Pro Bono Spotlight: Chelsea Corey

By Julia Horrocks

Chelsea Corey is an experienced commercial litigator at Haynes Boone, who currently represents clients in the energy industry and financial services. Despite her challenging day job, she’s also been extremely active in pro bono work across multiple organizations for many years. With her expertise, Chelsea is able to take on a wide breadth of complex and impactful litigation on behalf of consumers who cannot afford an attorney.

Last year, Chelsea was co-counsel in a nationwide class action on behalf of LGBTQ+ veterans to remove discriminatory sexual orientation indicators, securing updated discharge designations and life-changing benefits for our veterans and their families. Her team had five individual clients whom she worked with for years to prepare for the case. She said that many of those clients cried when they received their relief — it felt like a scarlet letter attached to them had finally been removed. And now there is an easy-to-use website available for other veterans to access the relief obtained through the class action.

Children with claims for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status cases escaped neglect, abuse or dependency by one or more caretakers in another country, and are now currently in the U.S. Chelsea supports these particularly vulnerable children with navigating a challenging court process. Chelsea was also glad to be able to reach out to her clients and their families when the recent ICE raids threatened their stability.

Chelsea has also represented prisoners pro bono. In the past, she won a preliminary injunction for a client whose rights were violated under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

Among other litigation projects, Chelsea currently volunteers with Charlotte Center for Legal Advocacy as a health care navigator. She is passionate about helping consumers navigate the complex health care enrollment process and helping people access tax credits that they are entitled to. Chelsea has been a champion of the Healthcare Enrollment arm of the Charlotte Triage project for the past five years, and in September 2024, she was awarded “Champion of the Year” by Charlotte Triage.

Chelsea is a role model for attorneys throughout the country and has received other pro bono awards over the years, including recognition from the Legal Aid Society in NYC in 2013. She particularly enjoys large-scale impact litigation where she gets to work on a larger team with folks in other offices.

Chelsea says she does this work because she thinks it is an essential part of the profession of a lawyer. She views being a lawyer as a great privilege, which comes with the responsibility to help advance justice more broadly on behalf of those who need it. She also finds that her pro bono involvement brings her joy. To be able to interact with and assist clients on cases that are so important to them is rewarding.

Julia Horrocks is the Pro Bono Program Managing Attorney at Pisgah Legal Services.