K&L Gates to Focus Third Annual Firmwide Day of Service on "Caring for Our Global Neighborhood"

New York - For the third consecutive year, global law firm K&L Gates LLP will carry out its annual Global Day of Service, an immense, week-long volunteer effort by firm lawyers and staff focused on serving more than 70 charitable organizations in cities and regions across five continents in which the firm has offices. Personnel from each of the firm’s offices worldwide will volunteer throughout the week of September 28 around the theme of “Caring for our global neighborhood: one world, one mission.”

Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers from 40 offices across five continents participated in the firm’s second Global Day of Service around the theme of “Building communities...serving the underserved.” Launched in 2013 based on an idea from the firm’s Global Associate Liaison Committee, the Global Day of Service provides a way for lawyers and staff at the firm to volunteer and make a difference in their local communities around the world, and was recognized by The American Lawyer magazine as the “Global CSR Initiative of the Year” in the publication’s 2014 Global Legal Awards.

“The Global Day of Service is a testament not only to the firm’s commitment to public service but also to the professional and personal growth of lawyers and staff across the firm’s platform,” said Christina N. Goodrich, an associate in K&L Gates’ Los Angeles office and a leader of the firm’s Global Associate Liaison Committee. “We are honored and humbled to have this opportunity to serve our communities and help those in need.”

In addition to the Global Day of Service and lawyers’ various pro bono legal representations, K&L Gates personnel also serve on governing bodies of educational institutions, youth sports and arts organizations, health care and research institutions, and social service and community organizations. Furthermore, lawyers and staff provide community service through an array of teaching, mentoring, and other non-legal programs. 

Recent examples of the firm’s pro bono work include:

• The launch of the Cyber Civil Rights Legal Project (CCRLP), which is dedicated to helping victims of nonconsensual pornography around the world. The project now includes more than 60 lawyers in the United States, Europe, Asia, and Australia drawing from deep experience in such areas as litigation, cyber law, IP, and computer forensics.
• The representation of the family and estate of a former U.S. Navy SEAL and Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) contractor in a death benefits and insurance claim.
• Continued support of Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), an organization helping to address the legal challenges of unaccompanied minors entering the U.S., with K&L Gates lawyers in Boston, New York, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere having represented clients in immigration proceedings.  
• The successful representation of a client in a pre-embryo custody dispute.

To learn more about K&L Gates’ Global Day of Service, including a look at some of the activities conducted in last year’s initiative, and the firm’s commitment to pro bono and public service, please see the firm’s annual pro bono reports or visit the pro bono section of K&L Gates’ website.