A Stand for Voting Rights

April 21, 2021

The right to vote is sacred. The promise of democracy is that it will afford and protect the rights of participation for all people. Our country has never fully honored that promise to Black Americans, whose voting rights were first denied and then suppressed. Progress has occurred only because courageous Americans sacrificed their liberties, and even lives, to work toward ensuring that all people could fully participate in our democracy. But to this day, that goal has not been achieved.

Today, we are witnessing a new assault on democracy in the form of voter suppression legislation that attempts to make it harder for marginalized voices to be heard; recent legislation enacted in the State of Georgia is a prime example.

In their call to action, titled “Memo to Corporate America: The Fierce Urgency,” dozens of Black executives urged corporate America to take a non-partisan stand for equality and democracy. We believe that their call includes law firms like ours, as lawyers play an essential role in protecting our democracy. We stand with these executives and, as a firm, will remain united in our work to protect democratic freedom and the rights of all voters, regardless of race or national origin.

Our firm has consistently supported efforts to ensure equality across all races and classes, and we will strengthen our efforts in that regard. We lend our voices to this effort and commit to taking action in these and other ways:

• We will continue to offer pro bono legal support to our clients and civil rights organizations actively opposing voter suppression efforts, and continue to ensure that our attorneys receive full billable-hour credit for pro bono work
• We will provide legal assistance to voters who need help with preparing to vote
• We will make charitable contributions to nonprofit organizations fighting voter suppression
• We will continue to ensure that our employees are allotted adequate time to vote on Election Day, and we will encourage other law firms and our clients to do the same
• We will host webinars and Continuing Legal Education programs focused on voting rights and voter suppression
• We are honored to stand with civil rights advocates, business leaders, and fellow lawyers in these efforts to protect our democracy