Pro bono work has been a cornerstone of Neal Gerber Eisenberg’s mission since our inception. The benefits of “giving back” to the community are many, not only for those we serve, but for our attorneys. We feel strongly that public service makes us better, more well-rounded lawyers, permitting us to step beyond our day-to-day practices, sharpen and extend our legal skills and increase our engagement with all segments of society.

We encourage all of our lawyers to devote time to pro bono legal work. Rather than create a one-size-fits-all program that requires our attorneys to participate in a few approved activities, we reinforce our emphasis on individual entrepreneurship by offering our attorneys the freedom to choose and receive billable credit for self-directed pro bono assignments that reflect their own personal and professional motivations. In doing so, the firm is able to broaden the scope and the reach of our services to a wide range of beneficiaries.

The natural result of this flexible pro bono policy has been the valuable contribution of pro bono hours to a broad spectrum of Chicago-based programs and institutions. Our lawyers have provided legal services to arts organizations, programs for the handicapped and disabled, community schools and educational institutions, churches and synagogues, family-service organizations and residents of low-income neighborhoods, among others. This local focus dovetails well with our belief that pro bono work should be a direct investment in — and of direct benefit to — the communities in which we live and work.

Neal Gerber Eisenberg has been notably recognized for our pro bono initiatives including:

• In 2010, firm partner Dao L. Boyle was named a “Pro Bono Attorney of the Month” by Illinois Legal Aid Online in recognition for his pro bono work in successfully representing several political asylum seekers in deportation proceedings.
• In 2009, Neal Gerber Eisenberg was recognized as a Pro Bono Leader by Equip for Equality for contributing hundreds of hours of legal service to staff an intake hotline to support Equip for Equality’s Special Education Clinic and provide legal advice and assistance to parents of children with disabilities.  
• In 2007, Neal Gerber Eisenberg received the Chicago Legal Clinic’s Charles J. O’Laughlin Memorial Award, which honors law firms with “an exemplary record of pro bono representations of individuals or groups.”
• In 2006, Chicago mayor Richard M. Daley presented the firm with the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund’s Partnership Award to honor our ongoing pro bono legal work for the Trust Fund.

Recent examples of our pro bono activities include:

• Joining more than 20 local law firms in February 2008 in support of the Law Firm Leadership Circle, a new Chicago Bar Foundation initiative launched to support legal aid and pro bono efforts. It is designed to serve low-income and disadvantaged individuals.
• Providing legal services to and serving on the board of directors of Housing Opportunities for Women, an organization committed to providing permanent solutions to the problems of homelessness and poverty for individuals and families.
• Providing legal representation to asylum seekers fleeing persecution in their homeland related to their sexual orientation, gender identity or political views.
• Representing low-income families in adoption and guardianship proceedings in the Circuit Court of Cook County.
• Securing an order issued by the Department of Homeland Security granting a pro bono client Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

View the NALP Form (1 pg. PDF) completed by Neal Gerber Eisenberg.

Neal Gerber Eisenberg Partner Dao L. Boyle Named “Pro Bono Attorney of the Month” by Illinois Legal Aid Online

Neal Gerber Eisenberg Recognized for Its Pro Bono Leadership by Equip for Equality

Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP a Charter Member of Chicago Bar Foundation Law Firm Leadership Circle in Support of New Legal Aid and Pro Bono Initiative

Neal Gerber Eisenberg Attorney Amir Azaran Appears on WTTW-11’s Chicago Tonight to Discuss Pro Bono Asylum Case for Afghan National

Chicago Lesbian, Good News Partners Resolve Dispute over Denial of Access to Homeless Shelter

Neal Gerber Eisenberg Receives Charles J. O’Laughlin Memorial Award for Pro Bono Work

Mayor Richard Daley Presents Award to Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg LLP for Law Firm’s Pro Bono Efforts on Behalf of the Chicago Low-Income Housing Trust Fund

The Practising Law Institute Announces Partnership With the Chicago Bar Foundation