Dechert LLP. Cira Centre 2929 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA Phone: (202)

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1 Cira Centre 2929 Arch St. Philadelphia, PA Phone: (202) locations Austin, TX Boston, MA Charlotte, NC Chicago, IL Hartford, CT Irvine, CA Los Angeles, CA Mountain View, CA New York, NY Philadelphia, PA Princeton, NJ San Francisco, CA Washington, DC Almaty Beijing Brussels Dubai Dublin Frankfurt Hong Kong London Luxembourg Moscow Munich Paris Singapore Tbilisi THE STATS No. of Attorneys: 908 No. of Offices: 27 Chair, Policy Committee: Andrew Levander Chief Executive Officer: Daniel O Donnell Hiring Partner(s): James A. Lebovitz EMPLOYMENT CONTACT Paul Giangola Global Director of Legal Recruiting Phone: (212) paul.giangola@dechert.com Careers website: MAJOR DEPARTMENTS & PRACTICES Antitrust/Competition Bankruptcy, Business Restructuring and Reorganization Corporate Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation Energy Finance Financial Services and Investment Management Industry Focus Intellectual Property Life Sciences Litigation Private Client Pro Bono Real Estate Regional Focus Regulatory Tax 157

2 Who s Who Does the firm have one or more pro bono coordinators and/or partners? If so, how many? 3 How does the firm decide whether to take on a pro bono matter? The firm uses a variety of factors in determining whether to take on a pro bono matter, including income eligibility of the client and the subject matter. We try to match the interests and skills of our lawyers with the needs of the community. Please provide a general description of how much of their time each of your pro bono coordinators and/or partners spends on pro bono work and/or administering the firm s pro bono program (e.g., less than half of their time, more than half of their time, all of their time). Full-time partner, full-time pro bono manager, part-time partner (Philadelphia), part-time pro bono assistant (London). Please provide the primary pro bono contact(s) s information below. Suzanne E. Turner Partner Phone: suzanne.turner@dechert.com Paul Lee Pro Bono Manager Phone: paul.lee@dechert.com Ethan Fogel Partner Phone: ethan.fogel@dechert.com Website: Does the firm have a pro bono committee? How often does the committee meet? Every six weeks. Please describe the composition of the committee. The firmwide pro bono committee consists of an attorney representative(s) from each of our offices. Several offices also have local pro bono committees or pro bono practice groups. THE SCOOP Does your firm have a pro bono policy? Can associates bring pro bono matters of interest to the firm? Has the firm signed on to the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge? What are some of the areas of law in which your firm has performed pro bono legal work since 2012? Asylum, Bankruptcy, Civil rights, Community economic development, Consumer law and small claims court, Death penalty defense, Disability benefits, Domestic violence, Education, Elder law, Employment, Environment, Fair housing/tenants rights, Family law, First Amendment and constitutional issues, HIV/AIDS advocacy, Homeless advocacy, Immigration, Indigent criminal defense, International human rights, Juvenile justice reform/ children s rights, Nonprofit corporate law, Nonprofit incorporation/ tax exemptions, Nonprofit intellectual property, Parole hearings, Police misconduct, Prisoners rights, Probate law, Public benefits, Real estate transactions, Social Security law, The arts and historic preservation, Veterans benefits/appeals, Voting rights Are there areas of law in which, as a matter of policy or practice, your firm does not perform pro bono work? None List up to 10 of your firm s pro bono clients or partners since 2012, including legal service providers or clearinghouses. Community Legal Services (Philadelphia) Lawyers Clearinghouse (Boston) Advocates for Human Rights Lawyers Alliance for New York Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law Immigration Equality Advocates for International Development Pro Bono Partnership Public Counsel (Los Angeles) Justice & Diversity Center (San Francisco) List up to three representative examples of your firm s pro bono matters since Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Dechert represents dozens of prisoners annually in civil rights cases challenging their conditions of incarceration. Dechert attorneys staff legal aid clinics through Community Matters (London), the Islington Law Centre (London), the Homeless Advocacy Project (Philadelphia), the Washington Vault.com Inc.

3 Legal Clinic for the Homeless, Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project (New York), and Droits d Urgence (Paris). Dechert attorneys handle a wide variety of issues for many different nonprofit organizations, including leases, employment issues, incorporation and application for tax exempt status, tax, trademark and copyright matters. List up to three pro bono matters that are highlights (e.g., a Supreme Court case). Please limit your answer to a short paragraph per matter. Groundbreaking Victory in Wisconsin Voter ID Case: Dechert prevailed on behalf of Wisconsin voters in a judgment handed down in April in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Our team obtained a final judgment enjoining Wisconsin s voter photo ID law, considered one of the strictest voter ID laws in the country, following a twoweek trial held in November In 2011, Wisconsin passed the law requiring certain types of photo ID in order to vote. A group of individuals who would be unable to vote because they lacked acceptable photo ID challenged the law as an unconstitutional violation of the equal protection clause and as a violation of Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act. Dechert attorneys built a fact-intensive case, bolstered by experts and statistics, that demonstrated that hundreds of thousands of Wisconsin voters in particular lower-income and minority voters as well as the elderly, students, veterans, people with disabilities, and homeless voters would be unfairly burdened by this restrictive law because they lacked acceptable photo ID and at least one of the underlying documents (typically their birth certificates) needed to obtain ID. The case was tried jointly with lawyers from the ACLU Voting Rights Project, the ACLU of Wisconsin, and the National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty. Providing Educational Stability for Children with Autism: On behalf of a class parents of children with autism (and co-counseling with PILCOP), Dechert challenged the Philadelphia School District s upper leveling process by which it transferred the children from school to school without adequate notice to or input from parents. On June 3, 2014, the district court approved a settlement in the matter. The settlement followed on the heels of several years of litigation and a successful summary judgment motion where the Court ruled that this procedure violated the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), noting that an unplanned transition for children with autism is likely to impact their learning negatively. The Court ordered the school district to alter its upper-leveling process for children with autism to provide prior written notice and a level of parental participation that complies with the procedural requirements under the IDEA. The settlement included a number of important components, including mandating that advance notice of any potential transfer decision be provided to parents at least twice prior to the next school year, ensuring that parents have an opportunity to provide input into any potential transfer decision. Parents also retained the right to object to a transfer decision through the normal due process hearing procedures. The case received significant press and was considered an enormous victory for children with disabilities in Philadelphia. Arguing for Artistic Freedom Through Rap Lyrics: A team of Dechert attorneys filed a brief on behalf of the ACLU of New Jersey, arguing that the First Amendment requires courts to conduct an analysis before admitting rap lyrics written by a defendant as evidence in his attempted murder trial. In the case of State v. Skinner, the trial court admitted into evidence thirteen pages of rap lyrics written by Skinner prior to the crime as evidence of his motive and intent, even though the lyrics had no connection to the crime with which Skinner was charged. Skinner was convicted, and appealed to the New Jersey Appellate Division, which reversed the conviction on a 2 1 vote. The State appealed to the New Jersey Supreme Court and the New Jersey ACLU, represented by Dechert, was granted amicus curiae status. Dechert s amicus brief argued that admission of the lyrics as evidence in a criminal proceeding could have a chilling effect on free expression rights because they are fictional and artistic expressions of a political and social commentary nature. Noting that courts around the country have admitted gangsta rap lyrics into evidence, Dechert argued that this is cruelly ironic, because gangsta rap had evolved as a response to the mass incarceration of the black male population in the inner cities, and is now being used to perpetuate the vicious cycle of arrest, incarceration, arrest, incarceration. The brief suggested that the court adopt a more stringent set of standards to guide courts in admitting into evidence a criminal defendant s fictional, artistic expressions. In August 2013, the New Jersey Supreme Court found in favor of Skinner, citing that there was no evidence that the rap lyrics, although filled with graphically violent images, were connected with the crime charged. The Court advised not to admit such evidence representing artistic expressions, including those of social commentary, unless there is a clear connection between the expressions and the crime charged and its probative value outweighs its prejudicial impact. BY THE NUMBERS What is the total number of hours that lawyers at your U.S. office(s) spent performing pro bono legal services, as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, in 2012 and 2013? Do not include summer associate or non-lawyer pro bono hours in your answers. Total number of pro bono hours in 2012: 61,070 Total number of pro bono hours in 2013: 63,128 What was the attorney headcount in your firm s U.S. offices? Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2012: 569 Number of attorneys as of December 31, 2013: 611 Using the number of attorneys listed above, what is the average number of pro bono hours per attorney in your firm s U.S. office(s) during the following years? Average number of hours per attorney in 2012: 107 Average number of hours per attorney in 2013: 103 Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 159

4 What percentage of attorneys employed during 2012 and 2013 in your firm s U.S. office(s) did at least 20 hours of pro bono during that calendar year? Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2012: % Percentage of attorneys who did pro bono work in 2013: % SUPERVISION AND EVALUATIONS Is there partner supervision on all pro bono matters? Do partner supervisors or, if applicable, senior associates provide written evaluations of associates work on pro bono matters? Are those evaluations taken into account in determining salary or bonuses?, they are taken into account when determining salary., they are taken into account when determining bonuses. Are those evaluations taken into account in determining advancement within the firm? Is there a pro bono requirement at your firm? What is the requirement and to whom does it apply? All attorneys are required to perform a minimum of 25 hours of pro bono work annually. Does the firm give billable hour credit for pro bono work? Does the firm have a maximum number of pro bono hours that can be applied toward the billable hour target? No Does the firm consider pro bono hours when determining bonuses? PRO BONO POINTS What training opportunities are open to associates working on pro bono matters? Dechert regularly publishes lists of external training programs offered on topics that could be useful in handling pro bono matters and encourages attorneys to attend. The firm also conducts internal training sessions. Does the firm offer the use of support staff in handling pro bono matters? Please indicate how many total hours and average hours per person your summer associates spent performing pro bono in 2012 and Total hours summer associates spent on pro bono work 2012: 4, : 1,851 Average hours per summer associate spent on pro bono work 2012: : 52 Percentage of summer associates in your firm s U.S. office(s) engaged in pro bono work 2012: 86% 2013: 35% Please provide any additional information about pro bono opportunities available to summer associates. Summer associates are encouraged to participate in the firm s pro bono program and regularly assist with already existing Dechert pro bono matters. Additionally, they participate in various programs specially geared toward summer associates, including Philadelphia VIP s Summer Associates Day and Sanctuary for Families Courtroom Advocates Program. Dechert also participates in the Legal Aid Society of New York s Summer Associate Program pairing up summer associates and partners with Social Security clients. Does the firm have established programs, such as externships, that enable its associates to work in a public interest setting? No What other law-related public interest and community service programs (that are not pro bono as defined by the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge) do you offer and manage? For example, list any law school collaborations and public interest scholarships, auctions at law schools, monetary support, or fellowships. We supervise students participating in the University of Pennsylvania School of Law s Federal Appellate Litigation Externship and partner with Penn Law students on a landlordtenant representation project. What non-law related volunteer opportunities does your firm offer? For example, list any work with high school students Vault.com Inc.

5 and non-legal volunteerism for organizations like Habitat for Humanity. Other public service initiatives include reading and mentoring programs, firmwide clothing and toy drives, twice annual Red Cross blood drives, United Way activities, participation in several nationwide jeans day fundraisers, and participation in the ABA s National Pro Bono Celebration Week. Please list any special recognition or awards your firm has won since 2012 for its pro bono work. American Bar Association Pro Bono Publico The American Lawyer Pro Bono Rankings U.S. No. 6, Global No. 6 The American Lawyer Global Pro Bono Deal of the Year New York State Bar Association President s Pro Bono - Large Law Firm National Legal Aid & Defender Association s Beacon of Justice United Way of Southeastern Pennsylvania s Partner in Caring Legal Aid Society of New York s Pro Bono Publico New York Law Journal s Lawyers Who Lead by Example City Bar Justice Center Jeremy G. Epstein s for Pro Bono Service Pennsylvania First Judicial District s Roll of Honor Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court Pro Bono Recognition Program Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll (DC) Pro Bono Partnership s Outstanding Nonprofit Project (Hartford) Partners for Women in Justice Pro Bono (Princeton) Volunteer Legal Services Program s Outstanding Volunteer (San Francisco) National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers Recognition of (Turner v. Rogers) Pennsylvania Legal Aid Network Excellence Immigration Equality s Safe Haven (New York) Legal Aid of North Carolina Pro Bono Attorney of the Year Financial Times Standout Firm Pro Bono Program State Bar of California Wiley W. Manual for Pro Bono The Legal Intelligencer Unsung Heroes (Philadelphia) Philadelphia VIP Silver Gavel American Gateways Access to Justice Pro Bono Attorney of the Year (Austin) Juvenile Law Center Spring Celebration Honoree The Texas State Conference of NAACP Foot Soldier in the Sands ACLU of Pennsylvania Civil Libertarian Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia Thaddeus Stevens Penn Law Alumni Society Howard Lesnick Pro Bono Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless Law Firm of the Year The Recorder Top 10 Pro Bono Efforts by Law Firms in Northern California GlaxoSmithKline Public Service Law Firm of the Year Mazzoni Center Amicus Community Legal Services Champion of Justice Please add any additional information about your firm s pro bono program. Dechert has a longstanding tradition of providing pro bono legal services to individuals and organizations who cannot otherwise afford legal counsel. Lawyers and non-legal staff in all practice groups and offices make a difference every day by contributing their talents to this endeavor. Dechert is a founding member of the Law Firm Pro Bono Project and, as part of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, we have committed to allocate three percent of our total billable time to pro bono work. In addition, we are a signatory to the United Kingdom s Joint Protocol for Pro Bono Legal Work. Pro bono work is treated the same as work performed for commercial clients, and associates receive billable hour credit for their pro bono work. All Dechert attorneys are required to perform a minimum of 25 pro bono hours annually. Our pro bono practice is diverse. Our lawyers handle hundreds of pro bono matters covering a broad range of issues such as civil rights, international human rights, child advocacy, special education, access to public benefits, asylum and the representation of numerous nonprofit organizations. Our goal is to find opportunities that meet the needs in the community and match the personal interests and skill sets of our lawyers. Thus, we take referrals from a wide range of local, national and international legal services organizations. Annually, the firm presents the Samuel E. Klein to an individual or team who has shown exceptional commitment to providing pro bono legal services. This year award winners were recognized for a variety of issues including assisting victims of human trafficking. A Dechert partner and coordinator work full-time, along with a part-time pro bono partner and assistant, to manage the firm s commitment to pro bono service. Dechert also supports a pro bono committee, consisting of representatives from every Dechert office that is charged with promoting the firm s pro bono efforts and ensuring that a wide variety of pro bono opportunities are available. Visit for company rankings, ratings and reviews to learn what it s really like to work in an industry or company and how to position yourself to land that job. 161