Jones Day has a very broad definition of what constitutes pro bono.  Our goal is to encourage our lawyers to engage in pro bono work about which they are passionate and engaged.  Jones Day does not, therefore, have a strict definition of what constitutes pro bono.  Instead, we are very inclusive of the various interests of our lawyers.  For reporting purposes for the domestic offices, Jones Day includes only hours defined as pro bono by the Pro Bono Institute.

Pro Bono cases are treated the same as billable client cases, and all firm resources are available to support pro bono matters.

There are many areas of focus in which Jones Day has designed initiatives that lawyers within the Firm may contribute including access to the rule of law for migrants, constitutional policing and civil justice reform, combating human trafficking, rule of law in Africa, veterans initiatives and combating hate crimes.  In addition Jones Day lawyers undertake pro bono work in many spaces including corporate counseling, gun safety, housing, public benefits, domestic violence, and criminal justice.  The Firm has relationships with nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (“NGOs”) that excel in these areas and the Firm provides opportunities for its lawyers and staff to undertake work with these organizations on these and other topics.  In addition, attorneys are strongly encouraged to develop their own working relationships with other organizations.  Decisions to handle individual pro bono matters are made in the first instance by one or more lawyers wishing to take the matter on, subject to review on an office-by-office basis, to ensure appropriate supervision and ability to handle the matter with the available resources.

Several U.S. offices sponsor associates in positions outside the Firm where they can contribute to a public interest organization on a full-time basis for extended periods before returning to Jones Day. Some examples include:

Jones Day Chicago supports the Public Interest Law Initiative (“PILI”) and its Graduate Fellowship Program and offers the opportunity to incoming members of the New Lawyers Group.  New associates spend 300 hours between graduation and joining the Firm working at public interest law organizations in Chicago.  New associates wishing to participate in the program will be considered on a first come-first served basis. 

Jones Day Columbus provides support to an Equal Justice Works fellow co-sponsored by Jones Day with Proctor & Gamble.  Columbus is one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the U.S., but people in poverty face a housing crisis.  Among those most vulnerable are members of immigrant communities.  Due to a shortage of affordable housing, many immigrants and refugees live in unsafe properties.  Landlords fail to maintain safe and habitable conditions, subjecting tenants to massive water leaks, mold, pest infestations, failure to make regular repairs, and sometimes illegal rent hikes and unlawful evictions.  The fellow is currently working to improve housing conditions and support immigrant empowerment through a community lawyering model, including outreach, education, leadership development, and litigation.  The fellow will educate and empower immigrant populations to better understand and protect their rights by holding office hours in immigrant neighborhoods and hosting community meetings on tenants’ rights and housing issues in partnership with immigrant leaders.  He will represent tenants in rent escrow and nuisance abatement actions to improve housing conditions and hold landlords accountable.  Finally, he will protect housing stability by representing tenants in eviction defense.

Attorneys in Jones Day Los Angeles have an opportunity to spend four to five weeks prosecuting misdemeanors with the Los Angeles City Attorney’s office as part of the County Bar Association’s Trial Advocacy Program (“TAP”).  After an intense evening and weekend training program, TAP participants are certified and spend one month with a local agency trying criminal cases.  Jones Day mid-level and senior associates are eligible to be considered for the program, and the opportunity TAP provides for first-chair experience in jury trials is unparalleled.

Jones Day’s New York office supports the Public Service Deposition Program run by the Law Department of the City of New York.  Three litigation associates have been sworn in as a designated Special Assistant Corporation Counsel.  As part of the program, each takes or defends at least ten depositions in the numerous premises liability or negligence cases brought daily against the City.

Summer associates are regularly involved in a broad range of the Firm’s pro bono work, such as participating in various legal clinics, researching and writing briefs on a variety of legal and constitutional issues for use in administrative, state, appellate, and U.S. Supreme Court proceedings, and preparing for and attending hearings and appeals.  Summer associates have assisted in a variety of matters, including the representation of immigrants seeking asylum, indigent prisoners, tenants fighting against eviction, veterans seeking disability benefits, consumer fraud victims, and nonprofit organizations seeking assistance on corporate structure matters.

Jones Day has a long history of commitment to pro bono legal services, public service, and community involvement around the world.  Year after year, we broaden the pro bono legal services we provide, as evidenced by the increased number of cases and projects undertaken by our lawyers and staff.  Our pro bono commitments range from complex litigation matters with precedential impact to representation of needy individuals in local courts and administrative tribunals.  While we work on a wide variety of legal issues, the Firm’s efforts are focused on access to the rule of law for migrants, constitutional policing and civil justice reform, combating human trafficking, rule of law in Africa, veterans initiatives, and combating hate crimes.

We have a full-time partner who heads the pro bono practice and is responsible for overseeing and directing our pro bono and public service efforts worldwide and each of our offices has a designated partner-in-charge of pro bono to further develop the reach of our activities and encourage the participation of our lawyers and staff.  The Firm also has a full-time partner who heads our global community service initiatives and who spearheads the Firm’s rule of law initiatives around the world.

Jones Day also consistently engages in a wide variety of public service work.  Lawyers and staff throughout the Firm tutor children, volunteer in food banks, clean and repair schools in underprivileged areas, and assist nonprofits with fundraising.  Our lawyers also serve on the boards of numerous nonprofits around the world.  In addition, the Jones Day Foundation provides substantial funding to a variety of compelling projects each year.  The Foundation's mission is to support organizations that promote the rule of law; foster innovations in academics, medicine, and the arts; improve living conditions and economic opportunities for people in impoverished settings (particularly children and women); or provide support and comfort to people suffering from natural and other disasters.  In 2022, the Foundation supported organizations in each of these categories, including several organizations addressing the humanitarian crisis caused by Russia’s invasion on Ukraine.  Foundation grants typically are geared toward one-time, major initiatives that make a material difference to the grant recipient and the people served by the grant.

Recent Foundation grants have supported:

• Ukrainians who have been displaced or otherwise impacted by the war in Ukraine, including contributions to the International Committee of the Red Cross, USA for UNHCR (the United Nations High Commission for Refugees), and the European Food Banks Federation. The Foundation also provided funding for stipends to impacted law students at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Karazin National University in Kharkiv, Goethe University (Frankfurt), and Ludwig Maximilian University (Munich). Ten ambulances, each loaded with medical equipment and supplies, are being provided to health authorities in Ukraine through a contribution to BE4Ukraine.
  
  
• Promotion of the rule of law and civil justice, including the Hear Foundation's work to increase public health and safety by building actual working relationships between police and community members in Pittsburgh; the Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. Institute's conferences to train middle and high school teachers on teaching about the U.S. Constitution, the judiciary, and the rule of law; the National Center of Civil and Human Rights' REPAIR (Redefining Policing to Affirm and Instill Human Rights) training sessions for members of law enforcement; the Dallas Holocaust & Human Rights Museum's lecture series to promote the rule of law worldwide; and the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law at the British Institute and the numerous lectures, publications, and symposiums (often alongside Jones Day lawyers) it produces to support the rule of law worldwide.
  
  
• Combatting hate, including the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, an annual international education and training summit established by the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh, Jones Day, and other organizations in the wake of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting, and anti-hate initiatives of the Illinois Holocaust Museum, which were developed in response to a gunmen opening fire on the crowd at the July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois.

• Hope for a Healthier Humanity's work to improve the lives of residents of Belize, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico, including funding vocational and literacy training, and health and nutrition interventions to reduce child malnutrition and improve pregnancy outcomes.

• Restos du Coeur, to enable its work assisting people living in poverty in France by providing food and assisting them with securing housing, employment, and access to rights and justice; and the aforementioned European Food Banks Federation, which received a second grant to support food banks in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and the United Kingdom.

• The Heritage of London Trust renovation projects, which help underprivileged children in London learn about the building trades, along with the history of their communities. Recent renovation projects supported by the Foundation include the Wanstead Grotto (East London), Cabmen's Shelter (Chelsea Embankment), Promenade Approach Gates (Chiswick), Columbia Market Gates (Bethnal Green), Toynbee Fountain (Wimbledon), Whitechapel Fountain (Whitechapel), Cranford Park Stables (Hillingdon), and Queen Mary's Hospital Arch (Stratford).

• Advocacy for the LGBTQ+ community, and in particular senior members of that community, through the establishment of the F. Curt Kirschner Senior Counsel and Senior Strategist position at Lambda Legal, in honor of our former partner.

• Lawyers Without Borders' efforts to promote the rule of law and combat human trafficking and forced labor across the globe.

• Efforts to improve health care worldwide, including The Aslan Project, which works to improve treatment of pediatric cancer in Africa; the ProMedica Impact Fund to support its Healthy Housing projects in Detroit, Pittsburgh, and Cleveland; expansion of the dental program, pharmacy, and women's health program at Friends of the Children of Haiti's clinic in rural Haiti; and the work of Fundación Menudos Corazones to support children and young people in Spain with congenital heart disease.
  
  
• The Andrew James Memorial Scholarship at Brigham Young University, and the Mark Herzog Public Interest Scholarship at the District of Columbia School of Law.
  
  
• Fordham University Law School's IDEAL Program, a diversity and inclusion initiative to expose young, diverse students in the New York City area to the possibility of attending law school.

Awards and Recognitions

Jones Day has distinguished itself by its individual leadership and concentrated commitment to various pro bono initiatives both domestically and worldwide and as such has received national recognition.  In addition to the Firm being recognized for the role it plays as a whole, individual lawyers and offices also received recognition for their work in pro bono and public service. 

Below are descriptions of some awards received in 2022:

• The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County honored Jones Day with their 2022 Guardian of Justice Award at their 25th Annual “And Justice for All” Awards Luncheon.
  
  
• A partner in the Firm's Business & Tort Litigation Practice resident in the Chicago Office, received the Working in the Schools (WITS) 2022 Alter & Stone Volunteer of the Year Award on November 5, 2022. WITS, founded in 1991, is a nonprofit that facilitates literacy programs throughout Chicago Public Schools.  It sets students on a trajectory of success by building critical literacy skills and developing positive self-identity through volunteer-driven mentorship programs and teacher-led professional development opportunities.  The Jones Day and WITS partnership began in 2009.  Since then, the Firm has conducted a weekly reading program each school year in which lawyer volunteers read one-on-one with Chicago Public School elementary students.  For several years, the Firm’s volunteers went to Manierre Elementary School and read on-site with their students.  Not long ago, the Chicago Office began hosting a Workplace Mentoring Program where students would travel via bus from Manuel Perez Public School in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood to the office after school and read with their volunteers.  During this twelve-year partnership, the Firm has provided both financial support to the organization and pro bono legal support on various matters.
  
  
• The American Lawyer recognized a Jones Day Houston partner on her 2022 “South Trailblazers” list. The editors recognize attorneys in the Southern United States who have moved the needle in the legal industry.  Based in the Firm’s Houston Office, she is in the Business & Tort Litigation Practice and leads the Firm’s anti-human trafficking initiatives related to public awareness and data issues.  She was recognized for her work with municipalities, NGOs, and corporate clients seeking to improve the lives of human trafficking victims.  Since 2018, she has worked with the City of Houston to coordinate, host, and sponsor four conferences that brought together community leaders to learn about the city’s anti-human trafficking efforts.  She also works closely with Rotary International on its Houston-based anti-trafficking initiatives, and she speaks regularly at conferences on community efforts and public-private partnerships to combat human trafficking.  In 2020, she  launched the expunction and order of non-disclosure program for trafficking victims in Jones Day’s Houston Office, and she continues to oversee the program today.
  
  
• On May 24, 2022, Jones Day received The James Cardinal Hickey Award by Catholic Charities Legal Network (CCLN) for its leadership and partnership with CCLN on VetLex. VetLex is the first national and centralized resource designed to provide legal service referrals to veterans.  The VetLex platform connects veterans in need of legal assistance with the resources best equipped to help them.  Jones Day conducts outreach to law schools, industry, and others to marshal service providers through VetLex.
  
  
• City & State Pennsylvania has selected a Jones Day partner in the Pittsburgh Office for the 2022 “Above and Beyond” list of 40 women making a difference in Pennsylvania. She received this recognition for her leadership in the legal profession and for her significant contributions to the Firm and to the community, including in her capacity as Chair of the Pittsburgh Office’s Diversity, Inclusion and Advancement Committee and for her work on the Firm’s Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force.  The “Above and Beyond” award honors women who “blaze trails in typically male-dominated fields,” “rise to the highest levels,” and hold influential roles in their profession.
  
  
• A partner in Jones Day’s Los Angeles Office, was included in the Los Angeles Business Journal’s “2022 Leaders of Influence: Minority Attorneys” list. The list honors Los Angeles attorneys from a broad cultural spectrum who have an impact on the legal scene, while serving as trusted advisors and maintaining the highest professional and ethical standards.  She was recognized for her extraordinary commitment to serving the community, mentoring the next generation of lawyers, and diversifying the legal profession.  She leads Jones Day’s Los Angeles Office’s Diversity, Inclusion & Advancement Committee and co-chairs the California Lawyers of Color affinity group.  She holds several leadership positions on nonprofit and volunteer organizations.  Following the murder of George Floyd, the Mayor of Los Angeles appointed her to co-chair the Los Angeles Police Commission’s Advisory Committee on Building Trust and Equity, and she is currently co-chairing the LAPD’s Implementation Committee.  Similarly, in 2021, the UCLA Chancellor appointed her to co-chair UCLA’s policing and public safety efforts.  She is also part of the Firm’s Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform Task Force.

• Minnesota Lawyer has selected a Jones Day partner, in our Minneapolis office, as one of its 2021 Attorneys of the Year. This recognition was for her leadership in the legal profession and significant public service in her capacity as Chair of the Commission on Judicial Selection.  The Attorneys of the Year awards honor lawyers for their work in procuring a successful result in an important case or business transaction, leadership in professional associations, participation in newsworthy events in the legal community, performance of significant public services, or excellence in providing in-house legal services.  In addition to her robust billable practice, she  maintains an active pro bono practice, representing youth in foster care through the Children’s Law Center and low-income Minnesotans seeking to enforce their legal rights through the Volunteer Lawyers Network.  She also serves on the Children’s Law Center Board of Directors and the High Winds Fund Committee at Macalester College.

• The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights selected a Jones Day Washington, D.C. partner for their Brooks R. Burdette 2022 Rising Impact Award. She was selected for leading the efforts on behalf of the organization during Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s nomination and confirmation process.

For more information about the pro bono work at Jones Day, please visit our website at www.jonesday.com.

CHICAGO OFFICE HIGHLIGHT:

Lozano Family Case:
In early 2017 when many executive orders issued by our then President led to wholesale changes in US immigration in general and asylum proceedings in particular, Jones Day took on many asylum cases with NIJC as its partner.  One of those was for Blanca Vega Lozano, a Honduran victim of horrific domestic violence.  Later, Blanca’s sister, Katerin, also a domestic violence victim, fled Honduras and we took on her case as well.  Finally, their brother Mario and Blanca’s daughter Yenifer fled gang violence perpetrated by Blanca’s and Katerin’s former partners who, unbeknownst to the sisters, were members of an M 18 affiliate, Los Martinez.  So, we took on their cases as well.  The team of asociates grew and changed with attrition and other case crises, so the team finally took the case to trial on March 27 and June 27.  

Blanca and Katerin fled persecution, rape, and beatings by their respective partners (and in Blanca’s case, also by her partner’s cousin), who were members of a well-known drug trafficking gang.  Blanca’s former partner threatened to hurt or rape her daughter Yenifer if Yenifer did not tell him where Blanca was hiding after she fled to the U.S. Mario also was threatened by the same gang because of his close relationship to Blanca and Katerin.  These threats culminated in the murder of Respondents’ uncle in October 2017 and the attempted murder of Mario in June 2018.  The family members attempted at various times to move to other locations in Honduras before fleeing to the U.S., but were surveilled, found, and threatened again by Blanca and Katerin’s respective partners and their gang.  For their safety, Respondents were forced to relocate to the U.S. where they would be outside of the gang’s surveillance network.

Blanca fled Honduras in September 2014 and arrived in the U.S. on October 30, 2014 to request asylum. Katerin fled Honduras in September 2017 and arrived in the U.S. on October 9, 2017 to request asylum.  Mario and Yenifer fled Honduras together in July 2018 and arrived in the U.S. on July 16, 2018 to request asylum.

The four family members had four separate cases before different Chicago immigration judges.   The team filed successful motions to consolidate the cases before Judge Peyton, who was the chief Chicago Immigration judge at the time and the case was set for trial on March 27, 2022.   (Strategically, the team decided to opt for a later date before Judge Peyton rather than go to trial before the November 2020 election.   While there were pros and cons to choosing a later date, the decision paid off as, shortly after assuming office, current AG Garland vacated two opinions adverse to domestic violence and family based asylum cases issued by former AGs Sessions and Barr.) Shortly before March 27, the team filed a terrific brief supported by affidavits from the four clients, supporting witnesses and a formidable expert on femicide and gang violence in Honduras.   Beginning on March 27 and ending on June 27, Amy conducted a very strong direct examination of Blanca, so strong that the DHS trial attorney (with some prodding by the judge) agreed not to oppose asylum for Blanca, Mario and Yenifer (Katerin is pursuing a green card, and if successful, later US citizenship, as the wife of a US citizen) so long as the team stipulated that their testimony and the testimony of the expert would be consistent with their affidavits.   Unfortunately for the team, they were victims of their own terrific work and Blanca’s strong testimony-so they didn’t have an opportunity to conduct the direct examinations and closing arguments they had worked so hard to prepare.  (I should also note that the DHS tried to pull a fast one on the team three business days before the hearing with a surprise motion, but our folks filed a terrific response the next day which undoubtedly swayed the judge given her quick denial of the motion at the outset of the June 27 hearing.)

So, it was a long and difficult road, but our asylee clients are now on a path to US citizenship (as is Katerin, through her husband), which they richly deserve, as they are hardworking, upstanding and loyal people who will make positive contributions to their communities.  

FIRMWIDE HIGHLIGHTS:

Here are a few highlights of what has been a year of unparalleled pro bono efforts and accomplishments Firmwide.

Immigration – The Border Project:

Jones Day has demonstrated a sustained and deep commitment to fighting for access to the Rule of Law for refugees from around the world.  In 2014, Jones Day began its Unaccompanied Children (“UAC”) Project to provide legal services to detained women and unaccompanied children.  The Firm expanded its commitment to asylum seekers in 2017 by launching the Laredo Project, an innovative pro bono initiative that maintains a full-time office in Laredo, Texas.  Jones Day attorneys provide Know-Your-Rights presentations, prepare refugees for credible fear interviews, and provide individualized case assessments to women detained at Laredo-area detention centers who otherwise have no access to legal services.  Jones Day lawyers also provide Know-Your-Rights presentations to migrants at shelters in the Laredo-area.  Finally, the Firm provided legal information services and representation to migrants enrolled in the Migrant Protection Protocols (“MPP”) which required them to remain in Mexico while their legal proceedings moved forward in tent courts just across the border in the U.S.  In May 2021, the Firm doubled its efforts at the border by opening a second full-time office in the Rio Grande Valley.  Jones Day attorneys working out of the Valley office provide Know-Your-Rights presentations and individual consultations to migrants in two shelters.

Since the Border Project began in 2014, Jones Day has provided legal education to over 15,500 migrants, and has managed more than 720 individual cases for women, children, and families.  Through December 2022, over 1,665 lawyers from every domestic office and Mexico City have dedicated more than 405,000 hours to these cases.  This collaboration between the private bar, private business, and the NGO community to provide representation in remote and unserved areas on the border is the first-of-its-kind endeavor.  Jones Day is committed to continuing, and expanding, this groundbreaking pro bono effort to ensure access to justice and uphold the Rule of Law for asylum seekers.

Jones Day’s commitment extends beyond the work done in the U.S.  When dangerous situations in the Middle East and Africa resulted in waves of refugees in Lesvos, Greece, Jones Day deployed lawyers from across Europe and the Middle East to legal centers in Lesvos to help ensure that the laws governing humanitarian relief are available and properly applied to refugees, particularly women and children.

Lesvos is the first point of contact with the EU for many refugees seeking asylum in the EU.  There is a critical need for lawyers to provide in depth legal counselling and support to refugees to ensure their protection in the EU.  This project allows lawyers to partner with Jones Day and HIAS lawyers.  Founded in 1881, HIAS is a US-based Jewish NGO, assisting refugees across the world.  HIAS specializes in refugee protection and provides legal counselling and aid to refugees.  This Project allows lawyers to make a valuable contribution on the ground providing direct assistance to vulnerable refugees.  More than 20 lawyers have dedicated over 2,900 hours to this project.

Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform (“CPR”) Initiative

ones Day’s Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform (“CPR”) Initiative was created following the events leading to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Minnesota on May 25, 2020.  The Firm’s Managing Partner at the time initiated the effort demonstrating Jones Day’s commitment “to advancing the rule of law governing policing in the minority communities” stating “an effective police force—one that is widely respected as honest, fair, and evenhanded both in protecting communities and enforcing order—is essential to the survival of any system built on the rule of law.”  The Initiative coordinates local and national efforts to impact systemic reform in policing practices, policies, and culture.  Specific activities include: leading a coalition of stakeholders in Minneapolis taking action on reform initiatives, representing the City of Minneapolis in efforts to improve police accountability, representing the City of Chicago in an internal investigation, representing the Chicago Police Board on education and reform initiatives, and co-chairing a task force in Los Angeles established by the mayor to propose police reform measures.  Jones Day is also involved in litigation on behalf of victims of police abuse and misconduct.

Jones Day is actively involved in numerous cities across the country including Minneapolis, Chicago, Pittsburgh, and Los Angeles. In 2022, Jones Day attorneys dedicated more than 15,000 hours to this Initiative.

Anti-Human Trafficking:

Jones Day is dedicated to combatting human trafficking around the world, including both labor trafficking and sex trafficking.  In 2016, Jones Day launched an Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force to focus on developing specific solutions to the global problem of human trafficking of both adults and children.  Jones Day’s fight against human trafficking involves virtually every office and practice of the Firm.  We represent child victims of online sexual exploitation and sexual tourism; handle diverse matters for trafficking survivors including restitution proceedings, expungement hearings, and immigration matters; and work with organizations like the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children to provide training for lawyers, jurists, and prosecutors handling trafficking cases and establishing specialized trafficking courts.  In 2022, attorneys contributed more than 6,500 hours to this Initiative.

As part of that work, Jones Day lawyers across all the domestic offices have undertaken critical representations of survivors of human trafficking as part of the Firm’s Post-Conviction Relief Initiative for Survivors of Human Trafficking.  These efforts include assisting victims in expunging criminal convictions, resulting from their being trafficked, from their records, victims of child pornography in obtaining restitution to which they are entitled, and migrant victims obtaining immigration status.

Jones Day is leading the effort to create a Global Compendium of all the laws of each country in the world related to human trafficking and human slavery.  With input from stakeholders across the world, Jones Day has identified a strong need for the development of a global compendium of key human trafficking and modern slavery laws.  Currently, there is no standardized collection of laws and regulations relevant to human trafficking on a country-by-country basis.  This compendium will serve as an invaluable resource for NGOs, governments, and the private sector as they work in their spheres to combat trafficking and protect survivors.  We have completed many countries and continue to add countries to the Global Compendium, which can be found at www.ragas.online/human-trafficking-laws/.

In addition, Jones Day, with the American Hospital Association, created the first-ever diagnostic codes for human trafficking and actively engages in national efforts to train health care organizations in their use.  Jones Day transactional lawyers provide structural counsel to anti-trafficking organizations, and the Firm’s data and privacy lawyers work with financial institutions and government agencies to facilitate procedures related to detecting human trafficking.  Finally, with support from the Jones Day Foundation, the Firm worked with the City of Houston to launch the Ten-Ten Initiative, which provides public awareness / preparedness training to U.S. cities.

Hate Crimes Task Force:

Jones Day is committed to promoting peaceful protests and combating hate crimes and extremism.  In 2016, in response to a national increase in hate incidents, Jones Day launched a task force to provide pro bono legal services to communities, organizations, and individuals faced with issues that arise out of the inherent tension between the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, including hate-filled speech, the right to assemble and peacefully protest, and the right to equal protection under the law.  In 2022, Jones Day attorneys dedicated more than 2,600 hours to this Task Force.

Jones Day also spearheaded and sponsored the launch of the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, the first annual of which was held on October 18-20, 2021 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  The Summit was founded in Pittsburgh following the 2018 killings at the Tree of Life synagogue -- the largest loss of life in an anti-Semitic attack in US history.  The aim was to bring together multi-disciplinary experts from around the world to work on targeted solutions to counter hate-fueled violence of all kinds, whether based on religion, race, ethnicity, gender, national origin, sexual orientation, or any other classification.  The Summit is now the largest multi-disciplinary gathering of anti-hate experts in the world.  www.eradicatehatesummit.org

The solution-oriented work of the Summit is driven by the Working Groups, one of which is a Sports Working Group which launched a global sports-related anti-hate initiative at the United Nations in December of 2022 called the Game Plan.  More information can be found on the Eradicate Hate website linked above.  This Working Group now includes all of the major sports leagues of the United States and the next global convening will occur in the UK on April 25, 2023 when all the Premier League teams, among others, will be hosted by Working Group member Liverpool FC at its Anfield facility for purposes of having them join in the Game Plan.  Representatives of other global sports, including cricket and rugby, are expected to be in attendance as well.  This event will be co-hosted by the United Nations Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, who is a member of the Working Group and the person who chaired the launch session at the United Nations.

Africa Rule of Law:

Jones Day has long been devoted to advancing the rule of law around the world.  Our sense of social responsibility is central to all we do.  Through Jones Day’s work in Africa, our lawyers routinely work on significant matters on the Continent involving infrastructure projects, private equity, publicly financed transactions, mergers and acquisitions, state-owned enterprise representations, oil and gas concessions, restructurings, corporate investigations, and dispute resolution, including international arbitration.  As a single integrated partnership at the forefront of the rule of law in globalization, a mission of broad and deep service—including a focus on the authentic advancement of the rule of law—an essential part of our commitment to the profession of law.

Consistent with this mission, Jones Day lawyers around the globe are actively engaged in pro bono efforts to advance the rule of law in Africa.  Judge Ann Claire Williams (Ret.), who joined Jones Day after her distinguished service as a United States federal district and appellate court judge, heads our efforts in advancing the rule of law in Africa.  Long devoted to advancing the rule of law, especially in Africa, she has led programs in Ghana, Kenya, Liberia, Namibia, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Uganda.

The pro bono work of Jones Day’s Rule of Law in Africa Initiative is focused in the following areas:

• Institutional Development
• Alternative Dispute Resolution
• Strengthening Justice Systems
• Anticorruption
• Anti-Trafficking
• Access to Justice
• Education, Research, and Policy

Veterans Issues (VetLex):

Jones Day has launched a multi-faceted response to the persistent lack of access to quality legal advice for so many veterans of the U.S. armed forces.

VetLex is the first national and centralized resource designed to provide legal service referrals to veterans.  The VetLex platform connects veterans in need of legal assistance with the resources best equipped to help them.  Jones Day conducts outreach to law schools, industry, and others to marshal service providers through VetLex.

Jones Day also provides pro bono services to individual veterans in matters including benefits claims appeals, and discharge upgrades.  In multiple cases, the Firm has successfully challenged the VA’s disability ratings decisions, allowing the individual to receive the appropriate in compensation and accompanying benefits.  Firm lawyers also provided pro bono resources supporting the shutdown of one of the largest veteran scam programs in the country.  In addition, Jones Day lawyers create and participate in clinics, community activities, workshops, and seminars supporting veterans.  In 2022, Jones Day attorneys dedicated more than 1,200 hours to helping veterans.

Housing:

Many of our U.S. offices take on matters on behalf of tenants living with multiple housing code violations that negatively impact their health and/or are on the verge of long-term homelessness.  Our Washington office is a very active participant in the Housing Right to Counsel Project initiated by five local nonprofits to test the impact of counsel in the area of basic human rights.  The project is focused on expanding representation for tenants who live in subsidized housing and are facing eviction.  Counsel is particularly important in these cases, where eviction also can result in the loss of an invaluable housing subsidy, too often leading to a spiral into homelessness.  This project is part of a growing “civil Gideon” movement to extend the right to counsel to civil contexts involving basic human rights.

Public Service

In addition to pro bono work, lawyers and staff across the Firm undertake a wide variety of public service activities to help their local community, including mentoring children, volunteering in food banks, cleaning and repairing schools in underprivileged areas, and assisting nonprofits with fundraising.  Additionally, many Jones Day lawyers also volunteer a great deal of time to the mission of legal service organizations by serving on their board of directors.

For more information about the pro bono work at Jones Day, please visit our website at www.jonesday.com.

We participate in fund-raising activities that support public interest fellowship and Equal Justice Foundation programs.