Amazon has released its 2024 Pro Bono Report, highlighting the company's community impact over the past year and reflecting on a decade of service. The report outlines initiatives such as vacating prior criminal convictions to assist individuals in overcoming barriers to employment and housing.
According to David Zapolsky, senior vice president of global public policy and general counsel at Amazon, the company’s legal and policy teams have been involved in areas like wrongful conviction exoneration, voting rights, and immigrant assistance. Reflecting on his 35-year career, he recalled a pro bono case involving a class action that secured $250,000 for families facing eviction. Since becoming Amazon's general counsel in 2012, Zapolsky has focused on developing the company’s pro bono program. This initiative has seen over 2,200 employees contribute more than 65,000 hours of service globally in the past decade.
Amazon legal professionals collaborate with organizations such as The Records Project in Washington and the Legal Aid Foundation in Los Angeles (LAFLA) to assist individuals in vacating qualifying convictions. In certain U.S. states, vacating past convictions can improve access to employment, housing, and other opportunities.
The Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles is a nonprofit law firm providing legal services to underserved individuals. It offers direct representation, legal counsel, and community education while focusing on areas like family support, affordable housing, economic stability, and human rights.
The Records Project provides volunteer attorney representation to help clients in King County vacate eligible convictions from public records. It supports low-income individuals including those with HIV/AIDS, the homeless, and immigrants.
Amazon offers a range of services including online shopping, delivery of fresh produce, media distribution through platforms like Alexa and Fire TV, cloud solutions via Amazon Web Services (AWS), logistics operations, customer service support, and entertainment through Amazon Originals, Prime Video, and Audible.