Luke Liss is the Pro Bono Partner of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati. He manages the firm’s global pro bono efforts, including serving as the primary contact for client requests for pro bono partnerships and developing collaborative relationships with nonprofit service providers. Luke also leads pro bono litigation and immigration teams.
Under Luke’s leadership, the firm’s pro bono program has received the following recent recognition:
- Luke was named DEI Change Agent of the Year by Everlaw in 2023.
- The firm was named Pro Bono Partner of the Year by Elevate Community Center in 2023.
- Luke was one of 10 attorneys nationwide shortlisted for Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year by Chambers USA in 2023.
- The firm was recognized with the Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association in 2023 for work advancing gender equity and the LGBTQ+ community.
- The firm received the American Bar Association’s Pro Bono Publico Award in 2022.
- The firm was one of 15 honorees nationwide named to the inaugural class of Pro Bono Innovators by Bloomberg Law in 2022.
- The firm received the Center for Justice and Accountability’s Partner in Justice Award in 2022.
- Luke and the firm were recognized with the Keta Taylor Colby Award by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area in 2022 for outstanding representation to underrepresented members of communities, particularly communities of color.
- The firm was recognized with the Beacon of Justice Award from the National Legal Aid & Defender Association in 2021 and 2022 for work advancing racial equity.
- The firm was recognized with a “Hero Award” for work with the Midwest Innocence Project in 2021.
- The firm received the Iranian Bar Association’s National Pro Bono Award in 2021.
- The firm was named Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by the AIDS Legal Referral Panel in 2020.
- The firm was named the La Mancha Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year by Casa Cornelia Law Center in 2019.
Luke has also played a key leadership role in recent successful high-profile pro bono litigation, including a trial win on behalf of one of the largest classes of Medicare patients in history in 2020 (Alexander v. Cochran, No. 3:11-cv-1703 (D. Conn), recently affirmed by a Second Circuit panel), and a historic win on summary judgment against a former Colombian paramilitary warlord on behalf of
family members of a murdered community activist in 2021 (Jaramillo v. Naranjo, No. 1:10-cv-21951 (S.D. Fla.)).
Luke currently serves as a member of the firm’s Hiring Committee, Recruiting Committee, Community Service Committee, and Pro Bono Committee. He is particularly active in firm diversity initiatives, mentoring inside and outside the firm, and is also a leader of the firm’s Black Affinity Group. Luke is based in the Palo Alto office.