Our My100 Initiative is a cornerstone of our litigation boutique. Through the My100 Initiative, every LSSC attorney annually performs at least 100 hours of pro bono and non-profit board work. But this is a floor, not a ceiling.
In 2022, we more than doubled our commitment. LSSC became five attorneys strong in September 2022. By the end of the year, we eclipsed 1,000 hours in pro bono and non-profit board service hours in 2022.
Our pro bono hours include representations in matters of far-reaching policy issues to discrete cases enabling indigent clients navigate the legal system and remove barriers to their success. We litigated cases in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, federal and state courts, before trial courts and appellate courts. For example, we:
- Filed a major constitutional challenge to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s ChildLine Registry System, with our co-counsel from Community Legal Services and Professor Seth Kreimer of the University of Pennsylvania Carey Law School;
- Completed our successful First Amendment challenge to SEPTA’s advertising restrictions after the United States Supreme Court denied SEPTA’s petition for writ of certiorari, with our co-counsel from the ACLU and Professor Seth Kreimer;
- Defended a Philadelphia woman in her desperate attempt to keep her home for her and her severely disabled son as they faced a forced judicial eviction due to an action in partition;
- Served as child advocates for abused and neglected children and youth in Philadelphia Family Court, with the Support Center for Child Advocates;
- Accepted court-appointed pro bono assignments in the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey and the New Jersey Superior Court;
- Participated in expungement clinics;
- Counseled indigent clients in disputes with landlords; and
- Represented a veteran in a dispute with an insurance company.
In addition to partnering and co-counseling with several non-profit legal organizations in various representations, our attorneys serve on several non-profit boards, including in positions of leadership, such as the boards of the Homeless Advocacy Project, the Juvenile Law Center, Project 440, and the Volunteer UP Legal Clinic.
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To our clients and our several non-profit partners:
Thank you. You teach us the values of strength and perseverance every day. We are humbled to share your journeys with you.
With gratitude,
LeVan Stapleton Segal Cochran