Our Firm: Community/Pro Bono

To view Gray Plant Mooty's 2007 Pro Bono and Community Service Annual Report, please click here.

Gray Plant Mooty is deeply committed to the practice of law and to the improvement of our community. Through involvement in charitable organizations and pro bono activities, our lawyers, paralegals and staff strive to make a positive difference in our local and national communities. Our firm has participated in projects and organizations ranging from our Hats for Hope project to the United Way.

Attorneys have unique training and skills and, because of that, also have a special responsibility to help people in need. Lawyers can play a crucial role in ensuring that our legal system is accessible to everyone, especially for those without financial resources.

With that commitment in mind, Gray Plant Mooty strongly supports pro bono legal activities. We encourage our attorneys to donate their time and talents on behalf of individuals and groups who need but cannot afford legal support. As we evaluate the performance of our lawyers, their participation in pro bono activities is a strong consideration.

Firm attorneys handle a broad variety of litigation and non-litigation pro bono matters, advising and assisting both individuals and nonprofit groups with legal problems. Examples include:

• Summer associates are encouraged to participate in the pro bono program by staffing a clinic run by the Volunteer Lawyers Network. Associates in this program work with a supervising attorney, and have primary responsibility for handling a pro bono matter to completion.
• Gray Plant Mooty attorneys provide ongoing volunteer assistance to the Community Action Council and to the Lewis House, a non-profit center for victims of domestic violence. Our attorneys participate weekly in Dakota County District Court, helping victims of domestic assault obtain restraining orders. Many of the cases ultimately involve short court trials that the client might otherwise have to face alone.
• Our attorneys represent children between the ages of 12 and 18 in foster care through the Children's Law Center. Their representation involves court appearances to ensure that the child's voice is heard in connection with placements, and that the child is receiving all services to which he or she is entitled.
• Gray Plant Mooty attorneys volunteer regularly in the Hennepin County Bar Association's Legal Access Point program. Located in the Hennepin County Government Center, the Legal Access Point provides an opportunity for pro se litigants to obtain assistance at no charge. While the volunteer attorney does not undertake representation of the participants, volunteers do provide information and direction on a variety of legal questions, including landlord/tenant issues, employment disputes, government benefit questions, and basic judicial procedure issues.
• In a single case spanning several years, numerous Gray Plant Mooty attorneys volunteered time to appeal a death sentence imposed on a prison inmate in Texas. The case enabled attorneys at all levels to experience a compelling and high publicity appeal on behalf of the low-income client.
• Gray Plant Mooty's attorneys recently served as co-counsel with the Children's Rights organization. This class-action lawsuit against the State of Wisconsin was brought on behalf of children in foster care in Milwaukee County. The suit recently was resolved with a very favorable settlement which included specific requirements for improved services for the children.