Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly (MLW) named Partner Mark Fleming to its Excellence in Pro Bono list in recognition of his commitment to counseling underrepresented populations. Fleming’s pro bono practice began as a 2L at Harvard Law School, where he volunteered for the Immigration and Refugee Clinic. Now, as a go-to appellate litigator who has argued in some of the highest profile matters to reach the Supreme Court and federal appeals courts, Fleming maintains an active pro bono practice at WilmerHale.

Fleming, who serves as vice chair of the Appellate and Supreme Court Litigation Practice Group, primarily focuses his pro bono work on immigration. Notably, his successful pro bono argument in Judulang v. Holder (2011) remains the only time the Supreme Court has struck down an immigration policy as arbitrary and capricious. In his profile, Fleming reflects on the formative nature of his pro bono experiences, including his role on the team that successfully tried the first-ever Guantanamo habeas case on the merits.

In addition to his pro bono client representations, Fleming serves as co-chair of WilmerHale’s Racial Justice Reform Initiative, which enables attorneys to enhance and build upon the firm’s past pro bono efforts seeking to address racial inequities in various contexts. Under his leadership and that of his co-chair April Williams, firm attorneys and staff members have dedicated over 19,000 hours to racial justice work since June 2020.

Fleming was nominated by the firm’s Pro Bono and Community Service Committee for his substantial contributions and commitment to pro bono work. He and the other honorees were recognized on March 3 during MLW’s Excellence in the Law ceremony at the Marriot Long Wharf in Boston.