Pro bono is central to who we are. We emphasize work that impacts systemic issues, undertaking pro bono matters that strengthen families, empower communities, and protect civil rights. The firm’s pro bono work strives to address the root causes of legal, social, and economic inequalities. Hear more from Pro Bono Member David Esquivel about our pro bono contributions.

The Napier-Sudekum Collaboration: Strengthening Families and Empowering Community

Consistent with our commitment to impact systemic issues, Bass, Berry & Sims has established a collaborative initiative with Legal Aid Society of Middle Tennessee and the Cumberlands to expand legal support and community investment in South Nashville’s Napier-Sudekum neighborhood and the surrounding 37210 zip code. The firm has deep ties in the Napier-Sudekum neighborhood, working with several other community organizations, including the Nashville Public Library, Harvest Hands, Joy Kitchen, Tennessee Justice Center, and Neighborhood Health.

Inspired by the leadership and vision these groups bring to the community, we hope to spark additional investment from private businesses, foundations, and fellow law firms to further impact the Napier-Sudekum community. The initiative was launched with a Leadership Cabinet financial gift from Bass, Berry & Sims to Legal Aid Society and includes a monthly legal clinic in the Napier-Sudekum neighborhood supported by the firm.  Learn more about this collaboration here or watch the video below.

Strengthen Families

The firm’s pro bono work recognizes the positive impact that legal representation can make for individuals and families. Examples of our work to strengthen families include:

• A Conservatorship Project that enables families to provide education, healthcare and housing for severely disabled adult children in Middle Tennessee and extends representation to families in rural-county legal deserts in West Tennessee
• Working with Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors and Latino Memphis to represent individuals in immigration claims and petitions for U.S. citizenship.
• Partnering with the Veteran Administration and West Tennessee Legal Services to provide estate planning guidance and documents for veterans in Memphis and West Tennessee. Representing refugees in asylum cases. Hear from Phil Berg about his experience working on these types of cases. To hear directly from one of our clients about the life-saving impact of this asylum work, click here.
• Partnering with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center to secure federal benefits for disabled adults. Watch a video about an impactful SSI case with client Brooklyn Arbona-Rodriguez below.

Empower Communities

Our pro bono support for local, national, and international organizations enables them to focus on their missions and do what they do best. The work spans a broad spectrum of legal matters including business formation, applying for nonprofit status, real estate transactions, tax guidance, and employment issues. Illustrations of the impact of this work include:

• Expanding shelter for the unhoused with Room In The Inn and services for men coming out of prison through Men of Valor.
• Providing housing for families through Habitat for Humanity and for veterans through the Gary Sinise Foundation.
• Supporting expanded education opportunities for children through the work of Play Like A Girl and Su Casa Family Ministries.
• Educating entrepreneurs from Corner to Corner as they develop businesses to support their families and community. Garrah Carter-Mason shares how this work impacts economic justice.
• Partnering with Harvest Hands, a nonprofit working to further education, healthy living, spiritual formation, and economic development in South Nashville. Watch the video to learn more about how this pro bono work is helping to empower the community and its members.
• Advising Joy Kitchen, a nonprofit dedicated to building and growing a sustainable platform for youth empowerment and community revitalization in the Napier-Sudekum neighborhood in Nashville. Bass, Berry & Sims has provided pro bono legal counsel to Joy Kitchen on matters including commercial leasing, trademark protection, and employment law. Learn more about our work with Joy Kitchen here or watch the video below about the impactful work.

Protect Civil Rights

Our work to protect civil rights includes a decades long tradition of pro bono work for reform of the criminal legal system and working with national organizations to secure basic rights of children in foster care. The firm’s work in these areas includes:

• Collaborating with Tennessee Innocence Project (TIP) since its founding in 2019 to secure freedom for those wrongfully convicted for crimes they did not commit, supporting work on six cases, with three clients released from incarceration in 2023. Hear from Ashleigh Karnell who, through our Pro Bono Fellow Program, supported TIP and discusses the importance of our ongoing partnership and work in this area.
• Working with Children’s Rights to secure a federal court order requiring the state of Tennessee to ensure that undocumented children in its custody are able to secure Special Immigrant Juvenile Status and a legal pathway to citizenship.
• Challenging the constitutionality of the lethal injection means of execution for capital punishment in Tennessee. Watch this video from Jeremy Gunn talking about his and the firm’s efforts to challenge the lethal injection protocol in Tennessee.

Click below to read more about how our attorneys are impacting our communities.