Millions of Americans have dedicated their careers to serving our communities and our country through federal service. These people live in every state and provide essential services to every community -- from supporting child nutrition to providing health care for senior citizens and veterans to caring for our national parks to protecting our national security. We all count on the integrity, expertise, and dedication of public servants, and they should be able to count on us.

Federal workers are being fired or pressured to resign, regardless of the nature or importance of their roles, their qualifications, or their performance at their jobs. These actions pose a long-term threat to the stability, expertise, and integrity of the federal workforce. Without a strong, skilled, and nonpartisan civil service, Americans can expect rapid declines in public safety, education, defense, health care, housing, and myriad other programs that serve them.

The Public Service Legal Response Center will unite lawyers who want to assist current or former federal workers through a central hub to connect them with opportunities to help. Lawyers could provide a variety of types of assistance to these public servants, from intakes and general guidance to direct representation in appeals or legal proceedings.

We particularly need lawyers with expertise in the following areas:

(1) Federal employment law
(2) General labor and employment law
(3) Government investigations
(4) Criminal defense
(5) Privacy/data security
(6) Defamation/libel/slander

We also welcome volunteer lawyers who do not have expertise in these specific areas, and we will connect them with training and resources so they are positioned to support these current and former public servants.

To join this effort, click “Volunteer for this Project.” If you are new to We The Action, enter your email address and select “Join.” If you are new and joining in your individual capacity, select your license status from the drop down. If you are signing up as a representative (such as pro bono counsel or coordinator) of a firm, bar association, corporation, or similar entity, please select "Pro Bono Coordinator for Legal Organization" from the drop down.

After joining the Response Center, you’ll be asked to join groups based on the experience areas listed above that apply to you. We will use these groups to share specific requests for assistance. On the group sign-up page, you can learn more about each group’s requirements by clicking the downward caret (⌄) next to “Join.” Groups with green "Join" buttons indicate those you are currently qualified to join based on your user profile. If you need to update your profile, please visit https://wetheaction.org/lawyer/settings.

We appreciate your patience as we set up this system to support current and former public servants. Once opportunities become available, you’ll receive personalized emails with next steps based on the group(s) you’ve joined. If none of the groups align with your experience, that’s okay! We welcome all volunteer lawyers, regardless of specialization. If you don’t sign up for a group, we’ll share training opportunities to help you support the federal workforce.



We may share information about you with our partner organizations and other organizations, groups, individuals, or causes that we believe have similar viewpoints, principles or objectives or share similar goals and with organizations that facilitate communications and information sharing among such groups.