Pro Bono

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According to a National Disability Institute report (available here), adults living with disabilities need 28% more income on average to achieve the same standard of living as those without disabilities. There are some tools designed to address this disparity, including Achieving a Better Life Experience (“ABLE”) accounts, a potentially overlooked but useful resource available through state-run programs for individuals with disabilities.

Just before the 2024 U.S. Election, Proskauer’s Reproductive Rights Steering Committee hosted a panel discussion addressing the current state of reproductive rights two years post-Dobbs.

I was honored to lead this conversation with the panel, which included two lawyers from the Center for Reproductive Rights, an organization where I previously served as a senior litigation attorney. The Center for Reproductive Rights is a global human rights organization that uses the law to advance reproductive freedom as a fundamental human right. During the conversation, Bella Pori, state legislative counsel in the U.S. Policy & Advocacy division, and Alex Wilson, a staff attorney with the Center’s U.S. Judicial Strategy team, outlined the ways the Center’s attorneys and advocates have challenged abortion bans and unnecessary maternal health restrictions, supported expansive policies protecting access to reproductive healthcare, and pushed for access to assisted reproduction. These actions describe some of the many ways the Center seeks to further its mission of ensuring that reproductive rights are protected in law as fundamental human rights for the dignity, equality, health and well-being of every person.

As Proskauer’s Pro Bono Counsel, Michelle Moriarty not only manages the pro bono program but also participates in some of the Firm’s most impactful pro bono projects. She has volunteered on the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law’s Election Protection hotline for years and will be a hotline captain for this year’s election cycle. Michelle recently caught up with associate Elliot Stevens, who will serve as one of Proskauer’s hotline leads this year, and associate Matt Westbrook, another hotline captain, to discuss their experiences fielding voter calls over the last few weeks.

Julia Bihary has recently joined Proskauer’s pro bono team in London. She has practiced as a litigator for six years (three of which were spent at Proskauer) prior to this move, specializing in complex commercial litigation and arbitration matters. She is also a solicitor advocate with Higher Rights of Audience, which enables her to appear in the higher courts of England and Wales. In this short interview, Julia explains more about her passion for pro bono and the transition to this new role.

Pro bono work regularly makes a meaningful difference in people’s lives, whether by securing a favorable outcome for an individual or resolving a class action case affecting thousands. While it’s important to recognize and support pro bono efforts in and of themselves, we also need to be able to take a…