Innocence Project’s Summer Associates Program Is Coming Back This Fall for Pro Bono Week

This fall, the Innocence Project is revamping one of its popular programs to mark the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Week from October 25-31.

The week recognizes the importance of pro bono, or free services that many legal firms offer organizations like the Innocence Project, which, in turn, allows us to expand our work to take on more cases to be reviewed, investigated, and litigated each year. These partnerships often extend over years — and many attorneys and firms stay involved long after a single case closes, becoming lasting advocates for the innocence movement.

This Pro Bono Week, we’re keen to introduce more legal firms to the Innocence Project and the realities of wrongful conviction and post-conviction litigation work. We’re reviving our popular Summer Associates program — a program designed for future generations of lawyers — for that purpose.

Six firms have confirmed their participation in the fall program, a majority of which were part of this year’s summer cohort. Among them is a notable addition: Neufeld Scheck Brustin Hoffmann & Freudenberger, the firm co-founded by Innocence Project special counsel Peter Neufeld and Barry Scheck.

“This initiative offers an effective path to partner with our existing law firm collaborators while inviting new firms to join and amplify Innocence Project’s pro bono program,” said Isabel Vasquez, Innocence Project’s communications and Speakers Bureau manager. “By demonstrating deep appreciation for our partners’ valuable contributions, we strengthen the collaborative effort that helps the Innocence Project free and exonerate individuals.”

Nine firms, including Arnold & Porter, Skadden, Davis Polk, Dechert, Sullivan & Cromwell, Ropes & Gray, Weil Gotshal & Manges, Gibson Dunn and McDermott took part in our Summer Associates program, which drew 1,350 attendees in person and virtually across nine sessions in June and July. Exoneree speakers included Huwe Burton, who spent 19 years in prison after being convicted based on a coerced confession. This past summer, Mr. Burton asked students to picture themselves as the prosecutors, defense lawyers, and judges who might one day influence a wrongful conviction.

“You read about these things, you see them in the news, but to actually see it right in front of you is powerful,” said Stacy Pfizer, a Ropes & Gray summer associate. 

The fall program will include many of the same elements as the summer sessions: Innocence Project attorneys and policy advocates paired with clients who share firsthand accounts of wrongful conviction and their long fight for freedom. It will also feature the organization’s intake specialists — the staff who review letters and applications from incarcerated people seeking help, and who conduct the initial screening to see if a case qualifies for the Innocence Project.

“Hearing from our experts gives law students real insight into innocence work — how difficult it is, but also how rewarding it can be,” Ms. Vasquez said. “They learn firsthand from our former clients and Innocence Project attorneys. And even if they continue their careers at the firms where they’re interning, they leave aware that they can still contribute to the innocence movement through pro bono work.”

To hear real stories from staff experts and individuals with firsthand experience of wrongful conviction, book a speaker from the Innocence Project Speakers Bureau.

To have your firm participate in the Summer Associates Program or the National Celebration of Pro Bono, contact Isabel Vasquez at [email protected].