Bass, Berry & Sims recognizes pro bono work as defined by Rule 6.1 of the Tennessee Rules of Professional Conduct: * legal services without expectation of fee to persons of limited means; * legal services without expectation of fee to non-profit organizations in matters designed primarily to address the needs of persons of limited means; * legal services provided at no fee or substantially reduced fee to individuals, groups or organizations seeking to secure civil rights, civil liberties, or public rights; * legal services provided at no fee or substantially reduced fee to non-profit organizations in matters in furtherance of their purposes where payment of the standard fee would significantly deplete the organization's financial resources; * legal services provided at substantially reduced fee to persons of limited means; * participation in activities for improving the law, the legal system, or the legal profession

The firm provides the same quality of representation to all clients regardless of their ability to pay. Pro bono projects will be given the same staffing, attention, and resources as any other project. Attorneys should possess the knowledge and experience required for success on any project. Pro bono matters are no exception. Attorneys working on pro bono matters outside their area of expertise are expected to seek advice, training, and, if necessary, supervision from attorneys in that specialty.

Much of the pro bono work the firm receives is referred to individual attorneys by local Legal Aid organizations. Other pro bono cases and projects arise from relationships the firm and its lawyers have established with non-profit organizations such as the National Veterans Legal Services Program, Social Entrepreneurship, and domestic abuse prevention programs such as Center for Justice and Accountability. The process of, or decision for, taking on a pro bono matter is consistent with the general guidelines followed with non-pro bono matters, including approval by the New Business Intake Committee.

Pro bono service is an essential element of every attorney’s professional responsibility. By virtue of the training and licensing they receive, attorneys have unique skills and opportunities to serve the disadvantaged and promote the public interest. The firm, therefore, encourages our attorneys to render public interest legal service. Public interest legal service is viewed by the firm as an attorneys’ duty to contribute to the welfare of the community; to assist in the development of the legal profession; and to broaden the overall commitment to access to justice for all people. Bass, Berry & Sims has always understood that supporting our local communities helps to broaden and deepen our understanding of the world around us. We expect our firm to be a good corporate citizen, and our people to be service-minded and to willingly give back to our communities and the profession. The firm has been honored on several occasions for our commitment to pro bono service. • David Esquivel was appointed by the Tennessee Supreme Court to serve on the Tennessee Access to Justice Commission. • Jeff Gibson was named the 2017 Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the Tennessee Justice Center (TJC). Jeff was recognized for his pro bono work on behalf of TJC clients who were denied TennCare coverage for various medical conditions. • Bass, Berry & Sims received the law firm award for its ongoing pro bono work supporting the Tennessee Justice Center at the 2018 Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative Gala. The Corporate Counsel Pro Bono Initiative was launched to encourage and coordinate pro bono efforts by corporate counsel in Tennessee to ensure access to justice across the state. • Several of our attorneys have received the Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award and the Harris Gilbert Pro Bono Volunteer of the Year Award from the Tennessee Bar Association. The award recognizes private attorneys who have contributed significant amounts of pro bono work and have demonstrated dedication to the development and delivery of legal services to the poor.

• Criminal Legal System Reform: exonerations with Tennessee Innocence Project; challenge to ex post facto application of Sex Offender Registry classifications; bail reform with Nashville Community Bail Fund; petitions for clemency;
• Capital Representation: challenge to lethal injection in Tennessee; representation of individual who came off death row after 34 years, challenge to condition of confinement;
• Immigration: asylum cases for Afghans re-settled in Tennessee with Vanderbilt Immigration Clinic and for trans client referred by Immigration Equality; Cancellation of Removal for immigrants targeted in 2018 Morristown TN raids; Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases with Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors and Welcome South;
• Access to Healthcare: Social Security Disability cessation cases with Legal Aid Society; TRO to protect women’s clinic staff and women accessing care;  support for rural hospitals
• Economic Justice: representation of black entrepreneurs through Corner to Corner; support for Magdalene Inc./Thistle Farms providing employment and housing for women; support for Lambscoft/The Cookery, providing employment and support for formerly incarcerated individuals

Through the Legal Aid Society at Vanderbilt Law School, the firm provides an annual stipend of $5,000 to a law student who chooses to work in a public interest job during the summer.