Seattle – Global law firm K&L Gates LLP is honored to be the recipient, along with longtime firm client Amazon, of a 2020 Corporate Pro Bono Partner Award from the Pro Bono Institute’s (PBI) Corporate Pro Bono project for their joint contributions in support of Mary’s Place, an organization providing shelter and services to women, children, and families in their journey out of homelessness. The award was presented during PBI’s annual dinner and awards gala last evening, part of the organization’s virtual 2020 Fighting for Justice Series.

The award recognizes the work of K&L Gates and Amazon’s legal department in establishing and operating a regularly occurring legal clinic for guests at Mary’s Place emergency family shelters throughout King County, WA, through which volunteer lawyers advise individuals and families on matters ranging from landlord/tenant disputes and evictions, financial issues, and expungement of criminal records to restraining orders, identity theft, and employment and medical issues. Starting in March of 2020, lawyers from K&L Gates and Amazon launched the clinic virtually on a weekly basis to support Mary’s Place guests during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, K&L Gates lawyers have compiled and regularly update an interactive guide of financial resources available to residents of Washington state affected by the COVID-19 pandemic for use by Mary’s Place staff and clinic volunteers. The guide is also publicly available to other pro bono clinics, nonprofit service providers, and individuals throughout the region.

Click here to read more about the work of Amazon and K&L Gates with Mary’s Place.

“K&L Gates is extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with Amazon to provide services to our community that are meaningful and that aid individuals on their journey out of homelessness,” said Shannan Frisbie, a partner in K&L Gates’ technology transactions practice who leads the firm’s pro bono partnership with Amazon on Mary’s Place. “The work I have done with Mary’s Place is some of the most meaningful work of my 20+ year legal career and I look forward to what K&L Gates and Amazon can further accomplish together over the coming years.”

The Corporate Pro Bono Partner Awards were created to recognize innovative pro bono collaborations of in-house legal departments with law firms and public interest organizations, with each honoree having a demonstrated and sustained impact addressing a critical legal need in a vulnerable community through pro bono legal work.