NOVEMBER 19, 2024 – Davis Wright Tremaine LLP and Microsoft have been named "Best Client-Law Firm Team" at the American Lawyer Industry Awards. The recognition honors the impact and originality of a highly successful pro bono program known as ProJourn, providing legal services to under-resourced journalists and newsrooms.
ProJourn (or Projecting Journalists Pro Bono Program) is a first-of-its-kind initiative that provides no-cost legal assistance to qualified local news organizations, reporters, editors, documentary filmmakers, podcast creators, and other investigative storytellers. Participants can receive legal help with pre-publication review and public records access along with newsroom operations-related needs. The program has a particular focus on journalists serving "news deserts" and BIPOC communities.
ProJourn draws on the considerable strengths of its two founders, DWT and Microsoft. Microsoft's pro bono volunteers work to advance social and economic well-being and the company has a longstanding commitment to supporting local news and combatting misinformation. DWT is known for its preeminence in First Amendment law as well as its pro bono team's national leadership in leveraging innovation, creating scalability, and joining forces with strategic stakeholders to optimize good globally.
"In co-founding ProJourn," said Sima Sarrafan, assistant general counsel at Microsoft, "we sought to increase the number of lawyers who support journalists with the protection and force of the law and help ensure the law is used as the vehicle that enables free speech."
Attorneys from Microsoft and DWT work side-by-side on ProJourn matters, from inception to completion, allowing them to collaborate in unique and meaningful ways. Since ProJourn launched four years ago, nearly two dozen Microsoft attorneys have donated roughly 1,000 hours and handled scores of matters in collaboration with DWT.
Beth Henderson, senior director of pro bono at Microsoft stated: "Microsoft's pro bono volunteers love engaging with ProJourn and supporting journalists alongside DWT's world-class media and First Amendment attorneys. It's a unique opportunity that allows our volunteers to learn a new area of the law, build relationships with DWT counsel, and contribute to the greater good."
"ProJourn has not only served to deepen the nearly four-decade relationship between our firm and Microsoft, but also helped safeguard the future of investigative reporting, an essential pillar of our democracy," said Jaime Drozd, DWT's managing partner. "I could not be more proud of the ProJourn founders and all of the many attorneys and professional staff, at our firm and at Microsoft, who have contributed to this vital project."
Initially launched in Washington state and California, ProJourn quickly gained recognition for its innovation and high potential, attracting a multimillion-dollar grant from the Knight Foundation. This grant enabled ProJourn to hire three full-time employees who now manage the program within the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, a strategic integration that has facilitated ProJourn's expansion across multiple states. The law firm-client partnership inaugurated by DWT and Microsoft now includes a half-dozen additional firms, each collaborating with their own clients to help expand the program nationwide.
"Being recognized as Best Client-Law Firm Team is a tremendous honor, not just because of the fierce competition in this category, but because it underscores the power of collaboration and innovation in addressing critical pro bono needs," said Joanna Plichta Boisen, DWT's chief pro bono and social impact officer. "Our collaboration with Microsoft exemplifies how strategic alliances can drive meaningful change, ensuring that vital stories continue to be told and that the voices of underserved communities are amplified. Together, we are not just supporting journalism; we are fortifying the very foundation of our democracy."
Learn more about ProJourn at https://projourn.org.
About Davis Wright Tremaine
Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is an AmLaw 100 law firm with more than 600 lawyers representing clients based throughout the United States and around the world. The firm is widely recognized as having the leading media and entertainment practice group in the country and has been honored by organizations across the legal industry for pro bono innovation. Learn more at www.dwt.com.
About Pro Bono at Microsoft
The mission of Pro Bono at Microsoft is to inspire and empower Microsoft employees and community partners to create solutions that promote justice for all by providing those in need with access to legal knowledge, resources, and services. From upholding immigrants' rights to guarding the right to equal justice, Microsoft pro bono volunteers take action to advance social and economic well-being in the community. Learn more at https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/diversity/pro-bono-programs/2024-pro-bono-report.