Pro Bono

Husch Blackwell has a long-standing commitment to providing pro bono legal services to individuals, public service groups and charitable organizations that are unable to pay for the legal representation they need. We encourage our attorneys to provide pro bono legal services, engage in activities that improve access to justice for all, and provide financial support for organizations that provide legal services to persons of limited means. We are a Signatory Member of the Pro Bono Institute's Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, a national organization that encourages pro bono work in law firms across the country.

Our attorneys provide pro bono legal services to individuals and groups referred to us from various agencies including Jewish Vocational Services, Rocky Mountain Immigration Services, Center for Missing & Exploited Children, various legal service corporations, Volunteer Lawyers and Accountants for the Arts, and many more. Our attorneys also volunteer their services via area bar associations, such as The Missouri Bar and The Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis.

Full billable hour credits are given to our attorneys for time spent on pro bono matters.

We support our attorneys with specialized training in the areas of law the volunteer attorneys routinely handle. Continuing Legal Education classes are held throughout the year on various topics.

Below are some of our long-term pro bono initiatives.

Neighborhood Stabilization Program

In this joint effort among Ivanhoe Neighborhood Council, Blue Hills Community Services, Neighborhood Housing Services, Westside Housing Organization, Habitat for Humanity Kansas City, the Legal Services of Western Missouri, the Economic Development Corporation and the City of Kansas City, Missouri, our attorneys are helping gain commitments from developers to acquire and rehabilitate residential properties in areas of Kansas City with high foreclosure rates and sell the properties to owner-occupants. Proceeds from the sales of the renovated properties flow into a revolving fund that will be used to renovate more properties. Along with attorneys from four other local law firms, our attorneys handle the complex legal issues involved with acquiring the properties and rehabilitating them in the short timeframe.

Legal Services Corporation Entities

We make a significant commitment to Legal Services Corporations (LSC). Several attorneys in Chattanooga, Peoria, Kansas City, St. Louis and Springfield are involved in the LSC's Volunteer Lawyers Projects. These programs are designed to provide legal services for those without the financial ability to acquire needed legal advice. We primarily handle landlord/tenant and family law cases through the Volunteer Lawyers Program.

Children with Disabilities

This is a collaborative effort with The Children's Legal Alliance and St. Louis University School of Law's Legal Clinic. Volunteer lawyers assist families with children who are diagnosed with disorders on the autism spectrum. The volunteer attorneys work with families in disputes over educational services, medical reimbursements, landlord/tenant matters, and other legal issues. Our estate planning attorneys also draw up special trusts and wills for these families.

Operation Excel YouthBuild

In November 2005, we began a partnership with Saint Louis University School of Law Clinic to provide pro bono legal services to low income students enrolled in Operation Excel YouthBuild. YouthBuild USA is a national nonprofit whose mission is to encourage low-income young people between the ages of 18-24 years old to rebuild their communities and their lives. Like many of their peers, YouthBuild students often face legal problems that for most would be minor inconveniences, but for under-educated and unemployed young people, create serious obstacles to employment and other aspects of daily life. Attorneys provide representation to YouthBuild students, assisting them to resolve outstanding misdemeanor warrants and secure arrangements to pay fines or perform community service.

Grace Hill

Grace Hill Settlement House, a member of the United Way of Greater St. Louis, works in partnership with neighbors to identify the social and economic challenges in North and South St. Louis, and establish families and communities that are strong and self-sustaining. We have partnered with Grace Hill for over five years to provide legal advice and services to neighbors. Volunteer attorneys donate their time and talents to represent neighbors with a wide range of legal issues including: child custody and visitation, wills, immigration, tax issues, identity theft, employment discrimination and housing.

Immigration & Asylum Cases

We handle a number of cases for individuals seeking immigration status or asylum in the United States. Our attorneys serve clients of local refugee support organizations in Kansas City, Denver and St. Louis. Our key roles are working on establishing permanent residency for the clients and helping them navigate the Immigration and Naturalization Service process.