Perkins Coie Pro Bono Power Player: Dorthy Lukens
In this series, we shine a spotlight on our lawyers and business professionals who demonstrate an exceptional passion for pro bono service. These individuals exemplify our firm's commitment to pro bono—they go above and beyond for their clients, making pro bono a central pillar of their work.
Since joining Perkins Coie in 2022, Dorthy Lukens has volunteered more than 90 percent of her pro bono time in service of Dallas-based organizations such as Vogel Alcove, a nonprofit organization on a mission to help young children overcome the lasting and traumatic effects of homelessness; Housing Forward; the Texas Civil Rights Project; and the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program. In her short time at the firm, she has made a significant impact for her pro bono clients while maintaining her Labor & Employment practice.
What kinds of pro bono cases do you typically take on?
When I started at Perkins Coie, I inherited some pro bono work from a lawyer who was leaving the firm, representing women with limited financial means in divorce proceedings through the Dallas Volunteer Attorney Program (DVAP). It was outside of my wheelhouse (labor and employment law), but I could see myself being of help to someone during that difficult period in their life.
Many of the women we were representing had been abandoned by their spouses and left in financial ruin, so they needed help to get free of that situation to move forward. The partner I was working with on the matter had prior experience with the DVAP; I guess we did such a good job that they continued asking us for help.
On the labor and employment side, most of my pro bono clients are nonprofit organizations. Every organization has employees, so they will inevitably have employment issues. They look to us to handle those issues, such as assisting with investigations, responding to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, analyzing and editing their handbooks, and advising them on other labor and employment law-related matters.
What is at stake in these cases?
In employment-related matters, the stakes are most often a client's finances and reputation. The employee is usually claiming discrimination, a hostile work environment, or retaliation. A ruling that the employer has violated an employment law like Title VII of the Civil Rights Act or the Americans with Disabilities Act comes with financial consequences, which many of our nonprofit clients can't afford.
This type of ruling can also affect a nonprofit's reputation, calling into question the values they hold true. Making sure these clients have thorough investigations enables them to make the best decisions for their employees and the organization, ensures that no one is violating any employment laws, and eliminates financial and reputational risk.
Share a rewarding experience or outcome from a recent pro bono matter.
One of our nonprofit clients had recently restructured their employment policies, which impacted their employee handbook. When we first saw the handbook, it was over 60 pages long. Much of the information was redundant, a lot of the content didn't make sense for the type of work they did, and many of the policies weren't up to date with current labor and employment laws. I could tell when we started working with this client that they were overwhelmed; they didn't know where to start or what needed to be changed.
We helped them reduce their handbook to a form that was usable and made sense for their organization, and ensured their polices complied with national, state, and local labor and employment laws. Recently, they sent us a message thanking us, expressing their gratitude for our hard work. I know that the work I did will make a world of difference in their people operations.
That wasn't even close to the most complicated matter I've worked on, but the little things mean the world to our pro bono clients. If I were in their shoes and couldn't afford these types of services, I might fall into despair. Being able to be that solution for them has been really nice.
What relationships have you built, both inside and outside the firm, thathave contributed to your pro bono success?
I started my career in the nonprofit sector: I worked for just over four years in nonprofit operations, human resources, and program management. That's where my nonprofit relationships and love for nonprofit work started. I know what it's like to work at a nonprofit with limited resources but needing someone with advanced skills and knowledge. I was grateful for our volunteers.
People who have heard about my work with the DVAP and other pro bono matters have reached out asking if I'd like to help with similar work.
For instance, I recently did some pro bono work analyzing independent contractor agreements for an educational institution. I was later asked to assist a partner with similar work. The work was not a pro bono matter; it was for one of the largest non-pro bono clients at the firm. I was able to confidently accept the work for this matter, analyzing agreements and program documents, because I had just completed a pro bono matter dealing with the same types of issues.
That experience taught me that being willing to do pro bono work can have a positive impact on the other work I do at the firm.
How do you balance your pro bono efforts with your other legal work?
I try not to take on any work outside of what I'm physically able to do. Also, I lean on the partners I report to; they help me balance that work. Every week, I send them a list of matters I'm currently working on. If it looks like I'm not balanced in terms of my pro bono matters and non-pro bono matters, we'll have a conversation and make sure I'm finding the appropriate balance. The partners in the Dallas office have been very supportive of my pro bono work.
How has your pro bono work contributed to your career development?
Pro bono matters have given me a lot of great experience right off the bat. The first time I appeared before a judge was on a pro bono matter. I would not have gotten that experience had I not taken that matter on.
If I want to build a certain skill but there isn't a matter currently in the pipeline that will give me that opportunity, it's helpful to be able to approach a pro bono partner (like the DVAP) and ask what matters they have available that will help me build that skill.
Pro bono work has offered me substantive client interactions as well. In most of these matters, I am the front-facing lawyer speaking regularly with the client, communicating our strategy, listening to their needs and incorporating them into the work. That's been helpful because in non-pro bono matters, an associate is not usually in that front-facing role.
What advice do you have for people who'd like to get more involved in pro bono?
Be strategic and do what you love. If you can identify a pro bono matter that will give you great experience and deals with an issue you're passionate about, you'll come to it with a different mindset, and in my opinion, your results will be better.
Perkins Coie's commitment to community runs more than 110 years deep. Sharing our time and talents to help those most in need, both on an individual and systemic basis, defines our firm culture.
Under the leadership of our senior pro bono counsel and the firmwide Pro Bono Committee, our pro bono program launches initiatives across all our offices. Support for pro bono involvement is generous and gives associates and counsel billable-hour credit for their work on approved matters.