Pro Bono and Community
Pro Bono
White and Williams has a long, proud history of providing pro bono services in the communities where we live and work. We consider it a privilege to dedicate time and resources to charitable and public interest causes. As part of our commitment to our communities, we believe that everyone should have equal access to legal representation, and we approach our pro bono efforts with the highest level of commitment, care and service excellence we do for all of our clients.
All White and Williams lawyers pledge to provide at least 24 hours of pro bono and community service each year. We annually provide thousands of hours of free legal services to individuals and non-profit organizations for a variety of causes, including access to public benefits, asylum and immigration, child advocacy, civil rights, homelessness, human rights, landlord-tenant matters, prisoners’ rights, senior citizens issues, special education and veterans' affairs.
Aaron's Presents
Aaron's Presents is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that provides any child below high school who wants to carry out an idea that benefits at least one other person, animal, and/or the environment, with the education, resources, mentorship, and logistical help necessary. The organizations mission is to inspire young people to see giving as a lifelong act rather than a one-off commitment and hopes to encourage children to be a part of a community.
Timothy Keough Pro Bono Profile
Support Center for Child Advocates (SCCA)
The Support Center for Child Advocates (SCCA) is a non-judicial state agency that advocates for and protects the welfare of children throughout the state of Delaware. This agency provides legal representation through educational advocacy, system reform, public awareness, training, and legal representation of children. This agency was created in 1999 in response to numerous child deaths in Delaware resulting from abuse. The OCA has about 250 volunteer attorneys who represent over 250 children statewide at any given time, and several White and Williams attorneys are part of this number. (check currency)
Patricia Santelle Pro Bono Profile
Homeless Advocacy Project
The Homeless Advocacy Project was created to provide free aid to individuals and families that have, or currently are, experiencing homelessness in Philadelphia. This organization, established in 1990, has built a reputation for itself, not just for its mission of providing access to justice and the ability to secure safe housing, but also for its dedication to the city, working to alter city policies to protect the welfare of the vulnerable people who live there. Several White and Williams attorneys help with this project, to learn more, see the links below.
Mark Paladino Pro Bono Profile
Laura Hutchinson Pro Bono Profile
Lawyers for Children America
Lawyers for Children America is an organization that protects abused, abandoned, and neglected children through pro bono legal representation and partnerships that create systemic change in the American Child Welfare system. This organization has more than 400 volunteer lawyers whose work includes advocating in legal proceedings, at child welfare agency hearings/meetings, in school planning sessions, and at other important moments. Through this 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, more than 6,200 lives have been changed for the better. To read about our attorneys' involvement with this project, click the link below.
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project
Since 1989, the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation Project (PAIR) has provided free immigration services to indigent asylum seekers and detained immigrants, to assure their right to legal representation and promotes the rights of detained immigrants. The organization focuses on providing free legal representation of asylum seekers & detained immigrants, education through "Know Your Rights" presentations, and recruitment of dedicated immigrant rights activists. To learn more about our attorney's experience with this project, see the link below.
Timothy Keough Pro Bono Profile
Philadelphia VIP
Philadelphia VIP is a program that recruits, trains, and supports volunteer attorneys who represent low-income individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits throughout Philadelphia without charge. This program leverages the powerful resources of the community to provide free, high-quality legal services, and its programs are designed to meet significant legal needs that otherwise would go unaddressed. This organization works on projects that address issues such as preventing homelessness, preserving income, supporting family stability, and promoting economic development. To read more about our involvement, see the links below.
Laura Hutchinson Pro Bono Profile
Senior Law Center
The Senior Law Center is an organization that helps to ensure Pennsylvania’s elders may age with dignity and safety, free from abuse and violence, in their homes and neighborhoods. The volunteer attorneys and legal advocates provide direct individual legal services and representation to thousands of seniors in the greatest economic and social need, as well as trauma-informed lawyering primarily in Philadelphia and its surrounding counties, legal advice, referral services, and a toll-free HelpLine throughout the state. Their primary focus is on housing, family law, elder abuse, financial exploitation, consumer protection, and advance planning. To learn more about our involvement with this project, see below.
Community Engagement
White and Williams’ lawyers and staff believe in giving back to the communities where we live and work. We do this through donations of time, effort and other resources to help make a difference. Supporting our community partners strengthens the fabric of the firm. Whether it be volunteering at an animal shelter, coordinating food drives and clothing collections, or running a 5K, we stand ready to lend a hand.
Adopt-a-School Initiative
White and Williams began a school adoption program as a way for the firm to give back to the local community, invest in education and provide a unique opportunity for our lawyers and staff to engage through the investment of time, finances and other resources. What started with one public school in Philadelphia has grown to include schools in the Lehigh Valley and Wilmington.
White and Williams Adopts Thomas Edison Charter School in Wilmington
White and Williams Offices Donate Supplies to Adopted Schools
White and Williams Adopts Laura Wheeler Waring School in Philadelphia
Angels Community Outreach
White and Williams participates in the Angels Community Outreach Back-to-School Essential Drive, which helps ensures that students in the community are provided with the tools they need to succeed. At this event, volunteers helped students go from booth to booth picking out their own backpacks, socks, new sneakers and other school essentials before the start of the school year. Angels Community Outreach is an organization that provides aid to those in need while spreading kindness throughout their community by offering clothing, toiletries, food, and more, completely free of charge to individuals and families facing financial hardship.
Ardmore Rock N' Ride
White and Williams participates in the Annual Ardmore Rock N’ Ride fundraiser to support Narberth Ambulance, the 911 Emergency Medical Services provider for Lower Merion Township, Haverford Township, Narberth Borough, Conshohocken Borough, West Conshohocken Borough, and East Lansdowne Borough. David Zaslow, Partner, pictured above (center), has volunteered for Narberth Ambulance for the past 40 years. He has served as the organization’s President for the past 15 years and as an Assistant Chief for over 30 years, all while continuing to be an active paramedic in the field. Our firm is proud to sponsor this event.
Black History Month Button Drive
For Black History Month, White and Williams participated in a Button Drive coordinated by the African American Museum in Philadelphia, which collects buttons through month-long donations to incorporate in an art installation. The installation will be created by Beau McCall aka “The Button Man," and he will select buttons provided by the Philadelphia community to create an artwork celebrating the rich musical legacy of the Philadelphia International Records label, which put Philly Soul music on the map. The final artwork will be unveiled and on display at AAMP in 2026.
Career Day
Our attorneys recognize the value of meaningful representation in court, but they also see the value in representation in your career. For several years, White and Williams attorneys have made it a priority to attend career days in their cities so that they can share their experiences with students looking to pursue law. See below for some of our attorneys' Career Day experiences.
Lina Marie Diaz Attends Career Day
Wilmington Office Participates in Career Day at Harlan Elementary School
Wilmington Office Organizes Career Day at Harlan Elementary School
White and Williams Hosts Career Day for Students from Adopted School
Coin Wars
In August, the firm participated in our Summer Coin Wars Competition, raising funds for Homes for our Troops, a charity focused on building specially adapted custom homes nationwide for severely injured post-9/11 Veterans. Most of these Veterans have sustained injuries including multiple limb amputations, partial or full paralysis, blindness, severe burns, and/or severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) and these homes are meant to restore some of the freedom and independence our Veterans sacrificed while defending our country to enable them to focus on their family, recovery, and rebuilding their lives. Our friendly coin competition generated a total of $1,283 in coins.
C. Wallace Stuard Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May Sailing Foundation
Patti Santelle has served as President of the C. Wallace Stuard CYCCM Sailing Foundation for the last decade. The Foundation provides scholarships to both Coast Guard families as well as students from the local school district and lower income children in Cape May. It also provides support to junior sailors who travel to compete in local, regional, national and international competitions. It also provides support to junior sailors who travel to compete in local, regional, national and international competitions. To read more click the links below:
Patti Santelle - C. Wallace Stuard Corinthian Yacht Club of Cape May Sailing Foundation
Patti Santelle Featured in The Pennsylvania Lawyer Article, “Contests at Sea and in the Courtroom”
Eagles Autism Challenge
For the past eight years, White and Williams has participated in the Philadelphia Eagles' Autism Challenge, held by the Eagles Autism Foundation, supporting its mission of raising funds for innovative Autism research and care programs by providing the necessary resources to doctors and scientists at leading institutions. In total, our firm has raised over $70,000 for Autism research over these past eight years.
Walk-a-Thon
For June, our firm participates in an annual "Pride Month Walk-a-thon" to raise funds and support for the LGBTQIA+ community. The winners of this friendly firm-wide competition get to choose an LGBTQIA+ charity for the firm to donate to in their honor. Last year, our winners chose to donate to The Trevor Project, The Attic Youth Center, and The Ali Forney Center. In total, our competitors walked 2,155 miles throughout the month of June for this competition.
