We have an expanded concept of pro bono (“for the public good”) work. Each of our lawyers enthusiastically embraces the concept that it is his or her responsibility to give back to the community.

This takes many forms. Some involve themselves in the community. Some serve on bar-related committees and boards. Within the firm itself, most of our lawyers regularly act in a traditional pro bono sense — representing clients of limited means, without pay, in all sorts of matters, ranging from family law proceedings to landlord-tenant disputes to collection claims. We also regularly answer legal questions, in appropriate circumstances, for those who cannot afford to pay. Living in a small and mostly rural state, we hope that no one will go without sound legal advice simply because of financial circumstances.

Perhaps our most important contribution is the undertaking of major pro bono litigation. Our most recent ground-breaking case is Baker v. State of Vermont, which established the legal rights of same-sex couples and led to the passage of Vermont’s civil union law. Two of our lawyers worked on this project for seven years, beginning with education, then pursuing litigation, and finally lobbying for a political solution. We have been involved in nearly all of the other major civil rights cases that have been litigated in Vermont in recent years, including: Brigham v. State of Vermont, which established the right to equal educational opportunity under the Vermont Constitution; Chittenden Town School District v. Vermont Department of Education, which clarified the lines of separation between church and state under Vermont law; and Randall v. Sorrell, which raised constitutional challenges to Vermont’s campaign finance reform law.

We do not have a formal pro bono requirement — it is just an inherent part of our philosophy that, as lawyers privileged to be a part of this great profession, there is concurrent duty to give back to the community. Because of this commitment, Langrock Sperry & Wool was honored as one of the country’s Pro Bono Firms of the Year in 2000 by the National Law Journal.