Irvine, CA – Rutan & Tucker has been chosen as the inaugural recipient of the ‘ALIGHT Law Firm Impact Award’ from the Alliance to Lead Impact in Global Human Trafficking (ALIGHT), a nonprofit that connects survivors of human trafficking to professional legal services in Colorado, Utah, and the Greater Los Angeles Area. The Award will be presented at ALIGHT’s 10th Anniversary Celebration on Tuesday, October 28, 2025, in Denver, Colorado where the nonprofit is based.
“Our Attorney Engagement Committee unanimously agreed Rutan’s contributions stand out through its annual survivors’ clinics and significant contribution of pro bono hours,” says Marianna Kosharovsky, executive director of ALIGHT. “We are grateful the firm has been a committed partner to help us carry forward our mission.”
Rutan’s partnership with ALIGHT began in 2023, but the firm committed a significant amount of pro bono hours to anti-trafficking efforts before that time with the launch of the Orange County Human Trafficking Project (OCHTP) in 2022. To date, Rutan attorneys and other OCTHP volunteers have committed more than 2,000 pro bono hours to more than 100 survivors to assist with credit repair under the Debt Bondage Repair Act, criminal record clearance through vacatur petitions, T-visa petitions, and civil litigation.
“We feel honored by this award, which is a result of our meaningful partnership with ALIGHT to provide survivors with the legal service they need to take back their lives and to continue to live safely and independently,” says Peter Hering, partner in the firm’s Irvine office who spearheads the OCHTP. “We are grateful to ALIGHT for their partnership and for the great work ALIGHT is doing to close the gaps in the legal desert for legal services available for survivors by connecting survivors with law firms like ours.”
About OCHTP
The OCTHP is a pro bono collaboration between Rutan & Tucker, LLP and UCI School of Law’s Pro Bono Program with a mission to provide pro bono legal services to human trafficking survivors in Orange County and Southern California. To learn more click here.
About ALIGHT
Alliance to Lead Impact in Global Human Trafficking, based in Denver, CO, connects human trafficking survivors with specialized legal services through an innovative mobile app and legal networks. By bridging survivors to trusted resources, ALIGHT helps rebuild lives with dignity, stability, and hope. To learn more about ALIGHT visit: https://alightnet.org.
