Partner Jonathan Brit Receives ABA Pro Bono Publico Award
The American Bar Association (ABA) recognized Kirkland partner Jonathan Brit with its 2026 Pro Bono Publico Award, which honors lawyers who have demonstrated outstanding commitment to volunteer legal service and improving access to justice for people of limited means.
The ABA selected Jonathan for the ABA Pro Bono Publico Award based on his longtime, sustained advocacy, mentorship and leadership, as well as his commitment to ensuring that a person’s circumstances do not limit their access to justice.
For more than a decade, Jonathan has dedicated a meaningful portion of his practice to pro bono legal work, averaging more than 400 hours annually. His clients include incarcerated individuals alleging civil rights violations, members of the LGBTQ+ community subjected to abuse or discrimination, people living with serious illnesses, immigrants navigating complex administrative proceedings and clients seeking post-conviction relief in capital cases.
Jonathan’s work on behalf of incarcerated individuals has included regularly traveling to correctional facilities to meet with clients in person and build the trust necessary for effective advocacy. In one matter, Jonathan represented an inmate at the now-closed Sullivan Correctional Facility in Fallsburg, New York, who alleged that corrections officers repeatedly denied him life-sustaining medication, destroyed religious materials, and subjected him to physical and verbal abuse.
Jonathan also focuses his pro bono practice on capital post-conviction litigation. He currently leads a cross-office team representing a client on Tennessee’s death row in a proceeding involving alleged constitutional violations, so far devoting than 1,400 hours to the matter.
“Jonathan doesn’t just represent clients — he understands and empathizes with them,” former colleague Joe Akalski said. “He listens in a way that builds immediate trust. That trust changes the trajectory of cases.”
Beyond his individual representations, Jonathan is committed to expanding the reach of pro bono service by mentoring and training other Kirkland lawyers. He designs and leads trainings for summer associates, associates and partners entering new areas of pro bono practice, hosts office hours, and personally supervises teams across offices and practice groups.
