The law firms with the strongest pro bono reputations often talk about it the least externally but have robust and tailored internal communications strategies. Suzanne Turner, Dechert’s longtime pro bono partner, and her former colleague Paul Lee – who now runs Steptoe’s pro bono program – made the strategic decision to focus communications efforts on internal campaigns that would keep attorneys engaged year-round and let partner organizations carry the external story. Both use pro bono communications throughout the year to shape reputation, client relationships and talent retention.

A firm’s pro bono program communications have a broad and powerful reach. Lawyers often weigh a firm’s community commitments when choosing where to work and stay, making talent recruitment one of the clearest payoffs. That same visibility opens conversations with clients that pure business pitches cannot while consistent, well-told stories position the firm in the community as a civic actor and not just a service provider. Internally, pro bono work pulls together attorneys from different practice groups who would not otherwise collaborate and building internal relationships.

External Communications Strategies

The American Lawyer annually ranks Dechert as a top pro bono firm. Suzanne has a dedicated marketing liaison who handles newsletters, videos and other deliverables, but she most often lets outside pro bono organization partners take the lead on media relations. “Ninety percent of our pro bono matters, especially the big ones, are done in conjunction with a legal services organization,” she said. Dechert’s approach is to support that partner organization’s story rather than issue press releases or seek recognition on its own.

Paul echoes in his own words. “I’m always a big believer that the best press is the press that you don’t have to do yourself,” he said. “You can easily write up a nice post for yourself, but it gets a little self-aggrandizing. Especially in the community sector, you don’t want to look braggy.” Steptoe highlights its legal services partners on purpose: “They’re the ones sending us the work, mentoring us, training our attorneys. We want to make sure they get highlighted too. And if they can do the highlighting, even better – we can just repost what they do.”

As for social media, LinkedIn is Steptoe’s primary external channel, where the firm publicizes case results, awards, rankings and fundraisers that then feed into the firm’s website and internal channels. It works because it is low-friction and shareable, making it well-suited for strengthening a partner’s story rather than manufacturing content about the firm itself.

Specific Observances and Holidays

Suzanne is cautious about building campaigns around every awareness month: “In my view, pro bono day is every day.” She reserves observance-based messaging for a few dates with staying power based on core areas of the firm’s pro bono work, including Refugee Day, Veterans Day and Memorial Day.

Paul takes a broader tactic that’s still intentional. Steptoe’s marketing team and diversity group work closely with pro bono around observances like Pride Month, Earth Day and Black History Month. “When marketing and diversity want to get together on something, they’ll reach out to pro bono and ask what environmental work we’ve done recently or whether we can pull together an event that combines legal work with the observance.”

Internal Communications Strategies

Attorneys need to know a pro bono program exists – and trust it – before they will volunteer for it. Firms build that trust through channels attorneys check regularly and recognition that makes the work feel valued.

Suzanne’s most effective internal channel is once- or twice-weekly direct firmwide emails spotlighting recent wins and available opportunities. She also relies on success stories shared at firm meetings.

Steptoe runs a similar model but with a weekly newsletter that at eight years is the longest-running one in the firm’s history. Paul describes it as a menu rather than a highlight reel. “It’s really meant to just remind you, put it in front of your face every Friday.” It typically includes 30 to 40 available matters from partner organizations.

The Friday timing is deliberate. “Fridays are terrible days to send things out at a law firm, but no one else sends anything on Fridays, so we sort of have a monopoly,” Paul said. Steptoe pairs the newsletter with live Zoom office hours right after it goes out so recipients can discuss an opportunity while it’s still top of mind.

Dechert also produces a quarterly newsletter built around six or seven first-person stories per issue. Suzanne says, “It’s a much more compelling read if you see John and Lucy talking about their excitement over this new project or their win than just hearing my voice.” The firm applies the same philosophy to video, using footage from the firm’s internal awards known as the Sam E. Klein Pro Bono Awards, and a refreshed four-minute global video.

These formats both recruit new volunteers by showing attorneys what the work looks like and recognizing those already doing it, giving pro bono the same visibility a business origination or trial win receives.

Paul describes a targeted plan around pro bono program recruitment tactics, where the widest-reach channels are least useful for landing a volunteer on a specific matter. “The widest net is always the least effective net,” Paul says.

• Steptoe tracks attorney interests through an onboarding survey. When a matching matter arrives, Paul reaches out himself. When an urgent immigration matter needed a Spanish-speaking attorney, Paul thought immediately of a recent lateral hire who had flagged that exact interest. “I wouldn’t normally reach out two weeks into her time at Steptoe, but it was urgent – and sure enough, she was happy to do it.”

This method of outreach consistently outperforms broad appeals, even at greater cost per placement. Clear sign-up processes and firmwide clarity on billable policies also make it easier for attorneys to say yes.

That same instinct to make pro bono feel personal drives Steptoe’s “Grounds for Justice,” a recurring coffee conversation series where attorneys can just show up to discuss pro bono topics informally – no signup or commitment required. Recent sessions covered voting rights ahead of Election Day. The series runs every other month, and a Veterans Day session is planned for November.

Paul’s marketing team helped brand the series so it “pops up in people’s minds” on a predictable cycle. It’s entirely internal, consisting of just colleagues discussing cases they know inside and out with a goal of inspiration through proximity. “The point is for people to get inspired by what they hear and also recognize that my colleague, who’s just as busy as I am, is doing this incredible pro bono case. I can do it too.” Paul reports real signup traction since launch.

Conclusion

Done well, pro bono communications strengthen a firm’s external reputation and internal culture simultaneously, but neither happens without leadership buy-in and a genuine investment in culture. Both Dechert and Steptoe treat their attorneys as an audience worth reaching every week in ways proven to work for their firms that make an individual attorney feel like the right person for a case. That same commitment extends outward: The firms invest in strong relationships with legal services organizations and nonprofit partners, which gives their external stories credibility no press release could manufacture on its own.