As we all know, attorneys get a bad rap. From the bad lawyer jokes, too angry stereotypes and conjured images of lawyers chasing ambulances, and moonlighting in some questionable lines of work. In truth a lot of lawyers have done some really great things, and some very charitable things. Here is a list of four lawyers and the charitable things that they have done to make society a better place.

Judith Susan Sheindlin AKA Judge Judy

Well loved and watched around the world, Judge Judy is a household name. With the excitement she gave and still continues to give the daytime TV viewers, her flair for words and her no nonsense attitude to the law are not the only things she offers the country. Together with her stepdaughter Nicole, she founded the organization named “Her Honor Mentoring”.  A mentoring service for young girls to empower them to change their lives and stay on the right track. 

As a lover of Education, Judge Judy also paid for a debate space at the University of Southern California. With her donation to the university, they established the Sheindlin Debate Fellows in her name. The idea of the club is to promote lifelong learning and understanding of others through debate and exploration of ideas. 

Hillary Clinton

While famously known as the former First Lady of the United States of America, Hillary Clinton is also a lawyer and has undertaken many charitable causes across her entire career. In 1997 she and her husband Bill (the former President of the United States of America), founded the Clinton Foundation. The charity focuses on multiple avenues but the primary focus is the independence of humanity through individual initiatives to promote global Independence.

In addition to the Clinton Foundation Hillary has supported a multitude of charities such as the following groups.

• American Foundation for AIDS Research
• American India Foundation
• Apne Aap
• Avoided Deforestation Partners
• Barbara Davis Center for Childhood Diabetes
• Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
• Clinton Foundation
• Clinton Global Initiative
• Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation
• Friends of the High Line
• GLSEN
• Heifer International
• HELP USA
• Human Rights Campaign
• International Medical Corps
• It Gets Better Project
• Jackie Robinson Foundation
• My Good Deed
• Oceana
• Save the Children
• Save The Music Foundation
• Stop Global Warming
• The Trevor Project
• UNIFEM
• US Doctors for Africa
• Vital Voices
• Women in the Word foundation

As you can see her charitable work knows no bounds and together with her husband and daughter, Hillary will continue to be a charitable patron for as long as she lives. 

 Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr

Morris Dees and Joseph Levin Jr set up the Southern Poverty Law Center in 1971 with the promise to fight injustice hatred and racism and to support those who would not otherwise be allowed a criminal defense.

The Southern Poverty Law Center also takes part in several watchdog programs and helps out with research for the Innocence Project which helps to free innocent people from death row or prison. Without the Southern Poverty Law Center, many injustices would go unchecked, and the society would forget innocent and downtrodden. The center is one of the most important charities in the country, hands down.

The center works tirelessly to monitor and stamp out hate. One most unusual charitable work undertaken by the center was paying for the removal of a white supremacists tattoos. After stringent interviewing, the center agreed to help him remove the tattoos so he could have a fresh start in life.

Law firms give too

It is not just the individual lawyers contributing to charity, but law firms are joining the fight too! Many law firms support food banks, women’s shelters and the beautification of their communities.

Many other unsung heroes

It is not just the rich or the high-profile attorneys that are making a difference for charitable organizations. There are many unsung heroes including local lawyers like Douglas Healy and non-profit lawyers who are doing the best they can to help out those in need of a criminal defense or other type of legal assistance. Lawyers like Douglas Healy deserve the credit due to them for they work for charitable organizations as well as their service to the local community