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Lowenstein dedicates 28K hours to pro bono work in 2025
Kimberly Redmond//August 3, 2026//
The basics:
- Lowenstein Sandler earned the 2026 Beacon of Justice Award
- Firm has logged more than 600,000 pro bono hours over 30 years
- Lawyers averaged 68 pro bono hours each in 2025
- Firm ranked in The American Lawyer’s Top 30 Pro Bono Scorecard
Long considered one of the top law firms in New Jersey for pro bono work, Lowenstein Sandler LLP continues to gain recognition for its commitment to the community.
One of the strongest pro bono programs in the state, the Roseland-based law firm has logged more than 600,000 hours over the past three decades on the work. In 2025 alone, it dedicated over 28,000 hours to such matters on behalf of 776 clients.
Besides being named as a 2026 NJBIZ Leaders in Law honoree in the pro bono category in March, Lowenstein Sandler was just announced as one of 33 firms nationwide that will receive a 2026 Beacon of Justice Award by the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.
NLADA says it reserves the honor for firms that have advanced justice in areas like immigration, freedom of speech and domestic violence, while also working to dismantle systemic barriers that limit access to legal assistance.
Several other law firms with a New Jersey presence, including McCarter & English LLP, Squire Patton Boggs LLP and Dentons US LLP, received the accolade, too. Awardees will be recognized during a gala next month in Washington.
NLADA President and CEO April Frazier Camara said, “By honoring law firms for their efforts to protect democracy and civil rights, we celebrate the powerful impact of pro bono advocacy in expanding access to justice, safeguarding fundamental rights and helping communities thrive across the country.”
Six-time honoree
This year marks the sixth time Lowenstein Sandler will bring home the Beacon of Justice Award. According to the firm, it will get the award specifically for its work to protect democracy and civil rights.
The firm has been previously honored for its pro bono work in these areas:
- Advancing equal justice for families and communities 2025
- Addressing issues related to civil and human rights 2024
- Fighting systemic racial disparities 2021
- Supporting immigration efforts 2020
- Implementing strategies to improve life outcomes for low-income individuals 2014
Pro moves
Lowenstein also secured a Top 30 ranking in The American Lawyer’s annual Pro Bono Scorecard for the second year in a row.
Compiled annually, the study lists AmLaw 200 firms by their pro bono score for work performed by U.S.-based lawyers, according to the publication.
Half of the score comes from the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer in 2025 while the other half represents the percentage of lawyers who performed more than 20 hours of pro bono work, The American Lawyer says.
According to the ranking, lawyers devoted 54.1 hours on average to the practice in 2025. That’s down from 55.1 hours in 2024, and less than the average for the years 2021 through 2023.
The publication also found that 49.2% of lawyers handled at least 20 hours of pro bono matters in 2025, a decline from 50.1% the prior year.
Overall, the 112 Am Law 200 firms on the scorecard reported 5.01 million hours of pro bono in 2025, down 2.1% when compared with 5.12 million hours reported by 115 Am Law 200 firms for 2024, according to The American Lawyer.
At the top of the newly released scorecard is New York City-headquartered Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP. The firm had an average of 185.7 hours of pro bono work per lawyer and 85.1% of its lawyers doing more than 20 hours on such cases.
Funding challenges
Nationally, pro bono work has normalized from the highs reached during the pandemic.
Case work
According to Lowenstein Sandler LLP, some of its key 2025 pro bono cases include:
- Securing a federal court ruling restoring deportation protections and work authorization for tens of thousands of vulnerable immigrant youth after the Trump administration’s April 2025 move to end a key humanitarian policy (the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status program).
- Safeguarding voting access by working with nonprofits (Election Protection, ACLU of New Jersey, Disability Rights New Jersey, League of Women Voters of New Jersey, New Jersey Institute for Social Justice and Prison Legal Advocacy Network) and officials (New Jersey Attorney General’s Office) to ensure voters could cast ballots without obstruction during the 2025 New Jersey gubernatorial election.
- Advocating alongside GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD) and the National Center for LGBTQ Rights for incarcerated transgender individuals facing heightened risk of violence and mistreatment and helping push for policies and legal protections to ensure safer housing and access to appropriate care while in custody.
- Helping secure temporary legal status and extensions of stay for immigrants receiving life-saving medical treatment in the U.S.
- Providing legal guidance and training to nonprofits and community organizations, equipping them with “Know Your Rights” resources so they can respond safely and lawfully during increased immigration enforcement actions.
- Developing a legal resource manual in partnership with Legal Services of Northwest New Jersey and Community Hope to assist veterans in navigating benefits, rights and support systems.
- Offering Make-a-Will clinics in an ongoing collaboration with Northeast New Jersey Legal Services to help low-income seniors in need of advance planning documents, such as wills, healthcare directives and guardianship arrangements in familiar, accessible settings, like municipal buildings and senior centers.
- Continuing to work with Prudential Financial and Volunteer Lawyers for Justice on a New Jersey Supreme Court-approved, decade-old initiative of hosting monthly pro bono clinics for tenants facing eviction in Essex County.
- Securing pardons and sentence relief for individuals seeking clemency, along with working to improve fairness in criminal court proceedings through litigation and advocacy.
Lowenstein also supported microbusiness owners and nonprofit organizations by offering critical legal, financial and operational assistance to under resourced entrepreneurs.
That group included BrightStreet, a Newark firm created to help bring capital and resources to minority business owners, and Rising Tide Capital, a Jersey City pro bono program that expands access to high-quality legal services for underserved entrepreneurs.
Additionally, the firm helped impact-focused clients structure and deploy capital in ways that advance meaningful long-term change.
- The De-Carceration Fund, a venture capital fund in Pennsylvania dedicated to criminal justice reform.
- Emerging Markets Investors Alliance, a New York nonprofit that helps institutional investors promote good governance and sustainable development in emerging markets.
- Refugee Investment Network, a Washington, D.C., impact investing and blended finance collaborative dedicated to creating long-term solutions for people displaced by conflict and crisis.
According to the Pro Bono Institute’s 2026 Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge Report, key measures of pro bono engagement, like average hours per attorney and participation rates, are declining amid funding cuts affecting legal services organizations and nonprofits, as well as increased scrutiny of pro bono legal services.
Nonetheless, the firms recognized in this year’s scorecard continue to put significant resources toward representing underserved clients and nonprofit groups, The American Lawyer found. The publication noted that demand for pro bono work on immigration-related cases was particularly strong in 2025 due to the federal government’s stepped-up deportation efforts.
In 2025, Lowenstein lawyers each spent an average of 68 hours focused on pro bono cases in areas like civil rights & liberties, immigration, housing, criminal justice and social enterprises and nonprofits, according to the firm.
That’s higher than the 50 hours annually recommended by the American Bar Association. It also surpasses the 25–35 hours range that surveys show the average lawyer puts toward pro bono each year.
‘The right thing to do’
When the firm was founded in 1961 by Alan Lowenstein and Dick Sandler, the original partnership agreement stipulated that one of the firm’s fundamental principles was a commitment to community.
In the decades that followed, Lowenstein reinforced that mission by dedicating hundreds of thousands of pro bono hours on matters like challenging racial profiling and spurring child welfare reform.
Seventeen years ago, the firm decided to expand its promise to serve communities in need by creating the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest. Through that entity, Lowenstein aims to address significant social problems and provide meaningful assistance to low-income and other marginalized people, along with the organizations that advocate for and support them.
Since the 2009 launch of the Center for Public Interest, Lowenstein has earned accolades from numerous organizations, including Bloomberg Law, Essex County Bar Association, The Legal Aid Society, New Jersey State Bar Association, American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, New Jersey Business & Industry Association, and League of Women Voters of New Jersey.
Lowenstein managing partner Jonathan Wishnia told NJBIZ, “We are grateful for the many accolades received by the Lowenstein Center for the Public Interest, but that’s not why we do this work. Pro bono service is part of Lowenstein’s DNA. It’s baked into how this firm has operated since its founding, and it’s something our attorneys choose to prioritize alongside their other client matters. Whether it’s an immigration case, a tenant facing eviction, or a nonprofit that can’t afford outside counsel, our lawyers show up because it’s the right thing to do.”
But … ‘recognitions matter’
“That said, recent recognitions matter because they honor the people actually doing the work. It’s validating for our attorneys and staff to know their effort is seen and valued outside these walls, and it helps us continue attracting talented lawyers who want a firm where this kind of commitment is real,” he said. “So, we don’t do it for the accolades. But we’ll happily accept and appreciate them.”
Wishnia was elected in February as the firm’s new managing partner, succeeding longtime leader Gary Wingens. Before that, he served as chair of Lowenstein’s mortgage & structured finance practice, as well as the firm’s hiring partner and as a member of the executive board.
Wishnia has also been recognized nationally for both his structured finance practice and his pro bono work in the community development and affordable housing sectors. Additionally, he’s credited with helping develop the firm’s Vision 2030 strategic plan.
The 65-year-old firm also launched a management committee to focus on practice group management, cross collaboration, recruiting and growth initiatives.
Along with tripled revenues and quadrupled profits, over the past 25 years Lowenstein has sharpened sector focus; expanded nationally; and strengthened market-leading practices across litigation, corporate, restructuring, regulatory, technology and investment management.
Besides New Jersey, Lowenstein has offices in California, Utah, Delaware and Washington, D.C.
Newly named as one of Bloomberg Law’s 2026 Leading Law Firms, the firm financial performance ranks near the top of its peer group of midsized firms. In 2025, the firm reported $523.4 million in overall revenue, $3.75 million in profits per partner and $1.5 million revenue per attorney.
Lowenstein Sandler recently came in second place on the 2026 NJBIZ list of New Jersey law firms by attorney count (186). Chiesa Shahinian & Giantomasi PC (CSG Law) was No. 1 with 192 attorneys statewide.
