How a structured pro bono model is connecting US refugee rights organizations with the legal support they’ve long deserved.
Closing the Gap Between Legal Expertise and Frontline Needs
The United States has one of the most developed pro bono cultures in the world, yet for many nonprofits and refugee-led organizations working on the frontlines of displacement and statelessness, that legal expertise has remained out of reach. To bridge this gap, with support from Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, PILnet brought its proven pro bono pitching roundtable model to the US for the first time. Partnering with, HIAS, and Thomson Reuters Foundation the organizations co-organized two US Refugee Rights Pro Bono Pitching Roundtables in October 2025.
The timing was deliberate. As the legal and compliance landscape in the United States continues to shift rapidly, refugee-serving organizations are navigating mounting complexity with shrinking resources. The roundtables were designed to meet that moment, expanding access to high-quality pro bono support while advancing implementation of the Global Refugee Forum Legal Community Pledge in the country.
Orrick’s contribution was hands-on from the start. The firm provided secondees who worked directly with PILnet to scope and refine project proposals, advise nonprofits on how to present compelling pitches, and share expert knowledge on building effective refugee rights pro bono partnerships in the US context. Their involvement was instrumental in preparing organizations, many of whom had never navigated pro bono processes before, to engage confidently with law firms. As Rene Kathawala, firmwide pro bono counsel at Orrick, put it, the roundtables provided a “tangible entry point for those that would not otherwise be able to access free legal support.”
A Proven Model in Action
Building on successful roundtables in Asia (2020 and 2022) and the UK and Europe (2024), the US edition created a structured, high-impact platform for organizations to present concrete legal projects directly to law firms, in-house teams, and other legal professionals. One roundtable focused on transactional legal needs, the other on programmatic initiatives. The scale of the needs and engagement exceeded expectations:
- 21 projects were pitched, surpassing the goal of 15–20.
- 50% of the participating organizations were led by individuals with lived experience of displacement or statelessness.
- 90% of organizations had never previously engaged with PILnet, marking the first meaningful connection to an international pro bono network for many.
- 14 projects have been matched with law firms, with Orrick providing ongoing support to connect the unmatched opportunities to an expanded network of pro bono providers.
The projects reflected both immediate operational needs and long-term systemic goals:
- Strategic analysis for nonprofit registration and independent operation
- Legal advice on governance, board responsibilities, and 501(c)(3) compliance
- On-demand research support for complex immigration matters
- Creation of a Country Conditions and Expert Declaration Resource Bank
- Legal support for habeas petitions challenging the prolonged detention of stateless individuals
- Assistance with naturalization (N-400) applications
Opening Doors and Building New Partnerships
For many smaller organizations, the roundtable model offered more than a match. It provided a clear, supported pathway into a world that can otherwise feel out of reach. As Damian Harris-Hernandez, co-founder of the Refugee Translation Project that was matched with support U.S. nonprofit compliance and agreements, reflected, “The real value of the Pitching Roundtables is that it gives small organizations like ours access to large law firms that are already on board with our mission and ready to assist.”
A key collaboration emerged at the Programmatic Roundtable, where the American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Immigration pitched two interconnected projects seeking support to respond to country conditions and requests for detained individuals. In response, three law firms volunteered to explore a collaborative model with the ABA, pooling expertise to build a centralized bank of country conditions, materials, and expert declarations while also responding directly to urgent requests from detention facilities. This effort has the potential to transform access to credible, timely evidence for detained asylum-seekers nationwide, including those without legal representation.
Early Impact and a Growing Network of Support
The impact was felt immediately by participating organizations. Summer Fuchs, Legal Case Support Manager at No One Left Behind, whose project focused on reviewing and strengthening privacy and data security policies, described the Freshfields team they are partnering with as “impressive, professional, responsive, and genuinely excited to assist.”
In addition to Orrick Herrington & Sutcliffe LLP, seven law firms were matched with projects, with some taking on multiple matters. PILnet facilitated the initial matching and provided ongoing partnership-building support, including for a number of projects involving collaboration across multiple firms.
Together, these partnerships demonstrate what becomes possible when civil society and the legal community align around shared purpose. The roundtables have strengthened the infrastructure supporting refugee rights in the US and reinforced a growing culture of strategic, collaborative, and community-driven pro bono engagement.
Organizations that were unable to pitch but have projects requiring legal support are encouraged to submit a Legal Assistance Intake Form to explore potential matches. Law firms and in-house teams wishing to contribute to PILnet’s work to leverage pro bono to advance refugee rights and strengthen the legal resilience of organisations that serve displaced and stateless people are invited to reach out at [email protected].