Social Commitment
The lawyers and other professionals of Sperling Kenny Nachwalter are committed to the communities in which we live and work. We strive to make a difference and to help our communities succeed by bringing the same zeal to this pursuit as we do to all of our client services. To this end, we dedicate ourselves and our resources to delivering pro bono legal services, pursuing high-impact civil rights litigation, and making our firm a more equitable and inclusive place in which to thrive.
Our dedication to pro bono legal services is broad and varied. We endeavor to connect with and help serve our communities. This frequently involves representing those who are unfamiliar with the legal system and do not have the resources for experienced counsel. Examples of this work include:
- Representing an infant in Texas to secure insurance coverage for a life-saving pharmaceutical;
- Representing persons experiencing homelessness against the City of Miami for civil rights violations arising from sweeps banishing homeless persons from encampments and destroying their IDs, medicine, clothes, and other essential belongings;
- Assisting individuals who were wrongly denied unemployment compensation benefits obtain that much needed assistance to bridge gaps in employment;
- Representing an individualon death row in his clemency proceedings; and
- Representing United States Capitol Police Officers who suffered injury as a result of the January 6, 2021, attack at the United States Capitol.
Our attorneys have also brought numerous high-impact civil rights cases. We have brought cases to vindicate voting rights, reproductive rights, transgender medical care equality, privacy rights, First Amendment rights, freedom of movement, right to equality, and freedom from torture, among others. Examples of this work include:
- Representing same-sex couples seeking recognition of their marriage from the district court through to the U.S. Supreme Court that resulted in the landmark ruling by the Court in favor of marriage equality for the entire nation;
- Representing authors and schoolchildren against certain school boards in Florida in cases alleging First Amendment violations related to those boards’ removal of a children’s book based on its positive LGBTQ+ viewpoint;
- Representing a woman detained for driving without a U.S. driver’s license while nine and a half months pregnant who was shackled during labor and childbirth, resulting in a ruling leading to the end of the practice of shackling women in labor nationwide; and
- Representing a class of approximately 100 workers who were subject to the then-largest workplace raid in a suit against the IRS, ICE, and DHS agents, resulting in a landmark settlement in the workers’ favor.
Our commitment to equity, inclusion and justice applies equally within our firm. At Sperling Kenny Nachwalter, we foster a safe, inclusive and transparent environment for all of our team members. Each of us is empowered to deliver on our commitment to excellence. We actively encourage open communication and provide regular opportunities for growth.
Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Initiative identifies and implements strategic opportunities to cultivate an environment where individuals from all walks of life succeed and advance professionally and personally. Our hiring and retention efforts further these values for attorneys and non-attorneys alike. We invest in training and mentorship while cultivating collaboration, and we sponsor engagement and dedicated programming to build awareness and improve diversity, equity and inclusion within our firm.