

“In order to uphold the tenets of our democracy, it needs to work for everyone. To do that, we recommend policy changes that guarantee that all workers will have the necessary amount of time to leave work to vote without penalty or loss of pay. Our suggestions also provide an explicit private right of action to hold employers accountable if they violate the policy. In this way, we hope to see a new day for racial equity in voting, and the strengthening of our democracy.”

— Joe Spielberger, L4GG's Legislative Counsel on Policy and Strategic Engagement

L4GG - Response to Eviction Crisis

On August 30, 2021, Attorney General Merrick Garland issued a call to action for the legal community, urging that we each step up to help address the looming housing and evictions crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Lawyers for Good Government community of attorneys, law firms, in-house legal departments, and non-profit partners is committed to supporting this effort.

Letter from Attorney General Merrick Garland:

Over three million households are behind on rental payments and could be evicted over the next few months. Renters in the US are disproportionately people of color, and the coming eviction crisis is one that will disproportionately harm underrepresented communities. While the federal government has supplied Emergency Rental Assistance to help keep renters in their homes, only 11 percent of that rental assistance has been used. 

If you are an attorney or law student who would like to learn more about opportunities to help keep families in their homes, please fill out this very brief form to sign up for SMS and email alerts from L4GG:

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“The legal profession is well positioned to provide support for tenants, landlords, and courts during this crisis. Promoting access to justice to ensure that our justice system delivers outcomes that are fair and accessible to all, irrespective of wealth or status, is one of the highest ideals of the legal profession. ”

— Attorney General Merrick Garland

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