Robinson Bradshaw Receives Statewide Pro Bono Award

Robinson Bradshaw is the 2021 recipient of the North Carolina Bar Association’s Law Firm Pro Bono Award. The award recognizes law firms for their commitment to pro bono service through a number of factors, including hours worked and number of attorneys contributing to the service, and a creative, consistent and sincere approach to pro bono engagement and programming.

“Robinson Bradshaw’s founders imparted a civic, professional and moral responsibility to address the unmet legal needs of our disadvantaged neighbors and the organizations that assist them,” said Managing Partner Allen K. Robertson. “While these needs have evolved with time, we are proud to continue this important work and service to our community.”

In 2020 alone, 74 Robinson Bradshaw attorneys completed 5,361 hours of pro bono work on behalf of clients. Three major pro bono projects are of particular note:

A team of Robinson Bradshaw attorneys, led by Adam K. Doerr, successfully litigated the reopening of the deadline for low-income families to apply for Extra Credit Grants, $335 in COVID-19 relief aid meant for parents to offset costs of childcare or remote learning. The firm and its community partners also facilitated the second application process. As a result, nearly 25,000 low-income parents applied for the aid in the second window, and more than $5 million in relief aid was distributed to North Carolina families that needed it the most.

Robinson Bradshaw also brought its litigation prowess to bear on behalf of the tenants at Lake Arbor Apartments, an affordable housing community. Julian H. Wright Jr. led the team that brought a suit against the complex’s owners after they illegally collected rent from the tenants while maintaining squalid conditions that violated city code. The firm reached a settlement with the owners, securing $547,000 in funds that were distributed among more than 100 tenants.

In the third project, real estate attorney Jane S. Ratteree represented Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy in a complex real estate transaction to secure a new office building. The new space will enable the legal services organization to expand its programs and serve more of the region’s low-income residents in need of representation.

“We are called as lawyers to assist our community in a way that few others can,” said D. Blaine Sanders, the firm’s director of pro bono services. “In a year that has brought immense challenges and hardship to many in our community, Robinson Bradshaw remains committed to answering that call and engaging in the vital work of advocating for our neighbors in need.”