Leading from a socially responsible and community driven approach, ML Community Engagement is a central tenet of our firm’s culture, bringing our people together to positively impact the communities where we live and work through volunteerism, charitable giving, and sustainability.
ML Community Engagement harnesses the collective power of our core values of collaboration, commitment, and community to create meaningful social impact.
We have long recognized the power in relationships. Bringing together our community partners, our clients, and our people through a collective purpose of doing good for others strengthens our connections and our communities.
As we continue to grow as a global law firm, our commitment to our expanding community also grows. We are committed to being innovative change agents, always looking to deliver exceptional service to our communities.
ML Community Engagement is by nature defined by the things that matter to our people in their communities. Weighty in our impact while light on our feet, we respond to the most pressing and most personal needs of our communities.
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Corporate and individual financial contributions are key to how we support our communities. Giving is an investment that helps communities thrive and advances our philanthropic commitment.
ML FOUNDATION
A commitment to diversity and inclusion (D&I) is one of our core values, influencing how we serve clients, collaborate with colleagues, recruit prospective lawyers and professional staff, and engage with our communities.
Established in 2014, the ML Foundation uses funds that were awarded to Morgan Lewis in a historic settlement on behalf of African American families working to combat nearly a century of racial segregation in the Baltimore area. Unlike other scholarships, grants given by the ML Foundation are not tied to employment at Morgan Lewis—ML Foundation is intended to promote diversity in the legal profession, thereby strengthening the profession and enhancing its contributions to our communities.
The 2024 class of grant recipients come from schools across the United States. With this latest class of legal scholars, the ML Foundation, an independent 501(c)(3) organization, has awarded more than $3.3 million in scholarships to promising law students.
Select from below to learn more about our ML Foundation Recipients.
Shivani Chelliah
Paulina Cheves
Simran Deokule
Nathalie Domond
Ebony Elizabeth Upshaw
Breanna Green
Anna Guzman
Camille Herring
Grace Koh
Jose Martinez
Virginia Miller
Susan Naseri
Cindy Nguyen
Vincent Pinti
Toella Pliakas
ML GIVES
Our corporate giving includes annual institutional support for a broad range of local and national nonprofits and legal services organizations.
DISASTER RELIEF
In our fast-changing world where anything can happen at any time, we recognize that everyone has a role in responding to disasters. We are prepared to help meet needs quickly through our Disaster Relief Fund. When a natural disaster strikes, our people use this platform to donate directly to relief aid organizations and local charities as well as members of our Morgan Lewis family who may need assistance.
EMPLOYEE GIVING
Our people are givers as proven by our successful fundraising campaigns and donation drives. These localized efforts of goodwill have a profound and demonstrable impact on the bottom line for our nonprofit partners.
TAKING ACTION TOGETHER FOR SUSTAINABILITY
Our ML Sustainability Working Group hosted an Earth Day–inspired global clothing drive focused on the practice of reduce, reuse, recycle. Personnel across the firm took action to help renew the planet by donating 7,517.7 pounds (approximately 3,409.9 kilograms) of gently used clothing for our nonprofit partners, including L’ilot, La Cravate Solidaire, Smart Works, Soles4Souls, Suited & Booted London, and Thrift for Good. Through our collective efforts, we contributed toward the reduction of waste and consumption while giving these donations a second life.
IN SERVICE AND REMEMBRANCE
In observance of the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance, we partner with 9/11 Day, which aims to rekindle the spirit of unity and service that arose in the aftermath of 9/11. In 2024, 160 Morgan Lewis personnel joined 30,000 volunteers in packing 8.6 million meals for Americans facing hunger.
PROVIDING MEALS FOR THOSE IN NEED
Our Washington, DC office supports Salvation Army’s Grate Patrol–named for the heating grates where many homeless people congregate. Every month a Morgan Lewis team assembles sandwiches and meals for the Grate Patrol, and volunteers ride on the Salvation Army truck to hand the food out to those in need.
PRO BONO AID PARTNERSHIP
Members of UAE team traveled to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to deliver 60 kilograms of aid to Shamida Ethiopia, a longstanding pro bono client that works to care for the most vulnerable women and children in Ethiopia and home to approximately 170 children ages 18 months to 18 years awaiting a foster or forever home.
SUPPORTING FAMILIES AND CHILDREN
Our Almaty office works closely with The Ark Village–which welcomes disabled children, orphans, or those with family difficulties–to help with household chores, play football, conduct drawing classes, and share our experiences.
We serve our communities by engaging in event-based, skill-based, and service-based activities. Our focus is broad and our relationships run deep, making a significant difference to our nonprofit partners and maximizing our global social footprint.
Community Impact
The Morgan Lewis team donates to more than 200 organizations around the globe in multiple areas of care. Our people passionately pursue volunteer opportunities to create meaningful, rewarding experiences that strengthen our connectivity.
ML Votes!
ML Votes! is our commitment to encourage members of our Morgan Lewis family to vote by giving them the resources and time they need to exercise their voting rights and participate in our democracy. Morgan Lewis has partnered with Committee of Seventy’s WeVote campaign to promote a culture of voting in businesses, organizations, and communities. ML Votes recognizes that it is our responsibility to be civically engaged and is committed to making every voice count by upholding this basic principle of democracy.
Learn More About Our Partnership With Committee of Seventy
Environmental sustainability is a key component of our pledge to deliver exceptional client service to our communities. Sustainability informs the way that we operate—caring for our environment by making thoughtful choices to reduce our impact and contributing to a better future for all.
Preserved in 2023
Sustainability Global Working Group
Our lawyers and professional staff lead our firmwide sustainability initiatives and serve as ambassadors for the cause. Our Sustainability Working Group meets regularly to assess local internal sustainability practices, exchange knowledge, innovate ways to engage in environmentally friendly practices, institute accountability, and propel our campaigns forward.
ALL LEGAL INDUSTRY SUSTAINABILITY STANDARD
Morgan Lewis holds a Platinum Badge from the All Legal Industry Sustainability Standard for our sustainability efforts through Vorgate, which aims to advance the integration of sustainability practices within the legal industry. The ALISS assessment tool is designed to serve as a roadmap and mark of recognition for law firms, enabling them to evaluate and enhance their sustainability programs. Our Platinum Badge highlights our firm’s dedication to environmental sustainability in our operations.
Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy Initiative
We are a sponsor of Stanford Law School’s Lawyers for a Sustainable Economy (LSE) Initiative. The LSE Initiative is a law firm-led effort providing pro bono legal services to sustainability-focused entrepreneurs and nonprofits. We are committed to providing pro bono legal services on on-going and new environmentally related matters over a two-year period.
Legal Sustainability Alliance
We are a dedicated member of the Legal Sustainability Alliance, a collaborative sustainability network run by law firms for law firms.
