Wed, 10/28/2020
Ensuring that everyone has legal assistance – even those who cannot afford a lawyer – is a highly encouraged practice. The American Bar Association reminds lawyers that “Every lawyer has a professional responsibility to provide legal services to those unable to pay. A lawyer should aspire to render at least 50 hours of pro bono publico services per year.”
MSE attorneys have dedicated their time and effort to pro bono cases across the country – however we believe our most impactful pro bono work has been outside USA’s borders.
MSE managing partner Gregory McGillivary serves on the Board of Directors of Freedom Now, a human rights organization that fights for victims of human rights violations around the world. Greg, along with fellow MSE partner Reid Coploff, worked pro bono alongside Freedom Now to secure the release of three Vietnamese labor activists who were unjustly imprisoned after an attempt to organize a strike at a shoe factory.
The labor activists were charged under Vietnam’s controversial national security laws without legal counsel to speak in their defense. Among other atrocities, their seven- to- nine- year sentence was subject to frequent beatings and solitary confinement.
MSE submitted a petition to the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention on behalf of the imprisoned activists, who agreed that the labor activists’ detention violated Vietnam’s obligations under international law and called for their release.
Through their work, Greg and Reid received the American Bar Association’s Francis Perkins Public Service Award, which “recognizes individuals or organizations that demonstrate a significant commitment to providing pro bono legal services, primarily in the areas of labor and employment law.”
This case is just one example of how essential pro bono services are in ensuring individuals’ right to live a fair and free life around the world. MSE is proud to have been able to provide legal assistance to these workers, and we will continue fighting for justice at home and abroad through our pro bono efforts.
