Shook Bolsters Civil Rights and Racial Justice Practice

After winning a high profile prisoner’s rights case in St. Louis in 2022, Shook, Hardy & Bacon is dedicating much of the fee award recovery to the expansion of the firm’s civil rights and racial justice pro bono efforts. Initially, the practice will focus primarily on prisoners’ civil rights and abuse-of-force litigation, but the firm anticipates that the scope could expand in the years to come.

Spearheading the program will be Michael Harrison, a civil rights division prosecutor in the Harris County District Attorney’s Office in Houston, who will join Shook as senior counsel. Harrison will work closely with Shook Partner Charles Eblen to transform the firm’s current work in this space into a nationally recognized practice. 

“We are excited about what the future holds and the lives we will change by doubling down on our civil rights and racial justice efforts,” said Shook Partner and Pro Bono Director Scot Fishman, who moved to the firm in 2021 to help nationalize Shook’s pro bono mission. “Michael is an incredibly gifted trial lawyer, and he will complement the pro bono program that we are building at Shook.”