Taft In The Community
At Taft, we believe that communities thrive when people are willing to commit their time, energy, and skills to making it happen. Since 1885, our professionals have been dedicated to public and political service to strengthen our neighborhoods, schools, and local charitable organizations. It is embedded in our past, it is prominent in our present, and it is expected in our future.
As demonstrated through the examples below, Taft attorneys and staff members actively participate in our communities through volunteer projects, pro bono services, financial support and sponsorships, and leadership on various boards of professional, educational, arts, religious, charitable, and civic organizations.
Cincinnati Works
Taft helps Cincinnati Works carry out its vision to eliminate poverty in the local community. Cincinnati Works offers area residents career and financial coaching that assists them in advancing to economic self-sufficiency through employment. The nonprofit organization also partners with regional employers to solve a range of workforce needs, including employee retention and support of second-chance hires.
Clothes that Work
Taft Dayton sponsors Clothes That Work, a women-led non-profit that provides professional clothing, image counseling, and training for job seekers in Montgomery County, Ohio.
Freedom a la Cart
Taft’s Columbus office is proud to support Freedom a la Cart, whose mission is to provide support to survivors of sex trafficking and exploitation, building self-sufficiency and creating a pathway to freedom. Freedom a la Cart makes meals more meaningful by combining fresh, flavorful cuisine with life-changing employment and impactful services to survivors of human trafficking. Taft supports Freedom a la Cart through donations, event sponsorships, and frequent orders of their delicious catering!
Greater Chicago Food Depository
Taft members volunteer throughout the year packing and sorting bulk items into individual and family portions for delivery to multiple distribution sites. As Chicago’s food bank, this nonprofit food distribution and training center is committed to ending hunger in the community, working through a network of 700 pantries, soup kitchens, and shelters to serve 170,000 meals for adults and children in Cook County every day.
Greater Cincinnati Foundation
Taft is proud to support the Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) in its mission to advance racial equity and opportunity in the tri-state region. GCF drives systemic change through impact investing, research, advocacy, education, and grantmaking and has provided $1.27 billion in grants over its lifetime. Most recently, Taft supported GCF’s new convening space, which brings community partners together to address the region’s most significant challenges.
Just the Beginning – A Pipeline Program
Taft supports Just the Beginning Foundation in sponsoring and hosting several interactive programs on legal topics for minority high school students throughout the year, including their summer leadership institute. Partner Daniel Saeedi serves on the board of directors of the organization.
The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
Taft Cleveland attorneys participate in Legal Aid’s Partners in Justice Program. Legal Aid is the fifth oldest legal aid organization in the U.S. and serves clients in Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Lorain counties. Taft attorneys help to secure justice and resolve fundamental problems for those who are low-income and vulnerable.
The Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio
Taft Columbus attorneys have worked closely on several key community projects with The Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio (LASCO), a non-profit dedicated to promoting advocacy, education, and legal aid to ensure access to justice in civil matters for economically disadvantaged individuals and groups in the area. Taft Columbus helped pioneer and volunteers regularly with the organization’s Tenant Advocacy Project, which helps Franklin County residents facing eviction by providing pro bono legal aid in tenant-landlord disputes. Additionally, Taft Columbus attorneys participate in several LASCO-sponsored brief advice clinics and LASCO’s Volunteer Resource Center, where they provide counsel on matters including creditor-debtor disputes, bankruptcy, and more.
Minds Matter Cleveland
Taft is proud to support Minds Matter, an organization dedicated to helping hard-working and high-achieving students from low-income situations get to and through the best college for them. To bridge the opportunity gap, Minds Matter connects students with the resources and relationships necessary to achieve success, helping them reach their true potential and become the leaders of tomorrow.
Ralph Waldo Emerson School 58
Since 2011, Taft has contributed and pledged more than $1.8 million to Ralph Waldo Emerson School 58. With employee donations through Shepherd Community Center, Taft supports an after-school program and additional learning opportunities to support academic achievement. Taft employees are also involved with the students through tutoring, mentoring, and volunteering their time and talents. Taft also supports the needs of School 58 families by providing compassionate care assistance. This support includes community outreach programs and training for the parents of School 58 students to support employment.
Special Olympics Indiana
Taft actively supports Special Olympics Indiana and its mission to create a better world by fostering the acceptance and inclusion of all people. Taft Indianapolis partner Trent Sandifur serves on the board of directors, and the firm is a corporate sponsor. In addition, Taft employees have participated in the Polar Plunge, the organization’s signature event, raising funds to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities.
Stefanie’s Team of Hope
Taft Columbus is a supporter of Stefanie’s Team of Hope, a community of people who ride Pelotonia in honor of Stefanie Speilman and all those affected by cancer. Since 2010, they have raised over $3 million in the fight to end cancer, with 100% of every dollar going towards innovative life-saving cancer research at The James Cancer Research Hospital.
Women Employed
Taft’s Chicago office supports Women Employed, an organization advocating for women in the workplace to affect policy change, expand access to educational opportunities, and fight for fair and inclusive workplaces so that all women, families, and communities thrive. Each year Taft participates in The Working Lunch, an event that brings together thousands of supporters. Partner Kris Kolky is a member of the Advisory Committee.
Women’s Wellness Fund
Taft’s Dayton office proudly sponsors the annual Ribbon of Hope Luncheon, a fundraiser for women’s wellness. More than 400 business and community leaders attend the event featuring a nationally known speaker who presents on breast cancer and women’s health issues.
St. Herman House
Taft’s Cleveland office is proud to support St. Herman House, whose mission is to shelter and support homeless men on the path to well-being and independence and meet the basic needs of people in the Greater Cleveland community. Taft attorneys and staff have volunteered for a number of years to serve dinner at the shelter.
Twin Cities Habitat for Humanity
Taft attorneys and staff help build homes for Habitat for Humanity on an annual basis. This organization works to eliminate poverty housing from the Twin Cities and to make decent, affordable shelter for all people a matter of conscience.
As an integral part of Taft’s community values, Taft attorneys are committed to providing legal services to low-income individuals, nonprofit and community organizations, and public interest causes, ranging from direct legal work for the indigent to extensive assistance to the courts. Because of our specialized skills and the role we play as part of the justice system, Taft attorneys have a unique opportunity to lead and serve on these issues.
We believe it is our professional duty to provide pro bono services and to approach them with the same client-first mindset and service we bring to every other matter.
Each year, we devote thousands of hours to individuals, groups, and nonprofit organizations who otherwise are unable to afford legal services. Our pro bono areas of service include civil rights, housing, appeals, guardianship, nonprofit governance, consumer, tax, veterans, immigration, intellectual property, family law, and service to the judicial system. This dedication to the public interest is inherent in Taft’s culture; our founding partners were heavily engaged in public and political service, and our current attorneys continue that legacy.
Pro bono work is encouraged throughout the firm, from new associates to senior partners with extensive experience. Taft associates, in particular, benefit in many ways from performing pro bono work, as it provides them with hands-on experience and helps them develop as leaders in law and public service. To support their efforts, Taft offers billable credit for up to 100 hours of pro bono work performed by associates.
Awards
Each year, Taft recognizes attorneys who best exemplify Taft’s commitment to giving back to its communities with Pro Bono Awards. The Pro Bono Awards are based on overall pro bono achievements, the time, talent, and energy invested into the cases handled, and the positive impact of the work. Each award recipient or group of recipients can direct a donation by Taft to a charitable organization of their choice.
See past winners here.
Organizations We Serve
We urge our attorneys to match a cause that inspires them with a legal need in the community. Some of the pro bono and legal aid organizations and related programs that Taft attorneys have partnered with, or that Taft supports, are:
- The Advocates for Human Rights
- Anti-Defamation League
- Ascend Justice
- Chicago Bar Foundation
- Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- Chicago Volunteer Legal Services
- Child Advocates of Marion County (Indiana)
- Children’s Law Center (Kentucky)
- Children’s Law Center of Minnesota
- Cincinnati Bar Foundation
- Coalition for Our Immigrant Neighbors (COIN)
- Columbus Bar Foundation
- Detroit Bar Association
- Georgia Lawyers for the Arts
- Greater Dayton Volunteer Lawyers Project
- Great Northern Innocence Project
- Heartland Pro Bono Council
- HVAF of Indiana, Inc.
- Illinois Supreme Court Volunteer Pro Bono Program for Criminal Appeals
- Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota
- Indiana Legal Services
- Indianapolis Bar Foundation
- Indianapolis Legal Aid Society
- Jewish Federation of Metro Detroit/Gesher
- Just Deeds (Minnesota)
- Lakeshore Legal Aid
- Legal Aid Chicago
- Legal Aid Society of Cleveland
- Legal Aid of Southeast and Central Ohio
- Legal Aid Society of Greater Cincinnati
- Legal Aid of the Bluegrass
- Legal Aid of Western Ohio and Advocates for Basic Legal Equality (LAWO/ABLE)
- LegalCORPS
- Michigan Advocacy Program (MAP)
- Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC)
- Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid
- Minnesota Disability Law Center
- Minnesota Justice Foundation
- National Homelessness Law Center
- National Immigrant Justice Center
- National Veterans Legal Services Program
- Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic (Indianapolis)
- Ohio Justice & Policy Center
- Pro Bono Collaborative (Cleveland)
- Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio
- Pro Se Project—Minnesota Chapter of Federal Bar Association
- Public Interest Law Initiative
- Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services
- Statewide Training and Assistance Network (STAN, Ohio Pro Bono Immigration Initiative)
- Veterans Consortium
- Volunteer Lawyers for the Poor
- Volunteer Lawyers Network (Minnesota)
Accolades
Following are some examples of how we have been recognized for our pro bono efforts across our offices:
- Taft received the 2023-2024 Illinois State Bar Association’s (ISBA) John C. McAndrews Pro Bono Service Award.
- Taft Indianapolis attorneys Jason Covert and Christine Walsh and Chicago attorney Liliana Jiménez won an asylum victory for a Haitian pro bono client with the help from an Indiana University Maurer School of Law student extern and the National Immigrant Justice Center.
- Taft Cleveland partner Lynn Rowe Larsen was honored with the 2024 Access to Justice Award at The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland’s annual meeting.
- Taft Dayton attorney Kristin Hardy was presented at the Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio CLE program titled “Helping Nonprofits: Understanding Their Legal Issues.”
- Taft Cleveland partner Lynn Rowe Larsen was profiled in a #MyLegalAid story, published by The Legal Aid Society of Cleveland on Oct. 7, 2024.
- The American Bar Association recognized Taft as a 2023 Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Leader.
- Taft Minneapolis legal assistant Phyllis Roden has been recognized by Minnesota Lawyer as a 2023 Unsung Legal Hero honoree.
- Taft attorneys Kristin Hardy, Art McMahon, and Anthony Ramicone were recognized by the Pro Bono Partnership of Ohio (PBPO) for volunteering their time and legal expertise to local nonprofit organizations.
- On June 26, Taft won an important appellate victory in the Indiana Supreme Court on behalf of a victim of domestic abuse. In this case, the Indiana Supreme Court found the father did “represent a credible threat” to mother and her child and affirmed the issuance of a two-year protective order against the father. Taft Indianapolis attorneys Matt Albaugh and Brittni Wassmer represented our clients pro bono.
- Taft Cincinnati attorney Emily Cashell recently joined the Board of Directors for the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center to support its mission of providing accessible legal services to immigrant and refugee families in the Greater Cincinnati community.
- Twenty Taft Minneapolis attorneys were selected by the Minnesota State Bar Association as 2023 North Star Lawyers. Honorees have volunteered at least 50 hours of pro bono service in the 2023 calendar year.
- The American Bar Association named Taft a 2023 Free Legal Answers Pro Bono Leader. This recognition is given to individuals, law firms, corporate law departments, and other organizations that provide extraordinary pro bono services through the Free Legal Answers platform.
- In Dec. 2022, Taft partner Sohan Dasgupta, Ph.D., was honored by the State Bar of Texas and the Texas Access to Justice Commission with the Champion of Justice recognition.
- Taft Northern Kentucky attorney Amanda Johnson was named 2022 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year by the Northern Kentucky Bar Association for her extensive pro bono work and volunteer efforts.
- Susan Wheatley was honored as a 2022 Cincinnati Bar Association Volunteer Lawyer of the Year.
- Taft Columbus partner-in-charge Janica Pierce Tucker was named the 2021 recipient of the Ohio Access to Justice Foundation Presidential Award. The Presidential Award for Pro Bono Service recognizes outstanding leadership in the delivery of pro bono legal services.
- Taft was named in the Public Interest Law Initiative (PILI) 2021 Pro Bono Recognition Roster. The Pro Bono Recognition Roster recognizes law firms and corporations that have shown significant commitments and contributions to pro bono throughout the state of Illinois.
- Andrew Carlson was among 33 honorees selected for Minnesota Lawyer’s 2020 Attorneys of the Year for his work spearheading Taft’s firm-wide pro bono efforts.
- Timothy Eaton has been honored by Chicago Lawyer magazine as its 2020 Person of the Year. Eaton was recognized for his many contributions to the Chicago legal community, including chairing the Court Operations During COVID-19 Task Force.
- A team of firm attorneys, including attorneys Emily Collins, Kirsten Pagel, and Joey Balthazor, received the 2019 Human Rights Volunteer Award for their pro bono service as part of the “Somali 92 team” at The Advocates for Human Rights Awards Dinner, an annual event honoring significant contributions to the human rights and to The Advocates’ work.
- Taft partner Tom McDonald served as pro bono lead counsel for a national civil rights case centered around the Indian River School District’s George Washington Carver Academy, a public school. The lawsuit alleged that this academy disproportionately placed upwards of 1,000 African American male students in a special needs program for more than a decade. The effort lead to a consent order including measures to create more supportive and fair learning environments for students. The case can be cited as a significant civil rights win in the state of Delaware and is responsible for crucial systemic educational reforms in the state today.
Taft’s Pro Bono Committee includes attorneys from all Taft offices and practice areas who are leaders in providing pro bono services in their communities. The committee’s objective is to connect attorneys in each of our offices with pro bono work that allows them to provide service to the community.
| Philip D. Williamson Partner / Pro Bono Committee Chair Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky Mira Aftim Fatima Bolyea Jennifer D. Brumby Andrew Carlson Catherine J. Courtney Jason Covert Sohan Dasgupta, Ph.D. William A. Doyle Zenus Franklin Robert J. Gordon Ioana M. Guset |
Rachel C. Jennings Pro Bono Counsel Chicago LaTessa F. Gray Vivek R. Hadley Amanda Johnson Russell Menyhart Donald Naiman Megan M. Okun Jonathan N. Olivito Yuka Shiotani Rachel Smoot Chasity Thompson Osborn Christopher Wolcott |
A longtime resident of downtown Cincinnati, Taft expanded its presence with the Taft Center, an innovative, multi-functional reception space overlooking Fountain Square. Taft, its clients, and other stakeholders can enjoy “front porch” city views as they partake in meetings, seminars, social events, and community causes. The firm’s active involvement in local civic and community organizations helped inspire the multi-purpose space.
Located on the second floor of the US Bank Tower, the 7,000-square-foot Taft Center serves as a meeting and conference site, as well as a reception space for networking events and mixers hosted by Taft clients and guests.
From Fountain Square, dramatic floor-to-ceiling windows offer illuminated views of the 1,200-square-foot “Living Room,” an expansive space equipped with wireless internet and movable seating. Beyond are private meeting rooms of varying sizes, fitted with high-tech electronics for international conferencing. A large lobby and 600-square-foot catering kitchen allow The Taft Center to accommodate guests with a variety of services.