Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform

Following the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis on May 25, 2020, the Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform ("CPR") Initiative was created at the direction of the Managing Partner. The initiative was designed to further the Firm's commitment "to advancing the rule of law governing policing in the minority communities." Underscoring the necessity of this important work, the Managing Partner noted that "an effective police force—one that is widely respected as honest, fair, and evenhanded both in protecting communities and enforcing order—is essential to the survival of any system built on the rule of law."

The CPR Initiative is engaging in local and nationally coordinated efforts to achieve cultural and systemic changes in policing practices in minority communities throughout the United States, with an emphasis on the African-American community. Specifically, the Initiative and the dozens of lawyers supporting it are:

• Coordinating efforts at the local and national levels to impact systemic reform in policing practices, policies, procedures, and culture; 
• Working with police departments committed to reform in their efforts to design and implement changes to policy, practice, procedure and culture within their departments;
• Assisting with government investigations of alleged police misconduct and facilitating improvements and change;
• Conducting police discipline investigations resulting from citizen complaints;
• Exploring opportunities to engage in police reform accountability by addressing issues with police union contracts and arbitration proceedings related to police discipline;
• Educating communities, stakeholders, local government leaders, community activists, and our corporate clients on issues related to police reform in order to help bring key parties together to move toward meaningful reform;
• Undertaking impact litigation designed to challenge unconstitutional policing practices and to achieve systemic reform resulting in a decrease in excessive use of force, improved transparency and accountability, and standardized policing practices;
• Working with the Innocence Project to fight for the freedom of those wrongfully convicted; and
• Conducting police discipline investigations resulting from citizen complaints.