Pro Bono

Pro Bono Activities

We deliver meaningful results on high-impact pro bono cases.

Munger, Tolles & Olson attorneys don’t simply advise on pro bono matters, we take them to trial—even to the U.S. Supreme Court. The firm was one of the charter signatories to the American Bar Association’s pro bono challenge, and consistently devotes more than six percent of all attorney time to pro bono work. We are proud to be one of the select group of firms to have received the ABA’s coveted Pro Bono Publico Award.

Our attorneys enjoy tremendous latitude in their choice of pro bono cases, and Munger Tolles encourages them to choose pro bono matters that they care about deeply.  Our attorneys have made notable impacts on issues that include voting rights, civil liberties, racial and criminal justice, housing, women’s rights and LGBTQIA+ rights. We also have a robust practice in helping clients obtain immigration relief and reforming anti-immigrant policies.

In recent years, Munger Tolles attorneys have:

  • Won a U.S. Supreme Court case arguing against the controversial “independent state legislature” theory that state courts had no power to enforce rules for federal elections.
  • Secured a historic preliminary injunction that eliminated the cash bail system in Los Angeles County for individuals arrested on most low-level, non-violent offenses.
  • Defended a Virginia school board’s use of race-neutral admissions criteria to enhance diversity. The U.S. Supreme Court declined to review the case, allowing the policy to stand.
  • Partnered with the ACLU to enforce compliance with Public Records Act requests filed against hundreds of law enforcement agencies in California.
  • Secured a settlement ending Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s use of private contractors for immigration arrests in California and imposing a monitoring period.
  • Ended a City of San Francisco practice of towing vehicles–which are frequently used as living spaces by unhoused residents–without a warrant and solely on the basis of unpaid parking tickets.

Learn more about our latest Pro Bono work in our news headlines.