Commitment to Pro Bono
"As members of a true profession, all members and associates of Briggs and Morgan will continue to give their share of time and effort to the bar, to the community, and, if need be, to public service, keeping in mind our heritage of three United States Senators among our predecessor partners."
- Samuel Morgan (1979)
Briggs and Morgan has a strong commitment to serving low-income individuals, nonprofit and community organizations, and public interest causes. We strongly encourage our attorneys to contribute at least 50 hours of pro bono services each year in accordance with the Professional Rules of Responsibility. Most recently, Briggs and Morgan attorneys volunteered over 4,600 hours of their time to various agencies which serve the disadvantaged, including:
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Minnesota
Amnesty International USA
Central Minnesota Regional Legal Services
Children's Law Center of Minnesota
Chrysalis
Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
Management Assistance Program for Nonprofits
Minneapolis Legal Aid Society
The Advocates for Human Rights
Minnesota State Bar Association Pro Bono Roundtable
Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services (SMRLS)
Volunteer Lawyers Network
Briggs and Morgan's pro bono legal services range from national impact litigation to work for low-income clients in neighborhood cities. In 2005, a team of Briggs lawyers accepted representation of a Somali immigrant in the Twin Cities, taking the case through the federal court system to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court. Another team of attorneys volunteered thousands of hours over a 12-year period, fighting for reversal of a death penalty conviction forced upon a Texas death row inmate. The firm's client, in this case, was wrongfully accused of a capital crime. Briggs attorneys accepted the death penalty case on an emergency basis just a few weeks prior to the execution date in 1994. Our efforts ultimately led to the client's freedom in August 2006.
Briggs lawyers are actively engaged in a wide range of pro bono legal work throughout the Twin Cities on a daily basis. Each year, we represent dozens of immigrant asylum seekers who are fleeing persecution from their home countries. Briggs business attorneys also provide pro bono legal services to those emerging nonprofit organizations that play a vital role in the provision of health and social services. In addition, we're involved in staffing local legal clinics made available to low-income clients. Briggs' diverse provision of pro bono legal services aims to meet what we consider to be our highest professional obligations.
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