Creating New Position, Quinn Emanuel Names Clara Spera Pro Bono Counsel
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Eric Herman
NEW YORK – Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP, announced that Clara Spera has joined the firm as Pro Bono Counsel, a newly created role in which she will lead Quinn Emanuel’s pro bono program nationally as the firm expands its longstanding commitment to public interest work. Spera joined the firm on November 2.
Spera’s experience spans private practice, public interest litigation, and judicial clerkships. She previously practiced at Hecker Fink and WilmerHale. She served as senior counsel at the National Women’s Law Center and was a Pro Bono Fellow with the Federal Defenders of New York Inc. and an Equal Justice Works Fellow at the American Civil Liberties Union. Spera began her career with clerkships for Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and Judge Denise Cote of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
Her litigation work ranges from individual representations to large impact cases, among them challenges to abortion restrictions and bans following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Historically, Quinn Emanuel’s pro bono work has been driven entrepreneurially by lawyers in individual offices. Spera will build on that foundation to develop a national program, working with associates and partners to identify matters aligned with their interests and deepening the firm’s relationships with nonprofits and legal services organizations. Spera joins Quinn Emanuel following the firm’s decision earlier this year to alter its associate bonus structure to better compensate for pro bono work, providing bonus credit for up to 200 hours of pro bono work annually, with the option to exceed 200 hours in certain cases.
“Quinn Emanuel’s commitment to public interest is deep and longstanding. Under the leadership of Mike Carlinsky and Bill Burck, we are expanding and building greater structure around that commitment,” said partner Marc L. Greenwald, who leads the pro bono practice in New York. “Clara possesses stellar credentials and an impressive depth of experience in public interest litigation. We are delighted to welcome her to the firm.”
“I see enormous potential to marshal Quinn Emanuel’s litigation talent and resources in service of the public interest,” said Spera. “I aim to work with associates to understand the issues they care about, connect those interests with the needs of nonprofits and legal services organizations, and give our lawyers opportunities to make a difference while developing as advocates.”
Spera was recently named one of Equal Justice Works’ “40x40 Alumni Changemakers,” recognized among other program alumni who have devoted their careers to public service. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, the University of Cambridge, and the University of Chicago.
About Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, LLP
Quinn Emanuel is the world’s largest disputes-only law firm, with more than 1,100 lawyers across 33 offices worldwide. Disputes are not one part of our business — they are our business, and our singular focus gives us unmatched reach and depth to draw on insights from thousands of matters across industries and jurisdictions.
Our trial-ready approach has earned Quinn Emanuel a reputation opponents know well. General counsel surveys have named us the “most feared” litigation firm – the firm opposing counsel least wants to face – for five consecutive years. We have earned top-tier rankings across intellectual property, bankruptcy, antitrust, international arbitration, white collar investigations, and complex commercial disputes from The American Lawyer, Chambers & Partners, Legal 500, Law360, Legal Business, Global Arbitration Review, and JUVE.
But the recognition that matters most comes from the cases we’ve won, the precedents we’ve set, and the clients who return to us when the stakes are highest.