The following op-ed appeared recently in the Boston Business Journal
Justice requires keeping the pro bono flame alive
By Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal | Damian Turco
Lawyers for Civil Rights | Turco Legal PC
The residents of a mobile-home park in Auburn organized to fight unconscionable rent hikes. Survival was at stake: Some families had to choose between paying rent and buying food. Residents even built a mutual-aid network to feed and protect the most vulnerable. But there’s only so much that communities can do without lawyers, especially when they are up against a much larger adversary with deep pockets or entrenched interests. This story repeats itself across housing, education, and, increasingly, immigration. As injustice happens, people keep asking: Where are the lawyers?
It’s been nearly a year since the legal profession was dealt a stunning blow. Through a series of unprecedented executive orders beginning in March 2025, the federal government began a campaign of professional intimidation, targeting law firms, threatening to revoke security clearances, and leveraging the weight of government contracts. As we near the anniversary of this seismic shift in the legal community, the profession must reaffirm its autonomy over business decisions, including which clients we represent, whether billable or pro bono. It’s also important to reassess how lawyers leverage their resources — from time to profits. This is vital to sustain the legal profession’s powerful check on federal overreach, to ensure the vigorous defense of civil rights, and to push back against efforts that prey on vulnerable communities.
As the pro bono landscape continues to shift, the impact on nonprofit legal advocacy groups like Lawyers for Civil Rights cannot be overstated. Yet pro bono support is critical to filing and winning cases, such as challenges to the federal government’s excessive use of force in immigration enforcement.
A lesson can be learned from small and midsize law firms that have been bravely working alongside public interest and civil rights defenders. Across the country, smaller firms have stepped up, often diverting resources to continue advancing justice and equity. Turco Legal, a boutique family law firm based in Massachusetts and New Hampshire, stepped up in 2025 with a pledge to donate 10% of firm proceeds to Lawyers for Civil Rights. In one year, that amounted to well over $50,000 in support of civil-rights advocacy. This is a new model for funding civil rights that goes beyond an annual law firm contribution or an event sponsorship.
Innovation in funding frontline organizations, such as Turco Legal’s 10% give-back model, is critical to building lasting change. Nonprofit legal organizations like Lawyers for Civil Rights must have predictable and reliable resources to build and sustain long-term momentum. The future of civil rights requires moving toward new models like profit-sharing and multi-year pledges — showcasing joint ownership, responsibility, and investment in the civil rights movement.
Pro bono support also remains a key investment. At Lawyers for Civil Rights, we rely heavily on law firms to co-counsel cases. This model is essential and helps us harness the immense power of the pro bono community, directing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of free legal aid each year to protect constitutional rights, especially in communities of color, immigrant communities and low-income communities. The impact is life-changing. Consider Anderson & Kreiger’s recent work supporting the vulnerable residents of the Auburn mobile home park, one of the last bastions of affordable housing in America. Without pro bono legal support, many low-income people wouldn’t see themselves reflected in the civil rights movement. With housing affordability at crisis levels, these interventions are essential, and so is the legal acumen and ingenuity needed to meet an unprecedented surge in immigration-related cases.
Now is the time to double down on pro bono culture so that future generations inherit access to justice. We have to keep the pro bono flame alive. For each lawyer, this is a personal and professional responsibility. Pro bono engagements matter because the law remains one of the most powerful tools for sustaining our democracy and advancing justice. The legal profession holds immense influence, power, and resources that must be catalyzed and mobilized in real time to stand up for justice. The smaller firms and non-profit organizations have been holding the line. It’s time for the rest of the legal profession to join us.
Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal is the executive director of Lawyers for Civil Rights, an organization providing free legal support to low-income people. Damian Turco is founder and managing partner of Turco Legal PC, a boutique law firm in New England.