Amicus Mundi: The Lawyer Using His Retirement for Good

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are celebrating a lawyer who has dedicated his retirement to reuniting families at the border and volunteering with Afghan asylum seekers. Join us in saying…

Congratulations, Jim Sweeney!

Finding Purpose in Retirement: Since retiring a little over a year ago, Jim Sweeney has dedicated a significant amount of time to volunteering through We The Action.

  • Jim’s remarkable career before law school includes serving with the Peace Corps and as a theater director, where he says he learned how to tell a story, a skill that came in handy as a trial lawyer.

  • Inspired by his wife, Jim started volunteering with VECINA, an organization that empowers immigrant justice advocates by providing mentorship to attorneys and equipping them with the necessary tools to fight on behalf of immigrants' rights.

  • “I have found this work very, very fulfilling,” says Jim. “They say that it takes a while to find your rhythm in retirement. This kind of work has become an essential part of how I want to spend the time I have left. The impulse to fulfill a mission doesn’t retire.” 


A Need for Humanity: In August, 2021, the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, leaving thousands of people displaced, afraid, and fleeing for their lives. Many of those people, fearful of what would happen if they stayed in their home country, made the difficult journey to the United States. 

  • Organizations like VECINA have provided a vital lifeline to those seeking asylum. 

  • VECINA matches volunteers like Jim with asylum seekers to help them prepare for their interview with immigration officials. 


Jim’s Impact: VECINA provides two volunteers for each client, an attorney and a non-attorney. The volunteers, along with an interpreter, help the client highlight important aspects of their story and educate them on the interview process. Jim has worked with 8 clients to make sure they are prepared for the interviews.

  • Jim says, “It’s a matter of trying to tell their story in their own words, and not some lawyer’s, in order to humanize their situation. This is what I've spent most of my career trying to do.”

  • “Jim’s role helped set multiple people up for success,” says Molly Chew, Project Director at VECINA. “These are, in many ways, life and death decisions being made. If they lose, they are put at risk of being returned back to extreme danger. The impact of his work is immeasurable.”
     

The Work Continues: Jim continues to volunteer with VECINA, as there are still so many people seeking help with their immigration cases in the United States.

  • Jim says he has been changed and humbled by his volunteer work. “Having to flee or immigrate out of fear and restart is an act of heroism. I am in awe of every one of them. Getting to know them is a humbling experience for me.”

  • Because of his great work, VECINA hopes to continue to work with Jim on complicated, challenging cases.

  • Jim’s dedication has made an impression on the staff and volunteers at VECINA. “He’s delightful to work with,” says Molly, “and clearly very motivated and driven by the work.”

  • VECINA currently has sufficient volunteers for the Afghan asylum project. However, you can click here to explore additional WTA volunteer opportunities dedicated to supporting Afghan asylum seekers. If you are specifically interested in volunteering with VECINA, they are actively recruiting volunteers for their family reunification project.

Legal Nonprofit We The Action Announces New Advisory Council Of Leading Legal Voices

Chaired by former White House Counsel Dana Remus and including seven other prominent lawyers from nonprofit, academic and private sectors, the Council will help steer We The Action’s efforts to advance gender and racial justice, strengthen democracy and more.

Today, legal nonprofit We The Action announced a new advisory council of eight prominent lawyers from across the nonprofit, academic and private sectors to help shape the work of the nonprofit’s community of more than 45,000 volunteer lawyers and 550 nonprofit organizations.

A part of the Civic Nation ecosystem, We The Action is the nation’s leading network mobilizing lawyers to advance access to justice through pro bono work. By connecting lawyers from across the country with nonprofit organizations working on the most pressing issues facing the nation, the We The Action community is strengthening democracy, defending immigrant communities, advancing gender equity and racial justice and more. Since its launch in 2017, We The Action’s lawyers have donated more than 275,000 hours in free legal services worth more than $115 million.

“Addressing the access to justice gap is one the most important tasks we face to ensure our democracy delivers for all," said Dana Remus, former Assistant to the President and White House Counsel and Chair of the new We The Action Advisory Council.  "That’s why I’m excited to be leading We The Action’s Advisory Council. We The Action has already effectively mobilized tens of thousands of lawyers from across the country, proving that when a community of lawyers works together, they can build a more just and equitable nation.”

We The Action’s new Advisory Council will include:

  • Advisory Council Chair Dana Remus —  Partner, Covington & Burling LLP

  • Ilona Cohen — Chief Legal & Policy Officer, HackerOne

  • Josh Hsu — Partner, Jenner & Block LLP

  • Astri Kimball Van Dyke — Director, Google

  • Jonathan Kravis — Partner, Munger, Tolles & Olson LLP

  • Professor Spencer Overton — Patricia Roberts Harris Research Professor of Law, George Washington University

  • Robert Rivkin — Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer, United Airlines

  • Professor Cristina Rodriguez — Leighton Homer Surbeck Professor of Law, Yale Law School

“We The Action was founded on the fundamental belief that lawyers have the power to be an engine for change and a responsibility to protect the most vulnerable, fight for justice and defend our values,” said Anna Chu, Executive Director of We The Action. “With the visionary leadership of these accomplished lawyers from across the legal profession, We The Action is poised to continue our work towards a future where everyone — regardless of their race, income, ZIP code or any other factor — can get the legal support they need.”

This new council launches as We The Action focuses on expanding the hands-on support that its community of volunteer lawyers has already provided to nonprofits and individuals nationwide. For instance:

  • A strong democracy requires that everyone has the ability to make their voice heard at every level of government. That’s why 3,500 volunteer lawyers donated more than 45,000 hours to 36 organizations to make the 2022 midterm elections safe, secure, and accessible for every voter.

  • Reproductive freedom has been under attack both in the courts and in statehouses nationwide, and lawyers play a critical role in defending this human right. In the days following the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 220 lawyers volunteered to help abortion providers expand or modify services, track abortion-related bills, serve as legal observers at protests and more.

  • The American immigration system is nearly impossible to navigate for our immigrant neighbors who live in fear of deportation — or worse. That’s why We The Action partnered with a coalition led by the law firm Akin Gump to mobilize 150 lawyers who donated more than 3,000 hours to help nearly 3,000 migrants prepare for interviews with the government.

  • In 2022, 4.6 million people were denied the right to vote due to a previous felony conviction. Since 2020, 500 We The Action volunteers have volunteered with the Nobel Prize-nominated Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to research more than 15,000 cases for Floridians with previous felony convictions and help them navigate the labyrinth of red tape and fees to regain their voting rights.

  • Systemic racism permeates every level of the American legal system and We The Action lawyers are committed to breaking down barriers that disproportionately harm communities of color wherever they exist. One We The Action volunteer lawyer donated hundreds of hours to help a DC-based nonprofit successfully challenge the “Clean Hands Law,” an unfair fines and fees policy that exacerbated racial inequalities in a city where the median net worth of a white household is 81 times higher than the median net worth of a Black household.

“Every day, I’m awestruck by the impact that We The Action and its community of 45,000 volunteer lawyers and 550 nonprofit partners make on the most pressing issues facing the nation,” said Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation. “With the leadership of this new Advisory Council, We The Action and Civic Nation will continue building a more inclusive, equitable America.”

This new advisory council will focus on strengthening We The Action’s community of volunteer lawyers; deepening We The Action’s work on key priority issues like democracy and voting rights, gender and reproductive equity, racial justice, and immigration; and expanding into new issue areas to support underrepresented communities with free legal support. 

Remarks from the We The Action Advisory Council:

Ilona Cohen: “One of the most rewarding parts of being a lawyer is the opportunity to work on behalf of mission-driven organizations making the world a better place. We The Action makes it easy for any lawyer to find opportunities that fit their schedule and interest to use their legal skills to further whatever mission they care about. Lawyers have the power to be a force for good in the country, and I’m excited to play a role in helping make that reality.”

Astri Kimball Van Dyke: “Although our country has made progress on many issues the past few decades, gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence continues to be a threat to women’s economic stability, health, and overall well-being. But rather than empowering women, too often the legal system discourages them from speaking up. That’s why it’s so critical that lawyers support women and ensure their rights are protected. Alongside We The Action, I’m committed to advocating for survivors of gender-based discrimination, harassment, and violence nationwide.”

Jonathan Kravis: “As a longtime federal prosecutor, I’ve seen the law help lift up underrepresented communities, but I’ve also seen the legal system fall short in upholding justice. I know firsthand that lawyers have the power to defend our values and build a more just and equitable nation. Together, we can help close the justice gap and help support underrepresented communities nationwide.”

Josh Hsu: “The legal system is too often stacked against marginalized and vulnerable communities in this country. That’s why it’s all the more important that we have a community of dedicated volunteer lawyers to ensure that everyone has a voice and an advocate to help them navigate the system. We the Action’s commitment towards social justice and its intentionality towards protecting the rights of every American is precisely what we need at this moment.”

Professor Spencer Overton: “Preserving our democracy and defending the right to vote is bigger than any one election. It requires year round vigilance and dedication. We The Action understands that, and I’m excited to help steer their work to ensure voters can make their voice heard at every level of government.”

Robert Rivkin: “I’ve worked in both government and the private sector, so I’ve seen the difference lawyers can make when advocating for communities that are usually overlooked by the judicial system. We have a moral obligation to close the access to justice gap, and We The Action’s community of lawyers are on the front lines of that effort. I can’t wait to get to work and help expand opportunities for every American to be represented at every level of government.”

Professor Cristina Rodriguez: “The American immigration system is indecipherable for many immigrants seeking to enter the United States — and borderline impossible to navigate without legal representation. Every year, We The Action volunteer lawyers donate thousands of hours to help immigrants at every step of their journey. With the help of this community of 45,000 volunteer lawyers, we can help ensure every immigrant has the legal support they need.”

Amicus Mundi: The Lawyer Championing Voting Rights

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are celebrating a lawyer who worked to create a database of state voting rights acts that will help protect minority voting rights across the country. Join us in saying…

Congratulations, Misasha Suzuki Graham!

The big picture: Earlier this month, in a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court ruled to uphold the Voting Rights Act and ordered Alabama officials to redraw the state's congressional map to allow an additional Black majority district. 

  • Many feared that the Supreme Court would strike down the federal Voting Rights Act, which would have been a huge hit to minority voting rights across the country. 

  • Leading up to the Allen v. Milligan decision, Redistricting Data Hub worked with six We The Action lawyers to create a database that allows people to find out what protections for minority voting rights one might have on the state level. 

Building a resource: Misasha Suzuki Graham, a longtime litigator, podcast host, and We The Action volunteer was one of the first volunteers to sign up for this project. 

  • In her pro bono work and on her podcast (Dear White Women), Misasha has focused on using her voice and her status as a lawyer to uplift marginalized communities.

  • Misasha says, “Voting and the right to vote are so foundational, and are constantly under attack these days. Anything to make the effort to protect voting rights easier for people on the ground fighting is so important."

  • The nonpartisan Redistricting Data Hub provides individuals, good government organizations, and community groups the data, resources, and knowledge to participate effectively in the redistricting process. After meeting as a team to decide what would be important in a nationwide database, volunteers divided up the 34 target states to identify whether they each had a Voting Rights Act or were considering one, and whether the individual states had any other protections for minority voting rights in redistricting.

  • The database now exists publicly on Redistricting Data Hub’s website where visitors can see whether their state has or is considering state level protections of minority voting rights.

The lasting impact: While the Supreme Court decision is a major win for voting rights, the work is not done. This resource from Redistricting Data Hub will help good government and civil rights groups and the public know what other backstops are available in a worst-case scenario.

  • Kate Donovan, Co-director at Redistricting Data Hub, says, “There continue to be threats to the Voting Rights Act. Without We The Action, we lacked the skillset and capacity to track the potential impact on minority voting rights at the state level. The public resource developed by our volunteers will serve as a safeguard for the future, and provides critical information in the fight to uphold these protections.”

On volunteering: Misasha has completed 7 projects through We The Action, and continues to value pro bono work in her career.

  • Misasha says, “Volunteering for the first time can be daunting. If you find something you are really passionate about, that can get rid of some of the fear because you are so motivated. If you are passionate about something, it is likely on the We The Action platform.”

  • Kate says, “Misasha is a dream volunteer. When I’m working with Misasha and other We The Action volunteers, it doesn’t feel like work.”

  • Want to be like Misasha and support nonprofit organizations on the front lines of social change? We have 80+ legal projects that need your help!

Amicus Mundi: The Law Student Increasing College Access

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to someone in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and volunteerism. In celebration of our law school graduates this May, we are honoring a remarkable volunteer who has not only made a significant impact — but did it while still in law school.

Join us in congratulating our first law student Amicus Mundi winner:

Congratulations, Nnamdi Nwaezeapu!

An example for his siblings: During his 3L year at Columbia, Nnamdi’s pro bono advisor introduced him to We The Action where he found a project with The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) that met his volunteer requirements and perfectly suited his interests.

  • Born and raised in Washington, DC, Nnamdi is passionate about education access. While in high school, he benefited from programs aimed to help students attend college. He was the first of his siblings to go to college, and wanted to set a good example for his family.

  • “TICAS is working to make higher education accessible for students, and I wanted to be part of that,” Nnamdi says.

Nnamdi’s impact: Nnamdi revamped the contract process for TICAS, building templates that they can use to negotiate vendor contracts to save time and maximize impact.

  • He also researched California legislation which directly affects TICAS' payroll, vendors, and contracts. The guide that he wrote will help ensure that TICAS remains compliant with California law.

  • Ana Oseguera, Associate Director of Operations at TICAS, emphasized the importance of Nnamdi’s work, saying that Nnamdi made the organization feel more comfortable now that they have better contract wording and an understanding of the new laws. 

  • “If we didn’t have a volunteer, we would’ve had to hire a lawyer which is really expensive for us,” Ana says. “We were happy to give a student this learning experience. We work to advocate for students, so it was great for us to be able to make that connection.”

Volunteering as a student: Nnamdi acknowledged that law school is very challenging, and it’s often hard to see how what is taught will be useful in the real world. 

  • “When you volunteer for organizations like WTA and TICAS, you get to put your lessons to work and it makes the law school experience come alive,” Nnamdi says. “If you want to make law school enjoyable, volunteer. I got to do something that touched my interests in transactional law but suited my interest in helping students get into college. There is no shortage of opportunity.”

  • We’re eager to continue working with Nnamdi after he is admitted to the bar!  


Congratulations to all 2023 law school graduates, and a huge thank you to Nnamdi Nwaezeapu for all of his hard work! If you want to follow in Nnamdi’s footsteps and volunteer, check out WTA’s project listings.

Legal Nonprofit We The Action Named “World-Changing Idea” by Fast Company

The tech and innovation magazine named We The Action a finalist in the Software category and Honorable Mention in the Social Justice category of their 2023 World Changing Ideas Awards.

Washington, D.C. — Today, legal nonprofit We The Action was named a “World Changing Idea” by leading technology and innovation magazine Fast Company. As part of Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Award, We The Action was named an award finalist in the Software category and honorable mention in the Social Justice category.

Using its state-of-the-art digital platform, WeTheAction.org, We The Action recruits and mobilizes lawyers from across the country to use their legal expertise to strengthen democracy, support immigrant communities, advance gender equity and racial justice, and more. To date, We The Action’s community of 45,000+ volunteer lawyers from all 50 states has donated 275,000+ hours in legal services worth more than $115 million to 550+ nonprofit organizations nationwide.

“At We The Action, we leverage technology to channel the passion of lawyers to build a more just and equitable nation,” says Anna Chu, Executive Director of We The Action. “Since our launch, our lawyers have been on the front lines of the most pressing issues facing the country, donating their time and expertise to be agents of change and fight for the causes they believe in  — but we’re not slowing down. Whether we’re protecting the vote in the 2024 elections, helping reunite immigrant families separated at the border, or defending reproductive freedom, our community of volunteer lawyers are ready to ensure that everyone — regardless of their race, income, ZIP code, or any other factor — can have access to justice.”

Since its inception, We The Action has worked with Able, a product design studio dedicated to helping ambitious founders build technology. In 2022, when faced with numerous national crises, Able and We The Action worked to push the boundaries of innovation and enhance the platform's capabilities. Through this collaboration, they were able to facilitate faster and more impactful responses to urgent national issues, at an unprecedented scale, unlocking the power of network effect, and speed of mobilization.

“I’m tremendously proud of the work that we’ve done with We the Action over the last six years,” said Andy McKinney, CEO of Able. “All of us at Able are committed to building products that create impact, and this acknowledgment by FastCo is evidence of what we’ve accomplished together.”

For the last five years, We The Action has used its custom platform to recruit volunteer lawyers to strengthen democracy and advance access to justice, helping low-income people, communities of color, immigrant communities, and other traditionally marginalized groups to access the resources and support they need to seek justice for their grievances. For instance:

  • A strong democracy requires that everyone have the ability to make their voice heard at every level of government. That’s why 3,500 volunteer lawyers donated more than 45,000 hours to 36 organizations to make the 2022 midterm elections safe, secure, and accessible for every voter.

  • Reproductive freedom is under attack in Congress and statehouses nationwide, and lawyers play a critical role in defending this human right. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s devastating decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, 220 lawyers volunteered to help abortion providers expand or modify services, track abortion-related bills, serve as legal observers at protests, and more.

  • The American immigration system is nearly impossible to navigate for our immigrant neighbors who live in fear of deportation — or worse. That’s why We The Action partnered with a coalition led by the law firm Akin Gump to mobilize 150 lawyers who donated more than 3,000 hours to help nearly 3,000 migrants prepare for interviews with the government.

  • In 2022, 4.6 million people were denied the right to vote due to a previous felony conviction. Lawyers play a critical role in reenfranchising returning citizens and protecting voting rights. Since 2020, 500 We The Action volunteers have partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition — a Nobel Prize nominee — to research over 15,000 cases for Floridians with previous felony convictions to help them navigate the labyrinth of red tape and fees to regain their voting rights.

  • Systemic racism permeates every level of the American legal system and We The Action lawyers are committed to breaking down barriers that disproportionately harm communities of color. For instance, one We The Action volunteer lawyer donated hundreds of hours to help a DC-based nonprofit successfully challenge the “Clean Hands Law,” an unfair fines and fees policy policy that exacerbates racial inequalities in a city where the median net worth of a white household is 81 times higher than the median net worth of a Black household.

Fast Company’s World Changing Ideas Awards honors sustainable designs, innovative products, bold social initiatives, and other creative projects that are changing the way we work, live, and interact with the world. This year’s awards showcase 45 winners, 216 finalists, and more than 300 honorable mentions—with health, climate, energy, and AI among the most popular categories. A panel of Fast Company editors and reporters selected winners and finalists from a pool of more than 2,200 entries across urban design, education, nature, politics, technology, corporate social responsibility, and more. Several new categories were added this year including rapid response, crypto and blockchain, agriculture, and workplace. The 2023 awards feature entries from across the globe, from Italy to Singapore to New Zealand.

Amicus Mundi: The Lawyer Strengthening Survivors' Rights

Every month, we give our Amicus Mundi Award to a volunteer who has gone above and beyond in their work with one of our community partners. This month, we are honoring an attorney helping protect the rights of millions of sexual assault survivors.

Join us in congratulating Chuck MacLean!

Our honoree: Since 2021, Professor Chuck MacLean has volunteered with Rise, a national organization working to expand the rights of survivors of sexual assault. 

  • Rise was instrumental in passing the Survivor Bill of Rights, a landmark piece of legislation expanding the rights of survivors, unanimously through the U.S. Congress in 2016. Since then, they have worked with volunteers like Chuck to pass state-level Survivor Bills of Rights across all 50 states.

  • “Chuck has helped multiple state organizers map out the current ‘legislative landscape’ to understand the statutes already in place and identify gaps where changes are needed to strengthen laws for survivors' rights,” says Caitlin Ryan, Chief Strategy Officer at Rise. “This is an essential part of our organizing process and enables our work to pass laws. We wish there were more lawyers out there like Chuck!"

“Multiplied our impact”: As a longtime educator, Chuck has brought his volunteer work to the classroom. He teaches future law enforcement professionals at both Metro State University in Minnesota and University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, with a curriculum that emphasizes the importance of maximizing procedural justice. 

  • Chuck believes that having his students help with this research gives them an opportunity to have an impact on the issues they will likely deal with in their professions and better prepares students to become ethical criminal justice professionals. 

  • “It is so much easier to engage students on real issues instead of case studies and make believe,” Chuck says. “By working on Rise projects with students, we were able to give them experience and we multiplied our impact.”

  • And Chuck notes an additional win-win for this volunteer partnership. “Real research that might help real people – that’s a lesson that they’ll never forget,” he says. “For some students, it will drive them to public service and to take on tough tasks.”

Building a more just system: Because the legal system has so many protections for the rights of the accused, Chuck emphasizes the importance of building a more just system of protections for victims. 

  • “We have to identify shortcomings and be creative, insightful, and involve critical thinking to improve every corner of criminal justice so we’re not the sad story from the past,” he says. “With evolution and revolution, we have to work to better this.”

  • Because of the work of Chuck and his students, Rise is a major step closer to strengthening the rights of survivors in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

On volunteering: Throughout his long and varied career, Chuck has been committed to volunteerism, and has found volunteer opportunities through WTA in his main interest areas – voting, elections, and sexual assault.

  • “We The Action and Rise make it so simple,” Chuck says. “The project’s are clearly focused, the timing and deliverables are known, and it’s really manageable. Plus, it's its own reward.”

“I would volunteer on ten times the projects that I do now if I had the time,” Chuck says. Follow Chuck’s lead and sign up for a project here.

Congratulations to Chuck MacLean and a special thanks to his students for their hard work and profound impact.

#NationalVolunteerMonth2023: Happy National Volunteer Week!

Happy National Volunteer Week! This week recognizes the impact of volunteer service and the power of volunteers to tackle society’s greatest challenges. While we celebrate volunteers like you all year, we wanted to take this opportunity to share some of the ways lawyers like you have recently made a difference:

Four Ways Lawyers Like You Are Making a Difference (and Still Can!)

1. Strengthening Democracy (With a Nobel Peace Prize Nominee!)
A strong democracy requires everyone having the ability to participate and have their voice heard at every level of government. That’s why in 2020, We The Action launched a partnership with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition to help people with previous felony convictions  — also known as returning citizens — restore their right to vote. Since then, 500 WTA volunteers from 26 states have researched over 15,000 cases for Floridians to help them navigate the labyrinth of red tape and fees to regain their voting rights. If you want to get involved in this effort, FRRC — who has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize! — has a project for lawyers who are barred in Florida and another project for lawyers not barred in Florida.

Nearly 300 We The Action lawyers have also donated more than 1,000 hours to help the Democracy Capacity Project develop state resource guides supporting grassroots organizations working on democracy-enhancing civic engagement and civil rights projects. They’re currently recruiting lawyers barred in any state for two new projects: one to help organizations understand laws surrounding absentee ballots, and one to help organizations understand ballot measures.

2. Advocating for Racial Justice
Systemic racism permeates every level of the American legal system and We The Action lawyers are committed to breaking down barriers that disproportionately harm communities of color wherever they exist. For instance, Jeff Nesvet, a retired lawyer and We The Action volunteer with 50 years experience, helped a DC-based nonprofit successfully challenge the “Clean Hands Law,” a DC policy that exacerbates racial inequalities in a city where the median net worth of a white household is 81 times higher than the median net worth of a Black household. Jeff was also featured in Law360 discussing his work to help overturn the Clean Hands Law. 

3. Fighting for Reproductive Rights & Gender Equity
In Congress and in statehouses across the country, reproductive freedom is under attack and lawyers play a critical role in the fight to defend the fundamental right of reproductive choice. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s devastating ruling overturning Roe v. Wade, 160 We The Action volunteers are still fighting alongside four key partners to protect reproductive rights. Last year, we highlighted Rachel Spitz, a volunteer lawyer who “had a direct impact on an abortion provider’s ability to stay open and continue providing abortion care in Georgia,” according to Regulatory Assistance for Abortion Providers, the organization who sponsored the project.

4. Supporting Immigrant Communities
The American immigration system is a labyrinth of red tape that is nearly impossible to navigate for our immigrant neighbors living in fear of deportation — or worse. That’s why 82 We The Action lawyers have already signed up this year to provide immigration legal services by representing unaccompanied immigrant and refugee children, translating legal documents so survivors of human trafficking can apply for immigration benefits, conducting research to support immigration cases for Afghan refugees, and more.

Browse the 30 immigration projects currently looking for lawyers!

Need Some Inspiration? Read About Some Amicus Mundi Award Winners from the Past Year!

From all of us at We The Action, happy National Volunteer Week and thank you for your commitment to volunteerism.

Amicus Mundi: The Lawyer Sharing Hope in an Email

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to a lawyer in our community that goes above and beyond in their work on today’s most pressing issues.

In recognition of National Sexual Assault Awareness Month, We The Action is honored to announce Katy Yang as our next Amicus Mundi Award winner. Katy was nominated by WomensLaw for staffing a domestic violence email hotline and providing legal information and hope to survivors.

Join us in congratulating Katy!

How it started: Katy was inspired to begin volunteering with WomensLaw after reading about the impact of a previous Amicus Mundi winner. When Katy found this project, she had recently stepped away from corporate law and was looking for opportunities to focus on projects that aligned with her values.

  • Katy had worked with domestic violence survivors during law school and in previous pro bono matters, so this flexible, ongoing project felt like the perfect fit to continue supporting a community that she cares about.

Giving hope: WomensLaw provides an email hotline to support survivors by helping protect them from domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking or overcome the effects of abuse. Every correspondence is guaranteed to be reviewed by an attorney, so the volunteers are very important.

  • Once a week, Katy sits down to complete her correspondence on the hotline.

  • It takes Katy about an hour to review the intake email, identify the relevant issues, search through WomensLaw’s extensive resource banks and craft a clear and comprehensive response addressing the survivor’s specific questions and related issues that they may not have considered. Since October, she has supported more than two dozen survivors in need.

  • “This opportunity seemed really perfect to reconnect with the reason I wanted to become a lawyer,” Katy says. “I was also looking for autonomy over my schedule so it was important to me that I could structure this project in a way that fit into my week."

The Impact of WomensLaw: In the past 12 months, WomensLaw has helped nearly 4,000 people via their email hotline. Because so many people need assistance, maintaining capacity is key to the mission and success of the hotline.

  • “The volunteers we have on our email hotline are a crucial part of our organization,” says Angelina Fryer, senior staff attorney at WomensLaw. “Volunteers like Katy make it so the hotline can stay open and we can help more people.”

  • Katy was nominated for being the type of volunteer every organization loves — reliable, easy to communicate with, and trustworthy.

How to Help: WomensLaw will host trainings later this year, so be on the lookout this summer for announcements. You can also find projects focusing on women’s rights, domestic violence, and sexual assault & harrassment at the link here.

  • As lawyers, we really are in a privileged position, and I believe it is our duty to share that with folks who could benefit from it and don’t have access to the resources we do,” Katy says.

Once again, congratulations Katy, and thank you for all that you do!

Amicus Mundi: The Lawyers Fighting for Representation in Government

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who has donated their time and expertise to a cause they believe in.

We’re changing things up a little bit this month, and giving the award to two lawyers who’ve been friends for 20 years and teamed up to help increase diversity, equity, and inclusion in the federal government:

The Big Picture: Friends for more than 20 years, lawyers Susan and Stephanie helped engage lawmakers and policy experts to pass a federal law expanding the availability of the Plum Book, a key document for ensuring inclusive hiring practices across high-level positions in the federal government.

  • Though a relatively unknown document, advocates say that reforming the Plum Book, which lists more than 9,000 appointed leadership positions in the federal government, could be key to expanding diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the federal government.

Increasing accountability and transparency: In the past the Plum Book was only published every four years — at the end of presidential administration — but under the PLUM Act, it will now be published every year.

  • “It’s impossible to hold any administration accountable when we only get this information once the administration is over,” says Mark Hanis, cofounder of Inclusive America, who sponsored the project. “If we want more equitable policies from our government, we need to have more diversity at the table where decisions are made.”

A chance to reconnect: A lawyer living in North Carolina, Susan says she often struggled to find engaging pro bono opportunities. But after finding Inclusive America’s project posting on We The Action, she saw an opportunity to work alongside her friend Stephanie.

  • “I like to use my skill set where I can contribute most,” Susan says. “So I volunteered on this project for myself originally, but then I realized it was also a good fit for Stephanie.”

  • Stephanie says she had no legislative pro bono experience, but jumped at the chance to break down barriers between underrepresented communities and leadership positions.

  • “You can’t dream about a job if you don’t even know it exists,” Stephanie says. “This was such a basic, simple fix that allows for greater public access to positions of power. It seemed like a big deal to me.”

A government that looks like our people: Inclusive America says their goal is to “make our government look like our people” by using data analysis, cultivation of qualified candidates from underrepresented communities, and urging governments and candidates for office to make structural changes to hiring practices.

  • Since 2021, Susan and Stephanie donated more than 100 hours to Inclusive America. Their volunteer work included conducting legal research, talking with Congressional staff, drafting language suggestions, engaging with partner organizations, and advising on strategy — all of which ended with President Biden signing the PLUM Act into law in January.

You can get involved too: These two lawyers highlight two different, equally impactful approaches to pro bono work: Susan volunteered on a project in an area where she already had experience and felt she could make a difference, while Stephanie jumped into a new subject area because she wanted the experience.

  • “I like to open more doors for myself and others than I close,” Stephanie says. “So I didn’t have any legislative experience, but when Susan called about this project I decided to say yes!”

  • Susan agrees, and encourages lawyers to use pro bono volunteering as a way to branch out from your day-to-day experience.

Do you have a friend you want to volunteer with this year? Forward this story to them and browse our 100+ projects together. As Susan says, “get out there and try something that looks interesting!”

#BlackHistoryMonth 2023: Honoring the Legacy of Black Lawyers in American History

February is Black History Month, a time to celebrate the achievements & history of Black communities in the U.S. While We The Action is dedicated year round to advancing racial justice and equity, we took this opportunity to highlight the legacy and impact that Black lawyers have had on our country and our profession.

This year, We The Action honored 21 of the most influential Black lawyers in our country's history. You can read more about these leaders and their impact on our nation below:

Amicus Mundi: The Lawyer Challenging Racial Inequalities

Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we’re celebrating a retired lawyer who helped overturn a DC law that was disproportionately harming low income communities and communities of color.

If this story inspires you as much as it does us, We The Action currently has more than 120 projects looking for volunteer lawyers of all experience levels, expertises, and availabilities!

Congratulations, Jeff Nesvet!

The big picture: A retired lawyer with more than 50 years of experience — including more than 40 in the federal government — Jeff has volunteered since 2019 to help overturn a DC law that disproportionately harmed low income residents and communities of color…and they won the case!

  • Jeff helped successfully challenge the “Clean Hands Law,” a DC policy that exacerbates racial inequalities. Under this law, anyone who owes more than $100 in unpaid fines or fees of any kind to the District of Columbia Government is barred from applying for a new or renewed driver's license until all fines are paid, regardless of their ability to pay.

Compelled to help: Since starting his career in the 1970s, Jeff says he felt called to use his legal expertise to advance the public good and even worked on various public interest projects before beginning his career in the government.

  • “People with a career in the federal government always talk about what they’re going to do when they retire,” Jeff says. “I always said I would go back to doing public interest work.”

Fighting an unjust law: In a jurisdiction where the median net worth of a white household is 81 times higher than the median net worth of a Black household, the Clean Hands Law deeply impacted DC’s communities of color.

  • That's why Jeff used We The Action to connect with Tzedek DC, a DC-based nonprofit with the mission of safeguarding the legal rights and financial health of DC residents with lower incomes who are dealing with often unjust, abusive, and illegal debt collection practices.

  • “Jeff's work over parts of the last four years has been integral to our analysis of why the law is unconstitutional and harms DC residents with low incomes, and what can be done about it.” says Ariel Levinson-Waldman, Tzedek DC’s Founding Director. 

A hard fought victory: Jeff says he helped with a two-pronged approach to overturning the Clean Hands Laws: convincing the DC Council (which has state and municipal-level authority) to overturn the law and, if that effort failed, having filings ready to urge the courts to overturn the law.

  • In July of 2022 — after years of effort —  the DC Council finally passed a law removing drivers licenses from the Clean Hands Law. And a few weeks ago, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction halting the enforcement of the Clean Hands Law until its repeal becomes official in October 2023.

  • The Court found that “tens of thousands of DC residents …have been barred from receiving driver’s licenses under the Clean Hands Law”  and noted that “ending the application of the Clean Hands Law to driver’s licenses will likely improve… [the] quality of life outcomes for Black residents who have a debt to the District government." They continued to say that overturning the Clean Hands Law will “mitigate the burden on D.C. residents with disabilities, those who lack stable housing, and those who are struggling to maintain steady employment.”

  • “It was a long process, but I couldn’t be more pleased with the results,” Jeff says. “The number of people in DC who will benefit will be really significant.”

You can help too: Though Jeff’s project took years to complete, he emphasizes that lawyers can also make a difference by signing up for shorter projects to help organizations solve smaller challenges.

On behalf of 45,000+ volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Jeff!

Is your resolution to donate more time fighting for causes you believe in? Sign up for one of the more than 120 projects looking for volunteer lawyers!

Protecting Voting Rights & Furthering Democracy

From protecting the 2022 midterm elections to empowering communities to engage with their elected officials, this was a banner year for We The Action’s democracy work. In all, 3,500 volunteer lawyers donated more than 45,000 hours to 36 organizations working to make the midterm elections safe, secure, and accessible for every voter.

For instance:

  • In 2018, We The Action partnered with the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law to build the technology to support Election Protection — the largest nonpartisan voter protection campaign in the country. In 2022 alone, We The Action lawyers staffed 10,445 shifts on the 866-OUR-VOTE hotline and answered questions from nearly 40,000 voters.

  • Coordinated efforts to undermine election officials were all too common in the midterm elections, and 60 We The Action lawyers volunteered with the Election Official Legal Defense Network to help election officials navigate a deluge of open records requests and comply with open records laws while ensuring the elections continued to run smoothly.

  • With one in six election officials facing threats as they worked to ensure a safe and secure election, We The Action partnered with the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law to find lawyers to represent election officials. For instance, a We The Action volunteer represented an Iowa election official following harassment stemming from the 2020 elections.

  • With state voting laws changing across the country, 70 We The Action lawyers helped Rock the Vote turn complicated local voting laws into easy-to-understand voter guides to help empower young voters.

  • State laws vary greatly across the U.S. and can be difficult for small nonprofits to understand, so 200 We The Action lawyers worked with the Democracy Capacity Project to create 19 state guides to empower nonprofit organizations to design and run civic engagement, democracy support, and Get Out the Vote programs.

  • Given the complexity of state election laws, We The Action lawyers volunteered with When We All Vote to compile research on voter registration, ballot return policies, residency requirements, and more to inform voter outreach strategy for Civic Nation initiatives including When We All Vote, United State of Women, and All In Campus Democracy Challenge. 

  • We The Action partnered with Common Cause to expand our on-the-ground voter protection efforts, recruiting lawyers to serve as poll monitors and workers, solve problems at polling locations in real time, and work on time sensitive litigation and/or petitions as needed. From the start of early voting through the Senate runoff elections, We The Action lawyers were on the ground in 16 states.

  • After the polls closed on Election Day in the extremely close Georgia Senate race, We The Action lawyers flocked to sign up with All Voting Is Local to observe the statewide risk-limiting audit to help verify the fairness and accuracy of the vote audit.

  • For the second election cycle in a row, We The Action lawyers helped the Fair Elections Center update and confirm poll worker recruitment information for thousands of election jurisdictions. This work supports the massive national Power the Polls recruitment effort, of which We The Action is a coalition partner.

  • Amid reports of voter intimidation during highly competitive Senate and gubernatorial elections, We The Action lawyers volunteered with the Arizona Democracy Resource Center to answer voter questions via a statewide hotline and serve as point people in specific counties to troubleshoot issues and escalate more serious concerns.

Spotlight on: Democracy Capacity Project

State laws vary considerably across the U.S., but they regulate much of the work that nonprofit organizations do to promote civic engagement and a healthy democracy, like running voter registration drives, assisting voters with applying for a vote by mail ballot, organizing GOTV programs, and much more. This labyrinth of local laws can often discourage a nonprofit from doing election-related work — or stop them from participating altogether.

That’s why 200 We The Action lawyers volunteered with the Democracy Capacity Project to produce free resources to empower nonprofits to design and run civic engagement, democracy support, and Get Out the Vote programs while complying with complex state laws and regulations governing those activities.

Katherine Mirrasou, a recently-barred lawyer from California, volunteered with the Democracy Capacity Project to help create these state-by-state guides. In all, 19 guides were released over the summer.

“Katherine brought such enthusiasm and a kind of ‘magic sauce’ to the work!” said Sue Zachman, Founder and Director of the Democracy Capacity Project. “She quickly became a leader in this project — helping us design both our volunteer data collection process and the content of the nonprofit-facing resource itself!”

Read more about Katherine

Supporting Immigrant Communities

Throughout the year, as humanitarian crises raged on the U.S.-Mexico border, in Afghanistan, in Ukraine, and many other places across the globe, We The Action channeled the passion of our community to support immigrant communities however possible.

For instance, We The Action helped launch the Welcome Legal Alliance, a nonpartisan initiative that channels the passion and skill of the nation’s lawyers to help Afghan evacuees coming to the United States access critical pro bono legal services. 

We The Action also partnered with a coalition led by law firm Akin Gump to mobilize 150 lawyers who donated more than 3,000 hours to help nearly 3,000 migrants prepare for interviews with the government.

Spotlight on: Welcome Legal Alliance

In the spring, We The Action helped launch the Welcome Legal Alliance, a non-partisan initiative that channels the passion and skill of the nation’s lawyers to help Afghan evacuees coming to the United States access critical pro bono legal services. Since its launch in March, more than 200 lawyers have signed up for one of the Welcome Legal Alliance’s 32 projects to support immigrant communities.

The Welcome Legal Alliance is a program of Welcome.US, a new national initiative that mobilizes Americans to welcome and support refugees, beginning with those arriving from Afghanistan. WTA's platform is providing a single place for lawyers and legal organizations to find the right opportunity to help support our Afghan neighbors.

“We The Action is central to our ability to do this work,” said Robert Sabuda, Executive Director at the Afghan Refugee Housing Network. “WTA has saved us thousands of dollars in legal fees which we can then use to provide support and resettlement services.”