In “Lawyers recognized for pro bono work to help Michigan grow,” Rapid Growth reporter Kelsey Sanders profiles the participation of attorney Chuck Burpee and other Warner Norcross + Judd LLP attorneys in the State Bar of Michigan’s “A Lawyer Helps” program.
Burpee and 17 other attorneys, along with the firm as a whole, were again recognized on the State Bar’s Pro Bono Honor Roll for advancing access-to-justice initiatives through pro bono legal services. For Burpee, that means assisting people going through divorces or working to expunge convictions from their public record, which he says “opens doors to employment, housing, volunteer work and licensing for professions.”
“I started doing pro bono work, and I have continued to do pro bono work, because it is the right thing to do,” Burpee shares in the article. “I do this work not for recognition, but to give back. As attorneys, we have an obligation to serve those who cannot afford lawyers.”
Warner often partners with Legal Aid of Western Michigan, which has been providing pro bono services for three decades. Attorneys like Burpee who are willing to volunteer their time are key to the nonprofit’s work on expungements, which accelerated in 2021 after Michigan became a “clean slate” state.
“The pro bono work literally changes people’s lives and enables them to see a future of hope rather than resignation,” Burpee told the reporter.
You can read the full article here.
