HomeAboutPro Bono

Discrimination

  • Analysis of Jail Stays for Non-Violent Offenders
    Cornerstone Research is providing pro bono support for Appleseed’s economic analysis of short-term jail stays for non-felony, non-violent charges.
  • Analysis of Financial Barriers to Obtaining a Government-Issued ID
    Cornerstone Research is providing pro bono support for Appleseed’s analysis of the costs associated with obtaining a government-issued ID across the United States.
  • Economic Impact of Driver’s License Suspensions
    Cornerstone Research is working with a justice center to provide pro bono analytical support on the impact of driver’s license suspensions on socioeconomic characteristics such as race, income, and geography.
  • LCCRSF Report on the Role of Race in Non-Traffic Citations
    Cornerstone Research provided pro bono analytical support for the LCCRSF’s report on racial disparities in non-traffic infractions.
  • Brown et al. v. Madison County, Mississippi
    This case resulted in a landmark consent decree that addressed racial profiling in traffic and pedestrian stops by the Madison County sheriff’s department. Cornerstone Research experts evaluated the frequency of traffic stops across different racial groups, and assessed whether roadblocks were implemented more frequently in predominantly African-American neighborhoods.
  • Analysis of Eviction Data
    The firm provided pro bono analysis for a justice center reporting on eviction filings in South Carolina.
  • Criminal Record Expungement Policy
    Cornerstone Research developed a model and analysis for state-level costs and benefits of adopting an automated record-clearing policy.
  • Assessed whether hiring practices for police and firefighters yielded sufficient racial diversity to match the percentage of minorities in the qualified workforce in local communities.

Civil Rights

  • Impact of Gun Prevalence on Democracy Participation
    Cornerstone Research is working with Everytown for Gun Safety to research how the prevalence of guns affects participation in democracy in the U.S.
  • State of Georgia v. Dennis Arnold Perry
    Cornerstone Research provided analysis used in securing a $1.23 million award to a person wrongfully incarcerated for more than twenty years.
  • Voting Rights Advocacy
    Cornerstone Research worked with the ACLU and counsel in a matter to protect the rights of eligible U.S. citizens to vote in the 2020 general election. Our analyses complemented the ACLU’s work to encourage local election authorities to increase voting resources for the 2020 general election in certain voting precincts.
  • Booth et al. v. Galveston County et al.
    Cornerstone Research assisted the ACLU in retrieving and classifying data on the alleged offense, bail amount set, and case outcome. The court issued a preliminary injunction requiring the county to provide defense counsel at initial bail hearings.
  • Assessed whether publicly available data supported a recently enacted U.S. Department of Defense policy change concerning the military enlistment of lawful permanent residents.
  • Analyzed data on behalf of inmates who allegedly did not receive adequate mental care.

Children’s Rights

  • New York State Citizens’ Coalition for Children v. Poole
    Eleven years after this case was filed, the parties reached a settlement that provided groundbreaking rate increases to foster care families and substantial changes to rate-setting processes.
  • Tinsley et al. v. McKay et al.
    In a settlement approved by the court, the Arizona Department of Child Services agreed to expand the behavioral and physical healthcare services provided to children in the system, to maximize the placement of children in family-like settings, and to ensure case managers have sufficient time to make sure children receive the services and interventions they need.

Education

  • Veterans Advocacy in Lost Wages Litigation
    Analyzed damages in a matter involving a army veteran suing an educational institution that failed to file the necessary Veterans Affairs financial aid paperwork.
  • LCCRSF Investigation into School Discipline Policies
    Analyzed discipline data and school assignment policies in Modesto City Schools, located in central California. Cornerstone Research was awarded the Robert G. Sproul Jr. Award by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay for this work.
  • Review of College Department
    Assessed the economics-accounting program’s curriculum, student learning outcomes, and other metrics in order to recommend improvements to the program’s effectiveness.
  • Investigated suspension rate discrepancies in relation to gender, race, disability status, and other factors for school districts across the San Francisco Bay Area.

Asylum

  • Prepared research reports on political, religious, and ethnic persecution in Afghanistan and violence against women in Burkina Faso for lawyers taking up asylum cases.

Hear From Our People

Yesim Richardson, President
"Pro bono work reflects a core element of Cornerstone Research’s culture, providing us with a direct channel through which we can help those in the communities in which we live and work. There are many ways that expert testimony and data analytics can play a critical role in helping ensure rights and access to services for underprivileged individuals and communities. We are proud to contribute to important cases involving issues of discrimination, civil rights, education, and more."
Kivanc Kirgiz, Vice President
"As a member of Cornerstone Research’s pro bono committee, I have seen that people across the firm are eager to volunteer their time on pro bono matters, and that being able to do so increases job satisfaction and strengthens our community connections. I have been working with Appleseed Network on pro bono projects that combat discriminatory policies and reduce poverty. I am proud to add valuable skills and a new perspective to these projects, and in turn find this work very personally rewarding."
Andrew Pielet, Litigation Support Specialist
"I worked on a recent pro bono matter that required close data review. I really enjoyed knowing that the data I was checking would be making a difference in a case supporting a nonprofit organization that fights discrimination."
Jennifer Juergens, Senior Manager
"Cornerstone Research has a strong culture of community service, including its commitment to pro bono work. I have been involved in two recent pro bono projects related to driver’s license suspensions and short-term jail stays, which disproportionately impact lower income people. These experiences have been very rewarding and have allowed me to use my training and skills to help people get access to justice."
Pat Krivoshia, Principal
"Our pro bono work helps ensure that the legal system is accessible to everyone. I have been involved in a matter related to protecting constitutional rights for prisoners. This work to help ensure that everyone in our society receives humane treatment and has equal access to constitutionally protected rights has been some of the most rewarding of my career."
Joanna Zhang, Analyst
"I studied economics and human rights for my undergraduate degree. Working on pro bono matters at Cornerstone Research is the perfect union of those two worlds. Within the pro bono practice, I can support experts and conduct analyses that break down barriers to access and have a long-lasting impact on marginalized communities. It is very inspiring to see the positive impact these cases can have."