BUFFALO, NY"”October 14, 2016"”Barclay Damon was announced No. 1 on Buffalo Law Journal's current list of law firms ranked by the amount of pro bono legal services provided this past year. Barclay Damon earned the top slot with 2,793 hours of pro bono work performed, valued by the firm at over $600,000. The firm outpaced its competition by a fair degree, with the second-ranked firm at 1,387 hours, less than 50 percent of Barclay Damon's hours. Of the total 6,973 pro bono hours reported by law firms for this survey, more than 40 percent of the hours were worked by Barclay Damon attorneys.
Heather L. Sunser, the firm's pro bono partner, said, "Barclay Damon has a long and proud history of giving back to the communities we serve, with an emphasis on sharing our skills with the most needy among us through pro bono work. A strong commitment to pro bono has been a priority for our firm at every stage of our development. Now the largest law firm in the Northeast based outside a major market area, with 105 attorneys in our Buffalo office alone, we have more reason than ever to give generously in Western New York through pro bono service."
Robert P. Heary, one of the Buffalo office's diversity partners, added, "Along with our Diversity & Inclusion and Women's Forum programs, our Pro Bono program is a major facet of our robust community outreach focus. This strategy allows us to work together to further the firm's goals of making our communities and ultimately our workplaces stronger, fairer, healthier, and more inclusive."
Examples of our pro bono activities include leading and taking part in eviction defense through the Erie County Bar Association's Volunteer Lawyer Project "Attorney of the Morning" program; Say Yes to Education legal clinics; and the Western District of New York's pro se assistance program, which provides civil legal assistance to pro se litigants in the federal district court. We also provide legal representation to low-income individuals involving immigration, tax, personal injury defense, and consumer matters as well as in appealing criminal convictions.
Barclay Damon LLP, listed as a "Top 250 Firm" by The National Law Journal, is a full-service, 275-attorney law firm, with offices throughout the major cities of New York State and in Toronto, Boston, Washington DC, and Newark. Barclay Damon provides comprehensive legal and business counsel to a diverse client base in 33 practice areas. For more information, visit barclaydamon.com.