Calls for transparency and accountability in law enforcement have grown louder in the years since the police shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, inspired a protest movement that spread across the country. Pro bono lawyers from large law firms are playing key roles in the effort to shine a light on police departments and their practices.
Some firms have offered their expertise to panels investigating allegations of police misconduct. Partners at Hinshaw & Culbertson and Mayer Brown, for example, co-led a police accountability task force in Chicago appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel that issued recommendations to improve police culture and its relationships with the community. Mayer Brown also worked on a similar effort in Fairfax, Virginia. In San Francisco, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius supported a Blue Ribbon Panel investigation of police bias, which found the SFPD needed more oversight and robust reform.
