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Pro Bono

Andrews Kurth encourages all lawyers to participate in pro bono work once they are admitted to practice, as a way to give back to the legal community.  

The Pro Bono Committee is charged with coordinating, managing and encouraging the volunteer efforts undertaken by the lawyers and paralegals of the firm.  It is comprised of partners from various offices of the firm.

The Policy Committee strongly endorses the investment of firm resources in pro bono activities and has authorized the Pro Bono Committee to facilitate our efforts.

Pro Bono Projects

Many lawyers contribute numerous hours of their own time working on individual pro bono cases received through the Houston Volunteer Lawyer Program, a pro bono referral service that recognizes Andrews Kurth as an Equal Access Champion for taking up to 50 pro bono cases per year. Examples of our  pro bono cases include:


The Air That We Breathe

Natural Resources Defense Council v. EPA, No. 04-138
(D.C. Cir. June 8, 2007) (NRDC I)

In spring 2007, Andrews Kurth represented the National Association of Clean Air Agencies (NACAA) in a case in which the DC Circuit unanimously vacated the low-risk exemption subcategory for plywood and composite wood products and remanded to the EPA. NACAA filed its brief in support of the plaintiffs, who challenged several aspects of EPA rules regulating emissions of hazardous air pollutants (HAPs) from producers of plywood and composite wood products. 

EPA’s rule would have exempted qualifying low-risk sources from compliance with the Clean Air Act’s MACT (maximum achievable control technology) requirement. This requires HAP-emitting sources to install emissions-reducing technology meeting the standards set by their best-performing peers.

At oral argument, Judge Rogers asked the EPA about the excessive burdens placed on air administrators by the low-risk exemption, a point made in NACAA’s brief. Tom Starnes and Eden Burgess handled the pro bono representation.

The World’s Children

For the past year and a half, partners in Andrews Kurth in Dallas have assisted Alexis Hefley in the formation of Empower African Children, a nonprofit organization which provides education and support to AIDS orphans in Uganda. Nearly 25% of the children of the country are orphans.

In addition to forming the charity, Andrews Kurth was active in a number of negotiations with other charitable organizations and the retailer Macy’s. The result of these negotiations was a national tour of “The Spirit of Uganda Dance Troupe” and the publication of a book of photographs, Transcendent Spirit: Orphans of Uganda, by photographer Douglas Menuez.  The book, which features a foreword by noted AIDS activist Elizabeth Taylor, was underwritten by Macy’s and is available through book retailers nationwide and at the EAC website. Proceeds raise funds for the charity. Andrews Kurth lawyers have devoted over 200 hours to this project to date.

Help Grows In Brooklyn (VLP)

Andrews Kurth lawyers in the firm’s New York office work closely with the Brooklyn Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project (VLP). They have worked on numerous cases for the organization.

Since 1991, the VLP has worked to address the unmet legal needs of the residents of Brooklyn who cannot afford legal services. It is the only free legal services program that operates borough-wide, offering pro bono representation to all Brooklyn residents, including those who are not eligible for, or who cannot be served by, Legal Aid or Legal Services.

The VLP lawyers, recruited from the private bar and trained and supported by VLP volunteer mentors, address problems such as elder fraud and abuse, family disputes and consumer debt. In addition to offering direct representation for those in need, the VLP works in partnership with educational institutions, social service agencies and legal services throughout Brooklyn. The organization’s critical programs include: