Describe your firm's philosophy on pro bono service.

Perkins Coie's commitment to community runs more than 100 years deep. Sharing our time and talents to help those most in need, both on an individual and systemic basis, defines our firm culture.

We encourage our attorneys to pursue their passions, as well as to tackle pressing needs. We provide our pro bono clients with the same extraordinary client service that we offer to our paying clients.

Of the big cases your firm recently worked on, one included representing Eric Blackmon, who had been in prison since 2002 for a murder he did not commit. Tell us more about that case and how you reached the outcome.

The Seventh Circuit appointed Perkins Coie to represent Eric Blackmon in 2015, while we were already before the circuit on another wrongful conviction pro bono case, which we eventually won. At the heart of Blackmon's innocence plea was his trial counsel's failure to call any alibi witnesses. When we won a remand of Blackmon's case in 2016, we pulled in the resources of Northwestern University's Center on Wrongful Convictions to contact alibi witnesses and get the best representation for his evidentiary hearing. With a parade of alibi witnesses each testifying to Blackmon's innocence, we were able to convince the same judge who previously denied Blackmon's petition for a habeas corpus writ to grant the petition, which led to his release.

What was the most satisfying aspect of that key case?

Seeing an innocent man released from prison and all charges dropped was deeply satisfying. From the beginning, we believed in Blackmon's innocence. When you realize a man is innocent, suddenly the stakes go way up. You're no longer making an argument to make a legal point—you realize that someone's freedom is on the line and it's up to you and your team to get him across the finish line.

Discuss other key pro bono matters recently completed by the firm.

In the aftermath of the June 2018 Matter of A-B- decision issued by then-U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, which threatened the viability of claims for asylum based on domestic, gang and other private violence, our pro bono teams adapted and prevailed in many challenging immigration cases.

In one, we obtained withholding of removal status for a Honduran national and mother of two fleeing domestic violence and threats to her life. In another, we helped a Guatemalan/Salvadoran mother and her two daughters win reinstatement and asylum. Before fleeing to the U.S., the mother and older daughter had suffered severe domestic violence in Guatemala, then fled to El Salvador where the older daughter received death threats from the MS-13 gang.

Why does your pro bono work matter to you as a lawyer?

Many of those who most need a lawyer cannot afford one. By devoting time to pro bono work, I can use my skills to offer a lifeline to someone in need. It is my way of giving back and it is incredibly rewarding. I also love helping Big Law harness the collective power of pro bono, positively impacting lives and improving the legal system.

Responses submitted by Leah Medway, firmwide pro bono counsel at Perkins Coie.