Keri Brown of Baker Botts.

Describe your firm's philosophy on pro bono service. 

We relentlessly pursue justice for every client and advocate for individuals and communities who would otherwise be lost in our complex legal system. We marshal our collective resources to protect and intercede on behalf of those who are denied a persecution-free existence in their own country or in ours, and we assist where the legal system fails. We provide 30,000-plus hours of pro bono legal services annually, valued equally with that of fee-paying clients.

What are the two biggest cases your firm worked on in 2019? Tell us more about those cases and how you reached the outcome. 

A $900,000 exoneration compensation. We obtained $900,000-plus for a homeless client wrongfully imprisoned for 12 years—the first time in 15 years that Maryland compensated an exoneree. Our client was exonerated with nothing but $4 for bus fare. After learning of his post-exoneration struggles with homelessness and frequent hospital visits after being assaulted, we took up the effort to get him compensation, developing a damage calculation with no legal precedent. Our client was first to file under Maryland's law. We ran a publicity campaign that inspired 49 Maryland delegates to support our effort.

Transgender asylum. We obtained asylum for a 19-year-old transgender woman who suffered physical and sexual abuse on account of her gender identity. Our client fled Honduras under threat of death. In only six weeks, we retained expert witnesses, compiled a 1,800-plus-page evidentiary record, drafted a pre-hearing brief, and made many 260-mile round trips for client meetings.

What was the most satisfying aspect of that work? 

Exoneration. Providing our client with unprecedented, well-deserved compensation for his 12-plus years of wrongful imprisonment and helping him get back on his feet more than justified the 750 pro bono hours we dedicated to this client.

Asylum. Thanks to the dedication of 18 timekeepers from five offices, our client—the fourth transgender woman we have successfully defended since 2017—can now live her life with the protections granted to asylees in the United States.

What other pro bono matters is the firm working on? 

Our lawyers continue their work on pro bono cases that run the gamut from the everyday matters including estate planning, family law, property and tax issues, to more complex matters, including immigration and asylum, death penalty appeals, nonprofit work, and intellectual property matters in partnership with our 20-plus pro bono referral organizations firmwide.

Current notable pro bono matters include our work on behalf of a client seeking asylum under the Convention Against Torture and our work for the only "prepared and perishable" food rescue organization in Houston.

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

As lawyers, we occupy a unique role in society by ensuring access to justice for the most vulnerable and underserved in our communities and worldwide. We consider it a moral imperative to use our skills to give back to the communities that need us most.

Keri Brown, partner and pro bono chair at Baker Botts.