In response to the death of George Floyd in the custody of Minneapolis police, Minneapolis law firm Dorsey & Whitney has ended its 42-year-old pro bono program with the Minneapolis City's Attorney's Office.
Dorsey associates had helped the city prosecute hundreds of misdemeanor cases per year.
An important factor in Dorsey's decision to end its involvement with the program, which has had notable alumni such as Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, was research that showed that the prosecution of misdemeanor crimes disproportionately impacts the black community, according to Dorsey leaders.
"Dorsey & Whitney shares the sadness and the outrage expressed throughout Minnesota and the world over George Floyd's killing, as well as over the long history of such injustice," said Bill Stoeri, the firm's managing partner, in a Tuesday statement. "Healing can only occur by addressing the systemic racism that plagues us."
Dorsey will shift its pro bono work in ways that will help rebuild communities, he said. "We must be part of the solution, and that means concrete action to assist the community and a re-examining of our own programs and practices."
The Dorsey program, which started in 1978, was seen as a way to help young associates receive litigation experience and at the same time reduce the workload of city attorneys.
Dorsey associates served in three-month stints and handled about 400 trial cases annually ranging from domestic assault to indecent exposure and 600 to 700 traffic-court issues, according to a 2018 Star Tribune story.
At the time, the City Attorney's Office full-time attorneys would usually receive about 1,200 to 2,000 trial cases a year.
