Legal Benchmarking Group Honors Suzanne Turner as “International Pro Bono Leader of the Year”

Dechert LLP pro bono chair Suzanne Turner has been named “International Pro Bono Leader of the Year” by the Legal Benchmarking Group at its Women in Business Law Americas Awards 2026. The awards provide a platform to showcase the most trailblazing, innovative and influential lawyers and law firms across all of the Americas.

Under Ms. Turner’s leadership, Dechert has been ranked by The American Lawyer in the top two spots for international pro bono work for ten consecutive years and in the top ten in the U.S. 13 times in 16 years. The firm was also recognized as the National Law Journal’s “Community Impact Leader” for 2025.

Some of the pro bono program’s recent achievements include a precedent-setting labor trafficking victory on behalf of four immigrant women who had been trapped in a debt-bondage scheme, as well as work on behalf of domestic violence survivors, military veterans, and much more.

Ms. Turner currently serves on boards of directors for PILnet, the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and the National Homelessness Law Center. She was also honored as the “Intrapreneur” winner in the Financial Times’ North America Innovative Lawyers Awards 2024 for innovating to ensure that Dechert’s program remains effective in solving an ever-growing “justice gap” and for helping drive the development of a global pro bono infrastructure.

Dechert itself was named a finalist for “Pro Bono Firm of the Year” in both the “International” and “North America” categories. Other Dechert lawyers recognized by the awards included New York financial services partner Nadeea Zakaria, named a “Rising Star for Banking & Finance” finalist, and Los Angeles intellectual property partner Nisha Patel, who was named a finalist for “Rising Star for Intellectual Property.”

Winners in the Women in Business Law Americas Awards were honored at a ceremony in New York on May 28.

About Dechert

Dechert is the law firm that helps business leaders lead.

For more than 150 years, we have advised clients on critical issues – from high-stakes litigation to first-in-market transaction structures and complex regulatory matters. Our lawyers in commercial centers worldwide are immersed in the key sectors we serve – financial services, private capital, real estate, life sciences and technology.

Dechert delivers unwavering partnership so our clients can achieve unprecedented results.