Pro Bono

PRO BONO

Fulfilling Unmet Needs in the Community

Maslon's commitment to assisting clients pro bono, often in their darkest hour, is a hallmark of the firm's 80-year history in Minnesota. As attorneys, we believe that pro bono work is our moral and ethical responsibility, as well as fundamental to the integrity of the judicial system. And as a firm that was founded in the face of pervasive discrimination, protecting the rights of the disadvantaged is part of our DNA.

Maslon has never shied away from taking on challenging cases when the stakes are high and the world is watching. Our 80 attorneys stand on the shoulders of those who prosecuted Nazis in the Nuremburg trials, who helped draft the nation’s first municipal employment laws prohibiting discrimination, and who represented plaintiffs in litigation to desegregate the Minneapolis Fire Department and Minneapolis Public Schools. More recently, a Maslon team led by Steve Schleicher devoted over 2,800 pro bono hours to the prosecution of Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd.

Guided by a dedicated staff attorney and a committee of partners, associates, and other professionals, Maslon’s pro bono work spans a broad spectrum of clients and cases. We have provided critical asylum work; obtained pardons for the wrongfully convicted; represented children in Minnesota’s foster care system; drafted wills for countless first responders throughout Minnesota; and advised small businesses on a wide range of corporate matters. We also encourage our professionals to pursue pro bono work that represents their distinct interests.

Additional recent work includes:

• Representing the ACLU of Minnesota in lawsuit against Freeborn County, Minnesota, for illegal use of immigration-related agreements.
• Helping Great North Innocence Project successfully obtain a pardon for a man who in 1998 was wrongfully convicted of first-degree burglary and sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• Representing local bar associations in an amicus brief supporting the request for an injunction brought by the state of Minnesota and the cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul seeking unimpeded access to justice and advocating for the rule of law in the face of the immigration enforcement surge in Minnesota.
• Helping a Ghanaian man who fled his home country due to persecution for his sexual orientation obtain asylum.
• Successfully representing Minneapolis tenant Tyrone Murphy in a case involving an unlawful lockout of his apartment, which resulted in a precedential decision at the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
• Successfully representing a same-sex married couple whose sperm donor sued for paternity.
• Serving as special prosecutor in the cases of Derek Chauvin and other former police officers in the murder of George Floyd. In 2020 and 2021 a Maslon team led by Steve Schleicher devoted over 2,800 pro bono hours to the prosecution of Chauvin, which culminated in a six-week trial that was livestreamed worldwide. Chauvin was convicted on all counts.
• Working with the Minnesota State Bar Association to create the Minnesota Wills for Heroes program, which Maslon attorneys and staff continue to lead. The program provides quality, no-cost estate planning services to the families of first responders, including EMTs, police, and firefighters.

View all Notable Pro Bono Work.

Maslon is proud to participate with other law firms in two key pro bono initiatives: Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge, a pact formed by the nation's largest law firms to collectively increase pro bono work, and Minnesota State Bar Association North Star Lawyers, a program that recognizes attorneys who provide 50 hours or more of pro bono legal services per year.