Bridgewater’s Legal and Regulatory Group recently launched a pro bono program focusing on racial justice, immigration, and veterans affairs, which aims to provide opportunities for our attorneys to fulfill their professional obligations while engaging in pro bono services that are personally meaningful to them.
According to a 2017 report by the Legal Services Corporation, state-by-state studies suggest that about 80% of civil legal needs of those living in poverty go unmet, as well as 40-60% of the needs of middle-income Americans. With this in mind, Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary Tracey Yurko and Senior Counsel Renée Beckoff worked together to create a platform for Bridgewater’s legal department to start doing their small part to address this gap. Since launching the program, the legal department has participated in an immigration clinic and has partnered with a provider who gives legal services to small business owners who are underrepresented people of color.
Listen to some of our lawyers describe their experience providing pro bono work through the program so far: