WHEN LAW MEETS LIVES 2018 PRO BONO ANNUAL REPORT | Giving Voice. Taking Action.
CONTENTS 4
INTRODUCTION
> Our pro bono program is where Perkins Coie’s values come to life. Learn how and where we took action in this preview of our annual report.
WHEN LAW MEETS LIVES
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS > Our participation in overturning a wrongful murder conviction for a man incarcerated for 16 years is one of the highlights of our civil and criminal work protecting the rights of people and organizations in habeas, clemency, death penalty and innocence cases.
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IMMIGRATION > As longtime immigration advocates, we responded to shifting government policy for people seeking asylum and other relief in the United States. Working from detention centers to immigration courts, we asserted clients’ rights nationwide.
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supporting the military, veterans and active duty service members to fight for victims of sexual assault in the military, secure veterans’ benefits and guide “vetrepreneurs.”
> Protecting vulnerable populations is a hallmark of our pro bono program. We navigate a complex legal system for survivors of domestic violence, lowincome tenants, homeless individuals, foster youth and others seeking a safe environment.
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> Our commitment to our communities includes charitable giving, community service, public service and pro bono legal service. In 2018, firm members were active and engaged, often breaking a sweat to help worthy causes nationwide.
> View a snapshot of recent pro bono projects undertaken by attorneys across the firm.
NONPROFITS AND LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS
> Our guidance to organizations helping communities in need and important causes focuses on business-related legal needs and issue advocacy. We also assist low-income entrepreneurs launching businesses and fostering economic development.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
FAMILIES, MILITARY AND VETERAN AFFAIRS CHILDREN AND > Proud to support those UNDERSERVED who serve our country, POPULATIONS we aligned with nonprofits
WHAT I AM WORKING ON
PRO BONO AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
> As part of our annual recognition of outstanding leadership in and commitment to pro bono service, winners may direct a $5,000 charitable contribution to the legal services organization of their choice.
INTRODUCTION WELCOME TO PERKINS COIE’S 2018 PRO BONO ANNUAL REPORT. As my term as this firm’s managing partner ends, I have thought about one of the greatest sources of pride I feel for Perkins Coie: our firm’s commitment to pro bono work and public service.
JOHN M. DEVANEY Firmwide Managing Partner
We have a long tradition of fighting to uphold our clients’ civil and constitutional rights and the rule of law. In 2018, we did just that across a broad area of need and a wide range of issues. Our immigration advocacy work focused on systemic change and direct client representation. We supported our military by helping veterans who served the United States navigate tangled legal webs to access benefits to which they are entitled. Our attorneys also stood by survivors of sexual assault in the military. In recent years, we have expanded our criminal justice reform efforts, partnering with the Seattle Clemency Project and other groups to help clients get a second chance at life. For one man, he walked free after we helped overturn his wrongful conviction; for others, we made sure their sentences more closely aligned with their crimes. And through our representation of—and partnership with—nonprofits across the country, we illustrated our deep commitment to our communities and their residents. I am constantly inspired by the strength and resiliency of our pro bono clients and by the devotion of our attorneys and legal staff to serve them. I hope you will be equally inspired while reading about this important work.
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ANNUAL REPORTS ARE A NATURAL TIME TO REFLECT. In considering which diverse pro bono matters to share with you in this year’s report, we became aware of a common thread in our efforts: the intersection where people’s lives meet the law. It’s a critical juncture requiring special care. Attorneys help lay people navigate legal systems they could not easily steer through on their own. Anyone who has encountered an asylum seeker’s case knows the story of a young man fleeing persecution in his home country who then finds himself detained in a foreign land, trying to understand a complex legal process in an unfamiliar language.
LEAH MEDWAY Pro Bono Counsel
A pro bono attorney can literally be a lifeline. She stands by her client at the precise point where the law could dictate the client’s future. It is at this intersection where pro bono attorneys use their voices to amplify their clients’ stories or help empower clients to use their own. As I reflect upon 2018, I think about my own experience volunteering at a Texas detention center preparing immigrants for interviews to determine if they had a credible fear of returning to their home countries. My colleagues and I were joined in this effort by countless volunteers across the country trying to give voice to the detainees’ experiences. This is what we do as attorneys. Our pro bono work last year helped survivors of domestic violence tell their stories to obtain protection orders. We helped low-income tenants avoid eviction, and we helped articulate the positive changes made by those behind prison bars seeking a second chance to reframe their narratives. I hope you enjoy reading the highlights of the 2018 Perkins Coie pro bono program. We proudly feature our clients’ voices, along with our own, in these stories of hope, despair, strength and redemption. We are grateful to all of our community partners for their support of our ongoing commitment to the people and causes who need, but cannot afford, legal help.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
VOICE OF THE CLIENT
> Moments after the charges were dropped, a newly exonerated
Eric Blackmon steps up to a press microphone to discuss his future plans, which he hopes will include law school. “Although I am the only one who came home from this today, I know my case will be cited by and help many others. I understand how important the role of an attorney can be. I want to thank everyone at Perkins Coie for their commitment to pro bono cases like mine. You help us more than you will ever know,� said Blackmon.
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When Justice Meets Innocence Eric Blackmon knew he was innocent from the moment he was arrested for murder in 2002. He had to spend the next 16 years in prison to prove it. “I am one of the fortunate ones. Most exonerated people that I know spend twice as long making their case,” said the 37-year-old Chicago native. Blackmon was released from prison on bail in 2018, and in early 2019, the state vacated his conviction. We first met Blackmon in 2015, more than a decade into his 60-year prison sentence and pro se effort to overturn his conviction.
said Dave Pekarek Krohn, one of several firm lawyers who represented Blackmon. The evidentiary hearing resulted in the granting of Blackmon’s petition for a writ of habeas corpus and eventual release.
Fighting a Wrongful Conviciton “Justice is not a science. There are no definite answers, which was an eye opener for me,” said Blackmon.
While incarcerated at Stateville Correctional Center in Crest Hill, Illinois, Blackmon had become a paralegal to argue his own case. At the heart of his innocence plea was his trial counsel’s failure to call any alibi witnesses. Numerous people had seen Blackmon at the Fourth of July barbecue he attended at the time of the murder.
This innocence case also offered lessons for the Perkins Coie team. “I think wrongful convictions occur much more often than most people could imagine. It’s surprising how the state fights to hang on to the conviction, even when the objective facts indicate that the case should never have been brought in the first place,” said Pekarek Krohn.
Pushing Through Despair
Additional Madison team members included Partner John Skilton, former firm attorneys David Harth and Anne Readel and staff members Teresa Anders, Lynne Bendt, Karen Dempski, Brenda Horn and Lucas Morgan. Said Skilton, who supervised the case, “Everyone who touched the file in the past four years felt blessed to have had the chance to clear an innocent man.”
Working from prison on his own, Blackmon gathered sufficient evidence to convince the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to take up his case. The 2015 victory marked Blackmon’s first sign of hope during years of defeat. “You grow numb to despair. You hear ‘no’ a lot, but you have to keep pushing,” he said. The Seventh Circuit appointed Perkins Coie to take on Blackmon’s case while we were already before the circuit court on another wrongful conviction pro bono case, which we eventually won. “When we won a remand of Eric’s case in May 2016, we pulled in the resources of Northwestern University’s Center on Wrongful Convictions to contact alibi witnesses and get the best representation for his evidentiary hearing,”
Defense team leaders John Skilton (left) and Dave Pekarek Krohn (right) flank their client Eric Blackmon shortly after getting his murder conviction overturned.
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Driven by a belief in the power of second chances, the Seattle Clemency Project helps deserving, long-serving prisoners transformed by their time behind bars chart a path to clemency. After Washington abolished its parole board in the 1980s, clemency or commutation, rather than parole, became the only option for freedom for prisoners serving an extraordinarily harsh sentence.
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The work is time-consuming, but prisoners have a much better chance of obtaining clemency or commutation when represented by counsel.
High-Stakes Advocacy: The Seattle Clemency Project Today, state prisons are overcrowded with inmates serving life-without-parole sentences issued under the Persistent Offender Accountability Act, or as it’s commonly known, the three strikes law. The law’s mandated punishments linger long after attitudes toward extreme sentences and lifelong incarceration have evolved. We supported clemency petitions previously in our work with the Obama administration’s Clemency Project 2014, a national effort that served as the model for the Seattle project. In 2018, we continued our commitment to criminal justice reform by assisting six prisoners through the process of requesting clemency or commutation from Washington’s governor.
Power of Forgiveness For one client, receiving forgiveness from the grandmother of the man he murdered inspired his prison transformation. In 1999, Richard Tullis was an 18-year-old who began serving a 25-year prison sentence for his crime. He adapted poorly to his life in prison, and eventually guilt and depression led him to attempt suicide. The catalyst to change arrived in the form of forgiveness by his victim’s grandmother and guardian. Her letters encouraged Tullis to honor her grandson by turning his behavior around and working with at-risk youth to prevent similar crimes, and he became a model prisoner. He pushed himself to obtain an education and inspired many young prisoners to break the cycle of reincarceration. Firmwide Litigation Practice Chair Katie O’Sullivan and Associate Carolyn Gilbert took on Tullis’s bid for clemency, supported by Senior Paralegal Kimball Mullins and Legal Practice Assistant Linda Nelson. O’Sullivan and Gilbert
reviewed the entire record of proceedings leading to his conviction, contacted friends, family, counselors, guards and fellow prisoners, documented his achievements and composed a comprehensive and compelling petition for clemency, supported by the elected prosecuting attorney for Stevens County. While the Clemency and Pardons Board voted unanimously in favor of a recommendation of clemency, Governor Inslee ultimately denied Tullis’s petition. But unlike many who are incarcerated for life for offenses they committed as teenagers, Tullis has the prospect of freedom in five years. We are hopeful that he will continue his exceptional journey of personal growth.
Freedom on the Line According to Tom Hillier, who runs our clemency project program, “The stakes are enormously high in clemency cases. Your clients are seeking freedom. The work is time-consuming, but prisoners have a much better chance of obtaining clemency or commutation when represented by counsel.” Additional lawyers participating in the Seattle Clemency Project cases include Emily Bushaw, Elvira Castillo, John Dillow, Stephanie Holstein, Harry Schneider, Cara Wallace, Dane Westermeyer and former firm attorney David Martin.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND CIVIL RIGHTS
Our CJA panel attorneys visited clients in jail, conducted investigations, met with federal prosecutors and guided their clients through the pleabargaining process.
Criminal Justice Act: Rights of the Accused Access to justice and upholding the Sixth Amendment’s right to counsel is the motivating principle behind the Criminal Justice Act (CJA) enacted 55 years ago. Since then, CJA pro bono panels of attorneys have filled the representation gap in federal courts nationwide. This private bar assistance is essential when public defenders are conflicted out of representing certain criminal defendants who cannot otherwise afford legal help. Our participation in the panels over the years has not only protected the constitutional rights of the accused—it has also provided newer attorneys with federal court experience and deepened our relationship with the courts. The firm has several attorneys with prior criminal law expertise serving on CJA panels and supervising our more junior attorneys who handle the work pro bono.
Not Typical Perkins Coie Clients Illustrative of these representations were two separate sentencing hearings occurring in December 2018, where associates from the Seattle office convinced the district court to adopt their sentencing recommendations despite aggressive resistance from the government. The CJA clients were not typically ones who Seattle associates Lauren Staniar and Cristina Sepe represent. Their clients were indigent and accused of violating federal firearms and drug trafficking laws. Visits with the clients took place in jail.
In addition to jail visits, Staniar and Sepe conducted hands-on investigations, met with federal prosecutors and agents and guided their clients through the plea-bargaining process. The representations culminated in intense high-stakes sentencing litigation. Staniar and Sepe developed and presented smart and confident arguments on why their clients’ sentences should be half of what the government recommended. Guiding the young attorneys was Senior Counsel Tom Hillier, who served as the federal public defender for the Western District of Washington for more than 30 years before joining the firm. Judge John C. Coughenour agreed with the proposed shorter sentences. Not only were our clients grateful for committed representation, but also the judge expressed his appreciation for the quality of the arguments, for providing young lawyers with the opportunity to appear in court and for the firm’s support of CJA pro bono work.
PRO BONO CRIMINAL JUSTICE SNAPSHOT
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HOURS IN 2018
MATTERS IN 2018
CLEMENCY CASES
POST-CONVICTION DEATH PENALTY CASES
(2014-2018)
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Pro Bono Client Collaborations: T-Mobile’s Freedom Friday From immigration matters to criminal justice, our collaborations with clients on pro bono work reflect our shared interests in making a difference and deepening relationships. These collective efforts have a powerful impact on pro bono partners like Innocence Project Northwest (IPNW). The nonprofit advocacy and education group provides legal and investigative services to Washington prisoners seeking to prove their innocence. With 300 to 500 requests for assistance a year and one full-time attorney currently on staff, IPNW is thinly stretched. To marshal interest and resources, IPNW regularly hosts “Freedom Friday”
applicant file review sessions. At one of several Freedom Fridays we have participated in, our attorneys and staff joined colleagues from our client T-Mobile at the wireless communication company’s headquarters. With IPNW’s guidance, the legal teams trained on the causes of wrongful convictions in criminal cases and then reviewed IPNW applicant files to identify possible issues in actual cases for IPNW’s legal team. The collective
approach enables the review of a larger volume of cases, clears a backlog of correspondence and allows many more innocence project clients to receive assistance. According to Jacqueline McMurtrie, founder and director of IPNW, “The dynamic created when two skilled and caring teams of professionals combine their strengths infuses our mission with long-lasting energy. The biggest beneficiaries truly are the incarcerated men and women who have written to us, seeking exoneration.”
VOICE OF PRO BONO PARTNERS KATHERINE MCDANIEL T-Mobile, Litigation Counsel We collaborated with T-Mobile for the Freedom Friday event focused on innocence work. Katherine McDaniel, Senior Litigation Counsel at T-Mobile, and Monica Reinmiller, Compliance Counsel at T-Mobile, helped plan and participated in the successful day. Said McDaniel, “By partnering with Perkins Coie on pro bono matters, we not only help our community, but we also build a shared sense of purpose.”
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IMMIGRATION
IN BRIEF U.S. Supreme Court Capital Appeal Madison
A pro bono team of attorneys and staff from the firm’s Madison office achieved a long-fought victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, prolonging the capital appeal process for client Marion Wilson. In a 6-3 decision in our client’s favor, the Court held that “[a] federal habeas court reviewing an unexplained state-court decision on the merits should ‘look through’ that decision to the last related state-court decision that provides a relevant rationale and presume that the unexplained decision adopted the same reasoning.” The Court reversed the decision of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit and remanded the case for further proceedings. Perkins Coie attorneys have been representing the death row inmate since 2001.
lowest assigned-counsel compensation rate in the country; this marks the first time in nearly 25 years that the rate will increase for court-appointed lawyers in Wisconsin. Associates Danielle GrantKeane and Michael Laing assisted with the successful petition. Prison Excessive Force Challenge Anchorage
As part of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska’s Federal Pro Bono Project, we asserted the civil rights of a client who experienced excessive force while being taken into custody by Alaska Department of Corrections officers. Our client had recently undergone knee surgery, and the officers’ intake practices resulted in a serious reinjury to his knee. Associate
Sarah Schirack—working with Kevin Cuddy at Stoel Rives LLP, where she had begun the case—successfully argued against the state’s motion for summary judgment. They ultimately negotiated a structured settlement with the state. Schirack also worked with another state agency to settle her client’s substantial liens related to unpaid child support, clearing the obstacles for him to obtain occupational and driver’s licenses when he leaves prison in 2019. All of these efforts helped ensure that the $45,000 settlement would facilitate her client’s fresh start.
Pay Raise for Court-Appointed Lawyers Madison
Access to justice is a driving force in pro bono work. To facilitate access and support the often-underfunded courts, we take on court-appointed cases, expand resources for public defenders and participate in legal clinics and other activities. Trial attorney John Skilton was part of a coalition of petitioners that won a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that increases the hourly compensation rate for court-appointed attorneys providing legal services to indigent individuals. Pay will increase from $70 to $100 beginning on January 1, 2020. The state had the
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VOICE OF PRO BONO VOLUNTEER SARAH SCHIRACK | ASSOCIATE Anchorage “Assisting my pro bono client was an enriching experience in terms of client advocacy and skill building. I was fortunate to handle discovery; take depositions; write, argue and win various motions; lead settlement negotiations; and counsel the client directly throughout the life of the case.”
Brush & Nib Studio, LC v. City of Phoenix LGBTQ+ rights advocacy has been a cornerstone of our pro bono program. We played a prominent role in challenges across the nation, including in Oregon’s recognition of same-sex marriage, which was a tipping-point case leading to the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark Obergefell v. Hodges decision. In 2018, challenges related to same-sex marriage persisted, and we supported the cause in amicus briefs we filed in the two matters detailed on this page. In the first matter, we argued on behalf of 60 Arizona businesses and business organizations in support of the city of Phoenix and its anti-discrimination ordinance, and we submitted an amicus brief to the Arizona Court of Appeals.
The case, Brush & Nib Studio, LC v. City of Phoenix, concerned a state constitutional challenge by owners of a custom invitation store who did not want to provide custom wedding invitations to same-sex couples. Brush & Nib Studio’s counsel was the Alliance Defending Freedom, which has taken the lead throughout the country in trying to roll back recent gains in the gay rights movement. The court issued an opinion upholding the ordinance. The brief was authored by attorneys Dan Barr, Katherine May and Barry Stratford and edited by attorney Dan Bagatell. Klein v. Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries In this second matter, the well-publicized case considered the constitutionality of a bakery’s refusal to bake a wedding
cake for a lesbian couple on religious grounds. We represented Americans United for Separation of Church and State as amicus curiae, arguing that enforcing Oregon’s anti-discrimination statutes against the bakery owners did not violate the owners’ free speech or religious exercise rights under the Oregon and U.S. Constitutions. The Oregon Court of Appeals ruled against the bakery owners. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the factually similar Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the Oregon Supreme Court declined the bakery owners’ petition for review of the court of appeals’ decision. Portland attorneys Julia Markley and Courtney Peck wrote the amicus brief.
POWER PRO BONO VOICE JOEL NOMKIN | PARTNER Phoenix Prominent appellate lawyer Joel Nomkin still finds time for pro bono work. In 2018, the Phoenix partner was involved in litigation challenging Arizona’s troubled foster care system. He also advised pro se litigants in a new, free, self-service clinic. The pilot program was launched by the Volunteer Lawyers Program and the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona, with early help from Perkins Coie. Attorneys meet with and coach people representing themselves in civil matters. At this stage of his career, why does Nomkin continue this kind of work? Said Nomkin, “It energizes me to help those who are in such desperate need for legal services. Nothing is more gratifying than using our legal tools to make a real difference in people’s lives.”
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IMMIGRATION
> A Honduran woman and her infant were part of the stream of migrants arriving at border towns in Mexico and seeking entry to the United States in the spring of 2018. Renewed policy enforcement resulted in family separations and detentions, and we assisted people needing legal help.
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Family Separation and Zero Tolerance at Border Unites Lawyers The pro bono legal community has long flexed its collective muscle on behalf of immigration rights. Upon the issuance of travel bans in 2017, legal teams rallied at airports on behalf of immigrants and filed lawsuits nationwide; we are still actively litigating two of these cases. Big Law responded again in force in the spring of 2018 when U.S. border officials enforced a zero-tolerance policy that resulted in family separation and detention for those seeking to enter the country. The legal community’s strong reaction to nearly 3,000 children divided from their parents and the government’s lackluster efforts at reunification transformed into swift action on numerous fronts. Lawyers for Good We joined the response effort in several ways, including collaborating with Project Corazon, under the auspices of Lawyers for Good Government, and drafting amicus briefs on family separation. Throughout the firm, our attorneys assisted by: • Drafting Requests for Reconsideration to assist attorneys working with detained mothers and fathers. • Attending check-ins conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) with newly released parents and children.
In addition, Perkins Coie sent a legal team to a Texas detention center to work directly with detainees for a week, which we detail on page 16. Success in these cases comes in small increments and on an individual basis. We are proud of our efforts, both on the ground and remotely in support of others, which led to the release of detained mothers and fathers and sufficiently prepared detainees to pass their credible fear interviews.
• Preparing detainees seeking asylum for credible fear interviews, working from Albany, New York, to Aurora, Colorado, and beyond. • Representing detainees at bond hearings to help individuals pursue bond prior to transfer to another location.
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NEARLY ALL OUR CLIENTS EXPERIENCED PERSECUTION, or they had a seemingly well-founded fear of persecution in their home countries, but for many, demonstrating a nexus between the harm and current legal bases for asylum was challenging. —JEFF BOWEN | PARTNER
When Lawyers Meet Refugees: Inside Karnes County Detention Center ONE THREE-YEAR-OLD WRITHED IN PAIN, sitting on his father’s lap as we prepared for their interview. The boy was ill, and his medicine had been confiscated at the border. I helped the father gain access to a phone to call Honduras to get a drug prescription for his son. Only then could we try to focus on the legal issues at hand.
MANY DETAINEES SPOKE INDIGENOUS LANGUAGES, which made interpreting difficult, and several did not read or write. I worked with one Guatemalan client, who spoke no Spanish, and his sweet, Spanish-speaking 11-year old son in a heartbreaking process to prepare their case to stay in the United States. —ROSA RAVELO | SENIOR PARALEGAL
—CHARLYN HO | COUNSEL
GAINING CLIENTS’ TRUST WAS TOUGH. Right before we arrived, ICE guards reportedly told our clients that RAICES and its volunteers caused detainees’ prolonged confinement. Given their treatment at home and from the U.S. government, the men’s mistrust of authority was not surprising. Luckily, we eventually connected with most clients and provided the substantive assistance needed, which they appreciated. —ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ | ASSOCIATE
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CLIENTS TOLD HORRIFIC ACCOUNTS OF GANG MURDERS AT HOME and trauma suffered in U.S. detention. A father and a child described captivity in the hielera (ice box), slang for U.S. holding facilities kept at frigid temperatures, with only a thin blanket covering their naked bodies. Telling their trauma helped clients clear their minds and focus on their immediate legal challenges. —CLAIRE WILSON | ASSOCIATE
When Lawyers Meet Refugees The more than 200 immigrant prisons and jails in the United States became familiar to most Americans in 2018 when a surge of border detainees was sent to these facilities as part of newly enforced zero-tolerance immigration practices. We have visited several of these detention centers during our long commitment to immigrant rights. In late September 2018, we dispatched a team of lawyers and paralegals to one of the privatized immigration detention centers: Karnes County detention center, located in a remote area about an hour outside of San Antonio, Texas. The team devoted five days to assisting as many as possible of the over 400 detainees in Karnes, many of whom had been recently reunited after being separated at the border. Guided by the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES), we helped legal aid lawyers and advocates serve the center’s newly allmale adult detainees and their children, who ranged from babies to teenagers.
Fathers and Sons Seek Asylum At the detention center, we found men suffering from the emotional toll and trauma of their experiences back home. At the same time, the long detention and difficult treatment some experienced after crossing the U.S. border caused such despair that some detainees were prepared to give up their asylum claims, even if the claims were legitimate. “I have been stuck here with my son for three months, and we have asked to
THIS IS NOT A PRO SEFRIENDLY PROCESS. Detained immigrants need some representation to have any due process. The combination of the language barrier, lack of education, severe trauma and confusing U.S. immigration system means a rare few are really equipped to go it alone. —LEAH MEDWAY PRO BONO COUNSEL
be deported, but we are stuck here,” one client told us, expressing the frustration and sadness we heard from many detainees.
results in deportation or an appeal at a hearing before an immigration judge, depending on whether the asylum seeker wants to fight his case. We also helped detainees prepare for these hearings, and we conducted intake for new arrivals. All of this work occurred in a variety of languages, and although most of our team spoke Spanish, a number of detainees we met spoke only indigenous languages. Despite language barriers in our meetings and other challenges, we gave voice to the detainees’ experiences to help them make the strongest case they could for asylum. >
Of course, the vast majority of men did not want to return to their native countries and what they feared was a likely death sentence. They wanted to pursue their asylum claims and get out of detention, and we tried to help.
Detainees Make Their Case While at Karnes, our team prepared detainees for credible fear interviews (CFIs), a major part of the asylum process. Failure at the CFI stage either
A team selfie outside the Karnes County detention center includes Alejandra Jimenez (front) and (back row, left to right) Jeff Bowen, Claire Wilson, Rosa Ravelo, Leah Medway and Charlyn Ho.
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IMMIGRATION
PRO BONO ZERO-TOLERANCE RESPONSE | TEAM MEMBERS THOMAS AHMADIFAR
DEAN GALERO
KATHRYN MOORE
JOHN ASLIN
ANDREW GETSINGER
DAVID PEKAREK KROHN
JESSICA BATZEL
BROOKE HARKNESS
ASASIA PIERCE
MARY BEALL
CHARLYN HO
ROSA RAVELO
HAYLEY BERLIN
KRISTINA HOLM
KATHRYN ROSE
JEFF BOWEN
ANANTH IYENGAR
SERENA ROSS
CRYSTAL CANTERBURY
ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ
JEFFREY SILBERMAN
LUKE CHOI
KACEY KELL
PETER TRACEY
NORTON CUTLER
JASON KUZMA
MATTHEW WILLIAMS
SARAH DAVIS
WILLIAM MCCABE
CLAIRE WILSON
NICHOLAS FRANZEN
LEAH MEDWAY
JANE FRISSELL
TATJANA MIRKOVIC
FAMILY SEPARATION AND ASYLUM RESPONSE | PARTNERING ORGANIZATIONS Several of the immigration nonprofit groups we worked with include: KIND–KIDS IN NEED OF DEFENSE LAWYERS’ COMMITTEE FOR CIVIL RIGHTS UNDER LAW LAWYERS FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT
NEW YORK IMMIGRATION COALITION AND ALBANY JAIL DETENTION OUTREACH PROJECT
RAICES–REFUGEE AND IMMIGRANT CENTER FOR EDUCATION AND LEGAL SERVICES
NORTHWEST IMMIGRANT RIGHTS PROJECT
ROCKY MOUNTAIN IMMIGRANT ADVOCACY NETWORK
KARNES COUNTY DETENTION CENTER | TEAM MEMBERS JEFF BOWEN
LEAH MEDWAY
CHARLYN HO
ROSA RAVELO
ALEJANDRA JIMENEZ
CLAIRE WILSON
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Asylum Seekers Face New Hurdles with Matter of A-BIn June 2018, new hurdles to gaining asylum arose in the aftermath of the Matter of A-B- decision. Issued by then U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the precedential decision threatened the viability of claims for asylum based on domestic, gang and other private violence. While the underlying legal framework for asylum has remained intact, in practice the Matter of A-B- has intensified scrutiny of asylum applications. The effect was immediate for several clients with applications wending through the system, which we detail here.
Gang Violence Claims—Immigrant from El Salvador
Domestic Violence Claims—Refugees from Honduras
WE HAD ALREADY WON ASYLUM FOR PRO BONO CLIENT
WE OBTAINED WITHHOLDING OF REMOVAL STATUS FOR
Marlon A., after a nearly four-year wait, when his case was remanded back to immigration court by the Board of Immigration Appeals, primarily to consider the impact of Matter of A-B-.
a Honduran national and mother of two fleeing domestic violence and threats to her life. Our client’s abuse began when she was 15 years old and pregnant and lasted for 10 years until she escaped to the United States. Her case had been pending since 2015 and became even more challenging following the Matter of A-B- decision.
Marlon fled El Salvador at age 17 to escape gang intimidation. While in the United States, he was falsely labeled a gang member and sent to prison in 2017. Upon his release, he became the subject of deportation orders that included the gang label. He would be sent back to El Salvador with a target on his back. Washington, D.C. associate Charlie Wood spearheaded our representation, with guidance from Partner Vivek Chopra, in a joint effort with Hogan Lovells and the Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. We eventually halted our client’s deportation, won asylum for a second time, and obtained bond and Marlon’s release. >
Our team adapted to these legal developments and distinguished her case by compiling an extensive record of her firsthand experience with the deplorable social and economic conditions for women in Honduras. The legal arguments and unassailable record of conditions in Honduras persuaded a San Francisco immigration judge. The team had secured Special Immigrant Juvenile Status for our client’s children and employment authorization for the client. The client is extremely proud to be economically independent with a thriving family in the Bay Area. LEGAL TEAM: Partner Meredith Jones-McKeown and Associate
Christian Termyn; and staff members Gabe Almario, Cathie Berté, Isabel Haas and Rosa Ravelo.
Newly reunited with a family member after his release from a Virginia detention facility, our client, Marlon A. (left), won asylum for a second time.
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2018 IMMIGRATION CASE HIGHLIGHTS Every year, Perkins Coie commits to helping refugees and immigrants seeking asylum and other forms of immigration relief. Being granted asylum is a difficult and complex process, and is made even more challenging as government guidance keeps shifting. Chances for success increase significantly with the assistance of legal counsel. We are proud of the successes we have achieved and share a few client victories.
Refugee from Venezuela. Secured asylum for an HIV+ gay man fleeing his native country due to persecution based on sexual orientation in a case referred by Immigration Equality.
Refugees from Guatemala and El Salvador.
SAN FRANCISCO TEAM: Attorneys Mara Boundy, Lindsey Quock, Donna Strain, Christian Termyn, Sunny Tsou, Bobbie Wilson and Linda Zhang; and staff members Lisa DeCosta, Jenny Diaz and Isabel Haas
PORTLAND TEAM: 2018 Pro Bono Leadership Award winners,
Helped a mother and her two daughters obtain withholding of removal and asylum in a case referred by Innovation Law Lab and Center of Excellence.
see page 46.
Immigrant from Laos. Achieved dismissal of a removal order before the Board of Immigration Appeals for a permanent resident of the United States since 1978 in a case referred by Catholic Legal Immigration Network.
Refugee from Ethiopia. Secured T visa protection, intended for victims of human trafficking, for a woman brought to the United States from Ethiopia by a wealthy family in a case referred by Casa Cornelia Law Center.
MADISON TEAM: Partner Jeff Bowen and staff member
SAN DIEGO TEAM: Partner Matthew Bernstein and Associate
Matt Maier
Kevin Kantharia; and staff members Michelle Baxter and Robert Chomik
Immigrant from Eritrea. Obtained a cancellation of removal and the return of his Green Card for a legal permanent resident who had been in the United States since 1983 in a case referred by Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights Coalition. WASHINGTON, D.C., TEAM: Partner Jon Jacobs and former firm
attorney Julissa Milligan
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When Clients Meet Pro Bono Projects SEEKING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THEIR COMMUNITIES,
Perkins Coie’s clients increasingly ask to participate in pro bono work, and we are thrilled to have them on our team. Enthusiastic and committed teams of clients have joined us in a range of immigration pro bono work—from helping new immigrants file claims of asylum to joining many of our Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) clinics. In the spring of 2018, we joined forces with one client, Adobe Inc. and members of its legal department, to help immigrants navigate the complex forms and processes involved in applying for U.S. citizenship. Given all of our work to help immigrants find safety in this country, it is particularly rewarding to help immigrants cross the finish line and become citizens. The “Citizenship Day,” organized by the Asian Law Alliance in San Jose, California, was attended by hundreds of aspiring Americans. Prior to assisting them, Adobe volunteers and Perkins Coie attorneys attended a special training organized by Palo Alto partner Victoria Smith.
“Citizenship Day was a great opportunity to help serve an important need in the community and work with our friends at Adobe,” said Palo Alto attorney Jim Valentine (far left), client lead for Adobe. Joining him were Andrew Klein, Wing Liang, Marina Gatto, Shayda Khorasani (Adobe), Ben Liu, Mei Hee (Adobe) and Amisha Manek. Not pictured: Perkins Coie attorney Christian Lee and Gladys Rosario (Adobe).
DACA Clinics Expand Immigrants’ Resources WE HOST AND PARTICIPATE IN IMMIGRATION-CENTERED
clinics and training sessions throughout the year, partnering with nonprofit organizations such as the National Immigrant Justice Center in Chicago, the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in Seattle and OneJustice in the San Francisco Bay Area. Working under the aegis of OneJustice, the Rural Justice Collaborative hosted DACA application and renewal clinics. At one clinic, Partner Paula Goodwin assisted two brothers, each renewing his DACA status. She made such a lasting
impression that the boys turned around to host their own DACA renewal clinic at their college, at which volunteers served more than 20 clients. In celebrating the positive chain of events, the project manager of OneJustice, Lusik Gasparyan, said of Goodwin’s newfound co-counsel, “Because you approached your appointments meaningfully and thoughtfully, your clients had a great experience and wanted to bring the same services to their community.”
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NONPROFITS AND LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS
> The Canyon Creek Shelter in Olympic National Park in Washington is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Built in 1939, the log structure is one of the properties our client sought to preserve after wilderness proponents challenged maintaining it.
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History Versus Wilderness in the National Parks Our pro bono work with numerous nonprofit organizations provides opportunities for Perkins Coie attorneys to pursue their interests and participate in novel legal challenges that extend beyond our counsel to great companies. When one environmentally focused nonprofit, The Coalition to Protect America’s National Parks, sought to preserve historic buildings in the wilderness, a group of our environmental lawyers helped. Man Versus Nature at Olympic National Park At issue was the struggle between historic preservation and untrammeled wilderness; namely, the manmade structures located in national parks’ wilderness areas. A nonprofit wilderness protection organization, Wilderness Watch, had sued to prevent the National Park Service from maintaining five nationally protected historic cabins and trail shelters within the wilderness area of the Olympic National Park in Washington. They contended that maintenance violated the Wilderness Act and believed the structures should deteriorate naturally, arguing that designated wilderness should have no vestiges of human presence. Historic structures exist in more than 400 locations in wilderness areas within the National Park System (NPS). Our Coalition client, whose members are all former NPS employees or volunteers, argued that these historic structures provide an “unobtrusive complement to the park’s natural beauty,” enrich visitors’ experience and are culturally significant.
Wilderness Values When Wilderness Watch appealed its loss in district court, we filed an amicus brief in support of the NPS’s existing practice of maintaining historic structures. In doing so, the Coalition sided with the appellee, the National Park Service and the intervenor National Trust for Historic Preservation. In the summer of 2018, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
Circuit issued a favorable ruling for our client in the precedentsetting case, Wilderness Watch v. Creachbaum. The Ninth Circuit held that the National Park Service’s interpretation of the Wilderness Act of allowing historic preservation within wilderness areas was entitled to deference. The court also held that the National Park Service
Our environmental lawyers argued that the wilderness structures provide an unobtrusive complement to the park’s natural beauty. had complied with the minimum impact requirements of the Wilderness Act to ensure that the restoration work would not negatively impact the characteristics of designated wilderness in Olympic National Park. The decision is important because of contrary precedent in other circuits. The conflict between historic preservation and wilderness is expected to remain a hot-button litigation issue around the country, and the emerging conflict among the courts may eventually end up in the U.S. Supreme Court. LEGAL TEAM: Attorneys Don Baur, Sunny Tsou and
Laura Zagar and former firm attorneys Brian Daluiso and Brian Samuelson.
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NONPROFIT AND LOW-INCOME ENTREPRENEURS
Connecting Nonprofits and Microentrepreneurs to Practice Strengths Pro bono cases are not just for litigators. In fact, attorneys from across the firm regularly use their skills to provide valued assistance to our nonprofit and small business clients. By drawing strength from their regular practices, our transactional attorneys can advise on issues such as corporate governance, real estate, intellectual property, the environment, privacy and security, labor law and estate planning. This subject matter knowledge, when coupled with the experience of members of our Tax-Exempt Organizations practice and from litigators, where needed, allows Perkins Coie to provide holistic services to many nonprofit and small business clients in our communities.
Labor & Employment Counsel for Planned Parenthood A San Francisco pro bono team from the firm’s Labor & Employment practice won a significant victory for Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties. The California Employment Development Department determined that Planned Parenthood had misclassified its contractors, including physicians and nurses, as independent contractors when they were instead actual employees. Drawing upon decades of defense of misclassification claims, our California team successfully appealed the agency’s decision, eliminating the costly liability threatening Planned Parenthood’s operations.
pro bono cases we handled in 2018 through the Washington Pro Bono Patent Network. Operated by the University of Washington School of Law’s Center for Advanced Study and Research on Innovation Policy, the network works with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to assist financially underresourced independent inventors and small businesses. Partner Andy Culbert, who is also affiliated with the university, played a lead role in the launch, and Partner Aaron Poledna has helped coordinate the firm’s efforts and is working with Partner Josh Nelson to launch a similar program at the University of Idaho. LEGAL TEAM: Attorneys Steve Arnett, Sam Hong, Homer Hsu, Yiheng Li, Aaron Poledna, John Wechkin and Rob Woolston.
LEGAL TEAM: Attorneys Michelle Chan, Nina Eisenberg,
Paula Goodwin, Richard Guggenhime, Jonathan Longino, Sue Stott and Donna Strain; and staff members Danielle Ballard and Jim Otake.
Patent Prosecutors Expand Services to Low-Income Entrepreneurs in Washington Perkins Coie helped one striving entrepreneur put patent protection in place, leading the client to receive interest in his technology from potential partners. This is one of five patent
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Blockchain Technology Tackles Refugee Crisis Attorneys Joe Cutler and Charlyn Ho in our Blockchain Technology & Digital Currency industry group are working on the application of blockchain technology in addressing refugee identity issues. They are assisting a nonprofit tackling modern slavery and refugee identification and reunification in Southeast Asia, which adds a dynamic international component to the attorneys’ practices.
A Sea Change for Otters WORKING WITH AN ENVIRONMENTAL nonprofit, Friends of the Sea Otter, Perkins Coie helped bring about significant milestones in a saga lasting more than 30 years to recover a species of sea otter. Originally, we had helped the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service develop a recovery plan for the southern sea otter under the Endangered Species Act. Later, Washington, D.C. partner Don Baur led our successful defense of that plan when fishing groups challenged
it in district court and before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. In October 2018, the U.S. Supreme Court denied the petition of certiorari from plaintiffs, which effectively allows sea otters to expand their range throughout California without legal impediments. The species has now recovered from near extinction, achieving the recovery population size. While full recovery is still necessary, a major step toward that goal has now been reached.
Our work with Friends of the Sea Otter included defending courtroom challenges to a species recovery plan. The nonprofit advocates for the long-term survival of sea otters and the preservation of their habitat.
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> Our client was among the 5.7 million
U.S. soldiers who served during the Korean War, which was fought from 1950 to 1953. He spent 65 years trying to obtain benefits for his wartime injury, and we helped him finally succeed.
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Soldiers Ice and Fog, 1952 Š Harold Feinstein Photography Trust | haroldfeinstein.com
MILITARY AND VETERAN AFFAIRS
When Veterans Find Help: A Soldier’s Determined Battle at Home Disability benefits provide a lifeline for more than four million military veterans, but the process for receiving them is not always easy. Nearly three-quarters of all requests for benefits are denied, and appealing that denial can take five years or more to resolve. Patiently waiting veterans now have a new source of hope: Willie Cousin, whose benefits we helped secure 65 years after he first applied for them. Now nearly 90 years old, Cousin served in the U.S. Army and injured his back during the Korean War while lifting heavy ash cans. He was diagnosed with spondylolysis and received treatment, which was noted in his medical records during his years of service. Cousin received an honorable discharge in 1953.
Decades of Denial of Benefits Once he returned home, Cousin eventually filed a disability claim in 1954, but the Veterans Administration (now known as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)) denied him disability compensation. Further denials came in 1979, 1982 and 2009, as he continued to suffer from the injury. In 2012, the Board of Veterans’ Appeals agreed that Cousin’s back problems were related to his military service, but it awarded him only prospective benefits. Cousin sought retroactive benefits on grounds of clear and unmistakable error in the earlier denials, but the agency refused.
Giving Voice to a Veteran’s Plight We learned of Cousin’s prolonged plight through The Veterans Consortium Pro Bono Program. Madison attorney Andrew Dufresne committed himself to Cousin’s case, giving voice to his client’s rights before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims and later before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.
Our client was a true fighter. The Korean War is called the Forgotten War, but he held fast for his rights.
The Federal Circuit ultimately concluded that the premise used for decades to deny Cousin’s disability claims was wrong as a matter of law. Achieving that result required overcoming strict appellate jurisdictional limits and demonstrating that the agency’s errors in identifying compensable conditions had been “clear and unmistakable.”
A Soldier’s Courage Offers Hope The long tail of Cousin’s claim and appeals is not an anomaly. In recent years, claims pending before the VA have reached back as far as World War II. The VA’s recent efforts to improve efficiency have decreased the backlog of benefit applications. However, the high denial rate has shifted the backlog to pending appeals. “My client is a true fighter,” says Dufresne. “The Korean War may be known as the Forgotten War, but he held fast for his rights. His perseverance and the justice we were able to obtain for him honors all who serve. This precedential decision has potential to assist veterans in the future.”
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MILITARY AND VETERAN AFFAIRS
Vetrepreneurs Gain New Business Ground SKILLED IN LEADERSHIP AND
teamwork, veterans own nearly 10% of all businesses in the United States. However, when members of the military transitioning to civilian life want to launch an enterprise, they often face challenges in access to capital, networking opportunities and mentors. We have been assisting “vetrepreneurs” on these issues in business clinics and events across the country, including at the 2018 Veteran Entrepreneurs Summit in Boise, Idaho.
Melanie Rubocki and Will Miller share tips on intellectual property protection at a business summit for veteran entrepreneurs.
In addition to Perkins Coie’s sponsorship of the daylong business curriculum, Boise attorneys Melanie Rubocki and Will Miller shared their top tips for success. Miller served as an officer in the U.S. Army JAG Corps in the 82nd
Airborne Division and 1st Special Forces Group and leads the Boise office’s Veterans Affinity Group. Rubocki, who heads up the Corporate practice for the Boise office, detailed strategies for creating an entrepreneurs’ “roadmap” that proactively identifies legal pitfalls. Miller’s talking points focused on the importance of safeguarding trade secrets and intellectual property. “Having standard operating procedures was a principle we lived by in the military, and it’s also a principle to apply to business operations,” he said. We continue to work with several low-income veteran entrepreneurs we met at the summit to keep them on a productive business path.
VOICE OF PRO BONO VOLUNTEERS
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MELANIE RUBOCKI | PARTNER
WILL MILLER | ASSOCIATE
Boise
Boise
“Veterans make a huge commitment to serve our country. It’s easy to commit my knowledge and time to not only show my respect but also to help them realize their dreams.”
“As a veteran and employment lawyer, I believe strongly in setting the stage for vets’ business success. These soldiers are determined and primed—you offer a bit guidance and the return on investment is exponential.”
A Pledge Kept: Protect Our Defenders HELPING A WORTHY CAUSE GAIN
strength is one of the most rewarding aspects of pro bono work, which we have done with Protect Our Defenders (POD). We joined forces in 2016 with this nonprofit organization focused on giving voice to survivors of military sexual assault and ending the epidemic of sexual assault in the military. Sexual assault in the military is pervasive according to U.S. Department of Defense statistics cited by POD. Often, civilians become victim to sexual assault at the hands of military service members as well. Washington, D.C. partners Mary Rose Hughes and Don Friedman have taken on a number of cases and helped to achieve the recent conviction of an officer who preyed on our client, an enlisted service member. Hughes represented our client, the victim, in a sexual assault case that was tried by court-martial before a 12-member jury of officers in El Paso, Texas, in early January 2019. The jury sentenced the officer to three and a half years of confinement in a federal penitentiary. In addition, the convicted officer received the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge from the Army and will be required to register as a sex offender wherever he lives for the rest of his life. Hughes represented the client throughout the three-year life of this case and in an earlier case against another officer, who was also accused of assaulting our client but was acquitted in a trial by court-
The intensely personal nature of the crime and the fact that frequently there is not a lot of extrinsic evidence make these cases particularly challenging. martial. Hughes received assistance from Associate Lindsey Dunn, Associate Laura Hamilton, Senior Paralegal Michelle DePass and former firm attorney Christie Buschmann.
Personal Crimes and a Complex System “The intensely personal nature of the crime and the fact that frequently there is not a lot of extrinsic evidence make these cases particularly challenging,” said Hughes, who discussed her POD work in a 2018 Forbes profile. Survivors’ requests for help have trebled in the past four years. To meet that growing need, POD launched a new law center in 2018, which will extend available resources for victims. Hughes’ commitment continues: she hopes to develop training for attorneys on the West Coast in 2019 to expand victims’ access to legal help. Her representation of several survivors has taught her how to navigate the unique complexity of the military culture. “Some of it is just getting the attention of the right military personnel and moving it through the system so that the victim and the accused can feel justice was done,” explains Hughes.
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FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
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Relentless Advocacy Achieves Housing Justice At the center of many landlord-tenant disputes are some of the most basic needs of our pro bono clients—shelter and security. The seemingly minor legal issues that arise, such as returning security deposits, represent a major threat to low-income renters who have few housing alternatives or the financial means to push back or relocate. We were able to give voice to—and take action on—the plight of one such tenant in the San Francisco Bay Area, a region in the midst of some of the nation’s most daunting housing affordability issues. Working through the firm’s partnership with Tenants Together, California’s only statewide renters’ rights organization, a team of Palo Alto attorneys went to court and litigated on behalf of a single mom with a housing problem.
Broken Door Opens Bigger Issue Partner Michael Clyde and Associate Amisha Manek first met their client through one of Tenants Together’s legal counseling clinics. “Our client’s initial problem was that her landlord had kept her entire security deposit, but as I spoke to her, I found that there was much more going on,” said Manek. “Her landlord’s refusals to fix the front door resulted in burglaries. After the third burglary, police officers advised my client to move, which she did, but her deposit remained with the landlord.” (See page 44 for more about Manek’s work with low-income tenants.) During the ensuing 18 months, Manek, with guidance from Clyde, attempted to negotiate a settlement with the landlord, who refused to respond. They then litigated the matter.
Our representation redressed the power inequality and violation of rights that many tenants experience. We sent a powerful message to landlords in the community.
Trial Ready Clyde and Manek commenced an action in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose to recover the security deposit and damages for the burglaries, among other things. The landlord filed a cross-complaint. It was a hard-fought battle that concluded favorably just four days before the scheduled jury trial. We negotiated a settlement that covered all of the client’s out-of-pocket damages. The client was ecstatic to have been made financially whole and to have the stress of dealing with the landlord resolved. “Taking on these small cases matters on several fronts— for the individual and the community. Our representation redressed the power inequality and violation of rights that many tenants experience, which was a powerful message sent to landlords in the community,” said Clyde.
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FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
Pro Bono Impact: Policy Change on Clearing Homeless Campsites
Police sweeps of homeless campsites caused people to lose clothes, medical records, birth certificates and other valuables, according to a Washington lawsuit we brought against local government authorities.
Some local governments have responded to the proliferation of homeless encampments across the United States by forcing campers to move, with authorities often seizing and destroying their possessions. Many of these municipalities do not provide any housing or even temporary shelter for their homeless citizens. The National Law Center on Homelessness & Poverty (Law Center) advocates for the constitutional rights of people without housing. The Law Center had particular concern about the treatment of homeless persons in Puyallup, Washington, and approached Perkins Coie about bringing a legal challenge. A pro bono team led by Of Counsel Sherilyn Peterson filed a lawsuit jointly with the Law Center in September 2018, in federal court in the Western District of Washington, against the City of Puyallup and Pierce County.
Civil Rights for Homeless People The suit alleged that during sweeps of homeless camps, the city and county destroyed or threw away the plaintiffs’ property with little or no notice, leaving them with no opportunity to challenge the destruction or retrieve their property. The complaint alleged violation of the civil rights of six persons and sought damages and injunctive relief.
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At the end of October, the city made offers of judgment to four of the six plaintiffs, offering to pay each $10,100 and their reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs. In addition, the Puyallup Police Department adopted a new policy for sweeps of homeless campsites that provides a minimum 72 hours’ advance notice for sweeps, temporary storage of belongings, retrieval procedures and other conditions. The plaintiffs accepted the offers of judgment. LEGAL TEAM: Attorneys Carolyn Gilbert, Sherilyn Peterson and
David Steele; and staff member Kimball Mullins.
Safe at Home: Advocacy for Survivors of Domestic Violence ONE OF THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS
to reduce the incidence of domestic abuse is for survivors to have access to legal counsel. Having an attorney helps survivors present their strongest case and can increase the chance of obtaining legal protection. We work with numerous nonprofit domestic violence advocacy groups to make a difference in the lives of survivors. The cases are tough but have high impact, as Seattle attorney Rachel Haney learned firsthand in 2018. Haney took on a client who had previously been physically abused by her partner in front of their young daughter. Her client had received a Domestic Violence Protection Order (DVPO) against the girl’s father, an order which required annual renewal. However, renewal was at risk, as the father had completed some—but not all—of the conditions in the courtordered parenting plan. Our client’s daughter was terrified of her father, and renewed contact placed both mother and daughter at risk of further abuse.
Court Protection Secured Haney led the successful effort for renewal of her client’s DVPO, arguing the motion in King County Superior Court in Washington. Since then, Haney has represented five additional clients seeking DVPOs, securing successful
outcomes in each case. Later in 2018, Haney was able to share her new legal experience as she recruited and guided her Seattle colleague, Associate Nitika Arora, in representing another survivor who needed to renew and modify a DVPO against her abuser. The modifications Arora secured for her client in King County Superior Court included important clarifications on visitation rights of the father of our client’s child.
Arora’s case was referred by the Seattle-based Center for Children & Youth Justice; Haney met her client through the Domestic Violence Advocacy Project. These are just two of several organizations we partner with on domestic violence matters across the country. Perkins Coie’s legal teams on these two matters also included supervising attorney Sherilyn Peterson and staff members Brooke Harkness and Jennifer Tanzy.
VOICE OF PRO BONO VOLUNTEER RACHEL HANEY | ASSOCIATE Seattle “Before joining Perkins Coie, I had some criminal prosecutorial experience with victims of sexual assault, human trafficking and child exploitation. My work with survivors of domestic violence lets me continue that interest while strengthening skills for my litigation practice. Arguing motions and taking the lead on these cases has helped me develop confidence to better advocate for our clients and serve our community.”
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FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
Name and Gender-Marker Changes Clinic Ticks New Boxes THE NAME AND GENDER-MARKER CHANGE CLINIC
opened its doors in San Diego, California, in January 2018 to provide legal assistance to transgender and nonbinary individuals seeking court orders to legally change their name and/or gender marker. California recently became the fifth state to allow individuals to self-certify gender identity and now allows individuals to choose a gender marker of male, female or nonbinary on state documents, including their driver’s license or identification card. The process is complicated, and applicants
must spend considerable time and money to modify their name and/or gender marker to match their gender identity. Associate Ellen Smith, current co-president of the Tom Homann LGBT Law Association, has volunteered since the start of the clinic, which has served over 200 clients in its first year and has doubled its hours due to ongoing demand. Smith said, “The majority of people we see are adults, but we also assist quite a few minors who are accompanied by their parents. I am so grateful for this opportunity to be of further service to this important portion of the LGBTQ+ community.”
Securing Educational Rights for a Student with Disabilities A LEGAL TEAM REPRESENTED THE PARENTS OF A CHILD
with severe autism in holding the Anchorage School District accountable for failing to provide the child with the public education he is entitled to receive. The child is nonverbal and has a condition that will render him blind. After the school district failed to provide him with adequate educational services, the parents pursued an administrative action to compel the district to follow federal law. The parents won but the district appealed. Attorneys Danielle Ryman, Elena Romerdahl and Jared Gardner from Anchorage, working with Denver partner Chris Sutton, represented the parents on appeal with the Disability Law Center of Alaska. The parents prevailed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska and in a collateral order appeal before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth
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Circuit that challenged a “stay put” order allowing the child to continue to receive necessary educational services during the litigation. A separate appeal on the underlying merits remains pending before the Ninth Circuit.
The meetings with these clients have been humbling, and it has been amazing to learn more about each survivor’s harrowing early life.
Holocaust Survivors Gain Dignity and Resources MORE THAN 70 YEARS AFTER WORLD
War II ended, the survivors of the Holocaust, now in their 80s and 90s, are a dwindling population. Holocaust survivors are disproportionately affected by poverty, and many are ending their lives impoverished, according to Bet Tzedek Legal Services’ Holocaust Survivors Justice Network (HSJN). HSJN partners pro bono attorneys with local social services providers across the country to provide vital legal aid to Holocaust survivors. We teamed up with HSJN and Jewish Family Service of Seattle to help this vulnerable group address their estate planning needs. Trust & Estate Planning practice attorneys Tony McCormick and Bill Friedman tailored a presentation for elderly survivors in Seattle, which reflected the unique approach needed to discuss death with people who have been through traumatic life events. Following the March 2018 presentation, Bellevue attorney Joey Kaempf joined
his colleagues in meeting several Holocaust survivors. The trio helped to prepare wills, powers of attorney, health care directives and revocable trusts on a pro bono basis. Said McCormick, “The meetings with these clients have been humbling, and it has been amazing to learn more about each survivor’s harrowing early life.”
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FAMILIES, CHILDREN AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS
Taking Action After a Disaster WILDFIRES RAVAGED CALIFORNIA for the second consecutive autumn. Northern California’s Butte County was particularly hard hit—the city of Paradise was destroyed by the November 2018 Camp Fire. With nearly 14,000 homes gone and $9 billion in residential losses, residents were in need of assistance, including legal counsel. Our Bay Area attorneys have been an ongoing resource for low-income survivors in the area. Partner Jay Rossiter presented a program detailing survivors’ legal rights and worked with several affected residents following the program. In January 2019, a dedicated attorney team traveled three hours north from San Francisco to participate in a legal clinic hosted by Legal Services of Northern California. The attorneys guided residents on the insurance, real property, trusts, wills and benefits challenges they are now encountering.
LEFT: Jay Rossiter speaks at a workshop for survivors of the California Camp Fire who needed legal help. Read more about Rossiter’s work with wildfire survivors on page 44. RIGHT: Pro bono attorneys who attended a legal services clinic event include front row (left to right): Paula Goodwin, Laura Benson, Cecily Barclay; middle row: Alice Townes, Linda Zhang; back row: Zeeve Rose, Chris Sigmund, Christian Termyn and Caitlin Carey.
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>
California experienced its most deadly wildfire season in 2018. We participated in several legal initiatives to help survivors recover from their devastating losses.
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COMMUNITY SERVICE
Being socially responsible and giving back to our communities are core values of Perkins Coie. Our commitment takes many forms, including charitable giving, community service, public service and pro bono legal service. In 2018, our professionals were on the move, working our feet, hands, minds and hearts to help and improve the quality of life of those in need. We share a selection of our community service efforts here.
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Building Bikes for Children in NYC Our New York City attorneys and staff participated in a charity bike build with the Hudson Guild. The community agency provides families in need with childcare, mental health services, after-school programs and teen services. Led by Partner Mark Parise, our team joined local triathlon and Hudson Guild volunteers. Each team was paired with a child to build a bike together. The children were given the bikes they had constructed. The firm also donated $5,000 toward the effort.
Mushball Devotees in D.C. Fundraise for Youth Sports Professionals from our Washington, D.C. office took to the playing fields for a Legal Mushball Classic full-day tournament. A mushball resembles a softball but is softer and bigger, and players don’t need a glove. For the past four years, we have participated in and sponsored the event, which raised more than $165,000 in 2018. The charity host was Washington Nationals Youth Baseball Academy, which uses baseball and softball to assist underserved youth. The Washington Nationals Baseball Club is a client of the firm.
A Cross-Office Run to Beat Cystic Fibrosis A team of Labor & Employment practice attorneys and staff participated in the Lost Lake Run, a 16-mile race through the mountains near Seward, Alaska, to raise funds to support cystic fibrosis research. Since the run began in 1992, it has raised more than $2 million. Runners pictured, from left, are attorneys James Sanders (Seattle), Will Miller (Boise) and Jared Gardner (Anchorage), and team captain Ryan Lawton, in yellow, a systems consultant in our Anchorage office.
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WHAT I AM WORKING ON
49,985
275+
1,280+
2018 PRO BONO HOURS
ATTORNEYS WITH 50+ PRO BONO HOURS
PRO BONO MATTERS
ALEXANDRA ALBERSTADT PARTNER
LINDSAY ALLEN COUNSEL
IRENE CHANG ASSOCIATE
BUSINESS (INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT)
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
New York
Washington, D.C.
Palo Alto
Advising the Musical Theatre Factory, an incubator for new musicals, which brings important art to light, such as work that supports the LGBTQ+ community. I counseled on MTF’s succession project for a new producing artistic director, corporate governance and operations agreements. Associate Sarah Howland assisted our
Working with the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. I visit homeless shelters and soup kitchens and provide legal services to homeless clients. I represented one client before the District of Columbia Housing Authority, reinstating his Section 8 housing voucher
Representing small business owners and artists on their IP. I also help the Bay Area Rural Justice Collaborative provide legal services to underrepresented communities on housing and immigration matters. My pro bono work connects me with different communities and provides unique opportunities to learn new skills.
work strengthening the nonprofit.
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and ending his homelessness.
MATT GEHRINGER PARTNER AND GENERAL COUNSEL
ERICK HAYNIE PARTNER
LITIGATION
COMMERCIAL LITIGATION
Chicago
Portland
Resolving a copyright dispute and pursuing new protections for a local Chicago artist, playwright/screenwriter and musician. I was joined by colleagues, IP attorneys Win Martin and Caroline Teichner, in reaching agreement on issues of authorship of a screenplay and securing our client’s rights in his future creative work.
Working regularly, in a partnership with Legal Aid Services of Oregon, on low-income housing disputes, particularly in rural Oregon. For one recent client, Associate Courtney Peck and I successfully defended an ejectment trial in Wasco County that kept a widow from being forced from her home.
DEBORAH KENNEDY SENIOR COUNSEL
LISA ORATZ SENIOR COUNSEL
BUSINESS (BANKRUPTCY & RESTRUCTURING)
BUSINESS (TECHNOLOGY TRANSACTIONS & PRIVACY)
Denver
Bellevue
Working to obtain tax-exempt status for an organization, formed by men in a Denver homeless shelter, that will provide kitchen-skills training and placement opportunities to others. I am also on a cross-office team representing a prisoner on his Section 1983 claim for failure to provide proper medical care.
Using my IP and entertainment law background to help an array of pro bono clients. I am helping one client, a survivor of domestic violence and sexual assault, with a literary option agreement for her book. I am also working on performer agreements for the Special Olympics USA.
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PRO BONO AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Pro Bono Awards and Recognition
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Pro Bono Leadership Awards Pro Bono Champion Award PHIL HIGDON | BUSINESS LITIGATION | Phoenix “The firm’s commitment to pro bono excellence has helped me to build a legal career that is challenging and meaningful. Bringing new lawyers into the pro bono fold and seeing them develop as attorneys and citizens in our communities is especially rewarding.”
Phil Higdon’s name has become synonymous with pro bono excellence in Phoenix. His commitment and counsel over 45 years of practice have helped define our high-impact pro bono program. A former chair of the Phoenix pro bono committee, Higdon helped make the office a leader in pro bono work. Advocating for the rights of immigrants and prisoners has been a focal point of Higdon’s efforts. In 2018 alone, he worked on at least six immigration cases and four court-appointed matters. For one client fleeing gang violence, Higdon overcame new obstacles created by shifting legal guidance on gang-related claims to obtain a grant of asylum. In recent years, Higdon has been deeply involved in representing immigrant women seeking status as survivors of domestic violence. On top of his direct service to clients, Higdon has served for years on the board of directors of the Florence Immigrant &
Refugee Rights Project, our longtime pro bono partner. He was also instrumental in our co-sponsorship of trainings for Phoenix-area lawyers handling immigration claims related to gender and gang-related persecution. While these commitments would be enough for most attorneys, Higdon pushes boundaries and applies a forwardlooking perspective. He developed a best-practices pro bono model for Commercial Litigation practice members to follow, working diligently to make sure firm attorneys— and particularly associates—maximize their professional development through pro bono legal work. In addition, Higdon regularly supervises associates and counsel handling pro bono cases. Through his focus on the integration of pro bono and professional development, this pro bono champion’s leadership will endure to benefit future generations of lawyers.
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Partner Award JAY ROSSITER | COMMERCIAL LITIGATION | San Francisco “Assisting victims of unprecedented wildfires in the past two years truly brought home the power of pro bono assistance. I am proud to be part of a legal community that takes action when crises strike and supports the underserved in times of need.” When the call for legal assistance goes out in the Bay Area, Jay Rossiter is usually the first one with an offer of help. Rossiter has been on the front line of legal assistance to survivors of California’s historic wildfires in 2017 and 2018. Working in legal clinics and on emergency hotlines, he deployed his practice skills in insurance recovery law to help survivors piece their lives back together. Rossiter’s careerlong pro bono practice has supported a range of people and causes: unaccompanied minors and immigrants applying for asylum, low-income residents resolving landlord and
insurance disputes, and Holocaust survivors obtaining reparations from Germany. His work on federal litigation for the Animal Legal Defense Fund recently earned the firm recognition from the nonprofit group. As appreciative as Rossiter’s pro bono clients are for his representation, Rossiter is equally valued by his Bay Area colleagues. He serves as a dedicated and trusted mentor and supervisor of associates, sharing his experience and can-do approach to shape the future of Perkins Coie’s pro bono efforts.
Associate/Counsel Award AMISHA MANEK | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY | Palo Alto “Close interaction with clients is one of the many aspects that I enjoy about pro bono work. It reminds me how powerful a role the law can play in the lives of people and our communities.”
Associate Amisha Manek has been a strong contributor and leader on pro bono matters since she joined the firm in 2015. Through her advocacy, she obtained a great result in 2018 in a hard-fought case for a low-income, single mom, whom Manek had met at a tenants’ clinic in San Jose 18 months earlier. Manek battled with the unresponsive and unethical landlord, recovering all of her clients’ out-of-pocket damages after the landlord kept her client’s security deposit, refused to make needed repairs and essentially forced Manek’s client out of her home. (See page 31.)
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Manek’s pro bono caseload in 2018 also included counseling low-income entrepreneurs on patent protection and representing other tenants in need. Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto, with whom Manek worked in partnership, named her one of their Advocates of the Year in 2018 for her pro bono work with tenants. In addition, Manek led our twoyear co-sponsorship of an Equal Justice Works Fellow and in the process developed experience and a passion for helping low-income tenants. Manek’s pro bono work and leadership reach beyond her years—even as a junior associate, she has increased the Palo Alto office’s participation in pro bono efforts by spreading the pro bono spirit.
Associate/Counsel Award MATTHEW MOFFA | INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY | New York “In this climate, immigrants are extremely vulnerable. Ensuring their access to justice and civil rights provides balance in my legal career. Pro bono work allows me meaningful engagements beyond patent litigation and is a big part of how I define myself as an attorney.” Working at the forefront of the battle for immigration and transgender rights, Counsel Matthew Moffa represented four pro bono clients in 2018 in complex cases significant to the jurisprudence of these areas. The cases took him from immigration court to the Board of Immigration Appeals, federal district court and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit on issues extending beyond immigration law and into civil detention and due process protections. One of Moffa’s matters involves a lawful permanent resident from the Dominican Republic who was improperly removed from this country and is the vanguard case in the Second Circuit on the issue of re-detention after bond. The legally complex case received coverage from The New York Times.
Another matter challenges the Board of Immigration Appeals’ refusal to extend its deadlines even for detained, indigent or unrepresented immigrants. Moffa demonstrates outstanding leadership and commitment to helping the most vulnerable, and often invisible, residents of New York City. When Moffa arrived as a lateral associate at Perkins Coie in 2016, he already had a strong pro bono practice that he was determined to keep—and he has. Moffa is a go-to volunteer for The Legal Aid Society of New York and regularly assists attorneys at the New Sanctuary Coalition. He also maintains a steady pro bono docket with several wins in challenging cases and recruits many colleagues to work with him on cases.
Staff Award ROSA RAVELO | COMMERCIAL LITIGATION | Chicago “Working with immigrant detainees in Texas was a powerful experience that reinforced the impact our pro bono work has on the lives of people in need.”
Senior Paralegal Rosa Ravelo has shown extraordinary pro bono leadership during her 11 years at Perkins Coie. Fluent in Spanish, Ravelo has consistently provided interpretation for multiple immigration teams, including the recipient of this year’s team award. In 2018, she also served as a critical member of the Perkins Coie team that spent a week at the Karnes County detention center in Texas. (See page 16.) In addition to her invaluable interpretation skills, Ravelo demonstrated her incredible emotional intelligence when working directly with clients. Her sympathetic manner created a safe environment for the detained men and their sons,
who had suffered severe trauma and were being housed in difficult conditions, to tell their stories. Her work on 20 pro bono matters in 2018 gave voice to clients’ challenges in immigration cases, in civil rights litigation and at legal clinics. She has also volunteered many hours to staff a hotline for immigrants in need. Ravelo’s devotion to pro bono service helps countless clients, not only through her high-quality work, but also because her assistance and leadership allow our attorneys to take on a wide range of cases they might not otherwise be able to.
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PRO BONO AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Team Award IMMIGRATION TEAM LED BY ALLETTA BRENNER AND COURTNEY PECK | COMMERCIAL LITIGATION | Portland “Our team united behind the goal of providing the best representation these deserving clients could receive. Their perseverance through adversity kept us motivated throughout a tough fight for legal status in the United States.” —Alletta Brenner
A Portland team achieved immigration relief for our client, Belinda Miranda de Solano (in red), and one of her daughters (far left). Team members pictured: associates Courtney Peck (second from left) and Alletta Brenner (center) and intern Gabe Almario (far right). We recognize the legal team that successfully represented Belinda Miranda de Solano, a Guatemalan/Salvadoran mother of indigenous Mayan Mam heritage, and her two daughters in their fight for reinstatement and asylum. The mother and older daughter suffered discrimination, economic deprivation and severe domestic violence at home in Guatemala. They eventually fled to El Salvador, where the younger daughter was born. After the older daughter rejected a high-ranking MS-13 member’s romantic advances and received death threats as a result, the mother and her two daughters fled to the United States, where the children sought asylum. The mother, who had previously been deported from the United States, sought withholding of removal. Commercial litigators Alletta Brenner and Courtney Peck led this Portland-based, cross-office effort. They built a rapport with their clients and worked tirelessly with the U.S. government and multiple foreign authorities. They had to
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overcome the case’s many challenges—language and cultural barriers, our clients’ severe trauma, complex fact patterns, involvement of multiple countries and the shifting landscape of applicable law—to make an asylum defense based on domestic and gang violence. The positive result achieved likely saved their clients’ lives. The core team in Portland included Brenner and Peck, with supervision from Partner Larry Reichman and assistance from intern Gabe Almario. They received critical guidance from Phoenix attorney Phil Higdon and help along the way from many others across the firm. These include attorneys Bryan Beel, Nick Hesterberg, Kristina Holm, Matt Mertens, Nathan Morales and Jonathan Raz; and staff members Mallory Freeman, Reggie Hoodye, Lisa Jackson, Karen Jones, Nicholas LeSage, Caro Moran, Kacie Neu, Julie Pambianco, Ashley Perkins and Rosa Ravelo. The case was referred to us by the Innovation Law Lab and Center of Excellence, with which we have extensive partnerships.
Recognition for Our Pro Bono Services in 2018 The following list consists of awards and recognition that the firm and firm attorneys have received for pro bono and public service efforts benefiting the legal community or the law. While the biggest rewards for our efforts in the community are the good results we have achieved for our pro bono clients and our clients’ gratitude, we appreciate this additional recognition of our work. > Animal Legal Defense Fund’s 2018 Advancement in Animal Law Pro Bono Achievement Award
> Arizona State University Alumni Association’s 2018 Founders’ Day Young Alumni Achievement Award (presented to former firm attorney Sambo Dul)
> Coalition to Abolish Slavery and Trafficking (CAST) Changemaker Award (presented to Sara Chenetz)
> Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto Attorneys of the Year Award (presented to Christopher Kelley and Amisha Manek)
> Legal Assistance Foundation of Metropolitan Chicago Volunteer of the Year Award (presented to Daniel Zazove)
> National Advocates for Pregnant Women honored Perkins Coie for pro bono contributions to Justice for Pregnant Women
> San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program’s 2018 Outstanding Law Firm Award
> The Bar Association of San Francisco’s Justice & Diversity Center recognized former firm attorney Timothy Froehle as an outstanding volunteer
> Idaho State Bar’s 6.1 Challenge Award in the Large Firm category for Pro Bono Service (presented to the Boise office)
Boise attorneys (left to right) Kaci Peterson, Bob Maynard and former firm attorney Alison Hunter display Idaho State Bar’s recognition of the office’s pro bono work. CAST Changemaker Award honoree Sara Chenetz (left).
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PRO BONO AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
Certificates of Appreciation The Pro Bono Committee recognizes the following staff members for their extraordinary work in support of the firm’s pro bono efforts in 2018: Russell D. Allen
Jessica L. Flesner
Nicholas K. LeSage
Gabe N. Almario
Stacey A. Floyd
Libby Longstockings
Teresa L. Anders
Anna T. Freddie
Mathew G. Maier
Lauren M. Anderson
Mallory J. Freeman
Deborah K. Mart
Sherrye S. Andrews
Delana D. Freouf
Tatjana Mirkovic
Valentina M. Barei
Susana M. Frietz
Elma C. (“Caro”) Moran
Lynne M. Bendt
Jane Frissell
Shawne Murphy
Darnell C. Benitez
Jennifer Gonzalez
Julie R. Pambianco
Karen H. Campbell
Brooke A. Harkness
Jody A. Sullivan
Alycia L. Delmore
Brenda L. Horn
Jason C. Walter
Karen R. Dempski
Darci A. Krummel
Patricia J. Zollarcoffer
Santiago Diaz-Gutierrez
Stephanie J. Lawson
We know that many other members of our staff also provided valuable support on behalf of our pro bono clients. We thank all of you for your dedication and support.
Chicago office paralegals Julie Pambianco and Russell Allen proudly display their certificates of appreciation.
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Chicago Pro Bono Committee Chair Sandra Newman (left) recognizes the contributions of Discovery Attorney Berkely Cobb.
Lawyers and Paralegals With 50+ Pro Bono Hours in 2018 Consistent with our acceptance of the Pro Bono Institute’s Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge and the American Bar Association’s pro bono goals, these Perkins Coie attorneys and paralegals provided 50 or more hours of pro bono legal service to our clients in 2018. Truscenialyn Brooks
Andrea J. Driggs
Catherine N. Grech*
Cassandra L. Abernathy*
Tanya Brown
Andrew T. Dufresne
Kiran H. Griffith
Thomas M. Ahmadifar
Jared H. Bryant
Sambo Dul*
Laura K. Hamilton
Alexandra C. Alberstadt
Brentley M. Bullock
Lindsey E. Dunn
Rachel A.S. Haney
Lindsay Allen
Arunas J. Bura
Lorri Anne Dunsmore
Jeffrey M. Hanson
Russell D. Allen
Alisha C. Burgin
Alexander M. Fenner*
Erick J. Haynie
Tyler D. Anthony*
David J. Burman
Kathleen N. Fischman*
Laura K. Hennessey*
Alberto Araiza
Emily A. Bushaw
Jaina C. Fisher
Michael C. Herrera
Jacob E. Aronson
Jeremy L. Buxbaum
Caitlin M. Foley*
Nicholas H. Hesterberg
Nitika Arora
Howard R. Cabot
Molly Foster
Philip R. Higdon
John F. Aslin
Jean-Jacques Cabou
Colin M. Fowler
Katherine Hill
Christina R. Baker
Benjamin C. Calleros
Julia M. Fox
Laura H. Hill
Daniel C. Barr
Kelly A. Cameron
Nicholas S. Franzen
Thomas W. Hillier
Donald C. Baur
Crystal R. Canterbury
Jessica R. Frenkel
Charlyn L. Ho
Mary N. Beall
Schuyler G. Carroll
Donald J. Friedman
Aaron M. Holloway
Kristine J. Beaudoin
Elvira Castillo
William S. Friedman
Kristina J. Holm
Anne B. Beaumont
Michelle W. Chan
Jane Frissell
Eric G. Holmes
Heidi A. Beck
Ai-Tang I. Chang
Timothy A. Froehle*
Stephanie R. Holstein
Laura Willis Benson
Han-Wei Chen
T. Markus Funk
Debra S. Howerton
Sean M. Berens
Christopher A. Chou*
Jared L. Gardner
Lindsey M. Huang
Pamela E. Berkowitz
Alice M. Chung
Marina A. Gatto
Jalina J. Hudson
Hayley L. Berlin
Berkely Cobb
Katherine E. Geddes
Mary Rose Hughes
Alicia C. Beyer
Bria M. Cochran
Matthew J. Gehringer
Winnie W. Hung
Amanda H. Block
Ulrike B. Connelly
Nicholas P. Gellert
Alison C. Hunter*
Joseph N. Blumberg*
Rachel E. Constantino-Wallace
Andrew D. Getsinger
Margaret C. Hupp
Richard C. Boardman
Emily B. Cooper
Carolyn S. Gilbert
Heath L. Hyatt
Joshua L. Boehm
Daniel W. Coyne
Sarah C. Gillstrom
John P. Isacson*
Craig T. Boggs
Bruce Michael Cross
David J. Gold
Kathryn Bilder Jackson
Mara Boundy
Charles G. Curtis
Oliver M. Gold
Daniel L. Jackstadt
Jeff J. Bowen
Lee P. Curtis
Paula L. Goodwin
Jonathan B. Jacobs
Alexandria K. Bradshaw
L. Norton Cutler
Matthew P. Gordon
Mirta Alejandra Jimenez
Adam M. Brenner
Alexis E. Danneman
Daniel A. Graham
Brandon H. Johnson
Alletta S. Brenner
Catherine J. Del Prete
Danielle S. Grant-Keane
Jamie N. Johnson
Joseph E. Bringman
David J. Delmar
John H. Gray
Cristopher D. Jones
Jessica S. Brodsky*
Michael J. DiCato*
Emily J. Greb
Meredith A. Jones-McKeown
Eric A. Aaserud
2018 Pro Bono Annual Report | 49
PRO BONO AWARDS AND RECOGNITION
50+ Pro Bono Hours in 2018 (Continued) Mary L. Kaczmarek*
Ronald A. McIntire
Asasia Pierce
Alan D. Smith
Nickolas L. Kajca
Leah E. Medway
Tobias S. Piering*
Dawn K. Smith
Kevin Kantharia
Matthew J. Mertens
Laura Segal Polster
Jillian B. Sommers
Heather Karell
Eric D. Miller*
Ashley A. Poon
Lauren E. Staniar
Christopher L. Kelley
Julissa L. Milligan*
Brian H. Potts
Stevan R. Stark
Deborah M. Kennedy
Matthew J. Moffa
Michael A. Pratt
David S. Steele
Gina H. Kim*
Kathryn C. Moore
Lindsey S. Quock
Heideeflower Stoller
Andrew N. Klein
Marlena M. Moore*
Pravin B. Rao
Michael J. Stout*
Keith G. Klein
Megan G. Morrissey
Rosa I. Ravelo
Donna M. Strain
Matthew A. Klomparens
Mary C. Moynihan
Jonathan Raz
Barry G. Stratford
Lauren M. Kulpa
Ryan T. Mrazik
Seth H. Reagan
Benjamin D. Straughan
Michael J. Kupka
Laura K. Mujenda
Lynwood E. Reinhardt
Maria A. Stubbings
Michael R. Laing
Kimball Mullins
Austin J. Rice-Stitt*
Katelyn C. Sullivan
Kirstin E. Larson
Nisha V. Nariya
Patrick L. Rieder
Robert D. Swanson*
Maggie Lassen*
Kirsten M. Nelsen
Tyler S. Roberts
Leigh E. Sylvan
Christian Lee
Stephanie J. Nelson
Geoffrey L. Robinson
Yang Tang
James N. Leik
Katherine R. Nesler
Kiyomi R. Robinson
Christian W. Termyn
Cameron M. Leonard
Thomas M. Newman*
John K. Roche
Christopher D. Thomas
Hillary B. Levun
Joel W. Nomkin
Elena M. Romerdahl
Ryan C. Thomas
Daniel S. Lewis
Daniel B. Nudelman
Luke M. Rona*
Anna M. Thompson
Yiheng Li
Melissa J. Oka
Serena Monjeau Ross
Adrian P. Torres
Trevor M. Lovell
Bradley H. Oliphant
John S. Rossiter
Peter L. Tracey
Allan E. Low
Yasamin N. Oloomi
Lauren Pardee Ruben
Sunny Tsou
Yun L. Lu
Elizabeth P. Omidian
Melanie G. Rubocki
Tomer Vandsburger
John B. Lyman*
Lisa T. Oratz
Rachael D. Rutkowski
Aaron J. Ver
Jennifer A. MacLean
Kathleen M. O’Sullivan
Christine M. Salmi
Melissa R. Verrilli
Dierdre L. Madsen
James M. Otake
Dwayne D. Sam*
Andrew J. Victor*
Michelle L. Maley
Katherine E. Page
John B. Sample
Neva N. Wagner
William G. Malley
Sheri L. Pais
Sarah Langberg Schirack
Eric J. Weiss
Charles. Vince Maloney
Beth E. Palmer
Harry H. Schneider
Matthew S. Williams (SEA)
Amisha K. Manek
Julie R. Pambianco
Hayden M. Schottlaender
Nancy Williams
Christian W. Marcelo
Ryan Parietti
Cristina Sepe
Christopher B. Wilson
Michael E. Margolis
Christopher G. Parker
Parag Shekher
Claire C. Wilson
Patricia Marino
Courtney R. Peck
Michael A. Sherling
Charles A. Wood
David T. Martin*
David R. Pekarek Krohn
Mack H. Shultz
Austin C. Yost
Winfield B. Martin
David A. Perez
Daniel T. Shvodian
Robert T. Yusko
Katherine E. May
Sherilyn Peterson
Christopher G. Sigmund
Betselot A. Zeleke
Lindsay J. McAleer
Sasha Petrova
Jeffrey S. Silberman
Linda Zhang
Anthony J. McCormick
Lena Petrovic
Michael A. Sink
Randal B. McDonald
Deborah J. Phillips
John S. Skilton
*no longer with the firm 50 | 2018 Pro Bono Annual Report
2019 FIRMWIDE PRO BONO COMMITTEE LAURA GODFREY ZAGAR CHAIR San Diego ALEXANDRA C. ALBERSTADT New York BRYAN D. BEEL Portland JEFF J. BOWEN Madison KELLY A. CAMERON Boise L. NORTON CUTLER Denver KEVIN R. FELDIS Anchorage PAULA L. GOODWIN San Francisco JOHN R. HARDIN Dallas JON B. JACOBS Washington, D.C.
JASON T. KUZMA Bellevue RONALD MCINTIRE Los Angeles LEAH E. MEDWAY Headquarters MARY C. (MOLLY) MOYNIHAN MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE LIAISON, EX OFFICIO Washington, D.C. SANDRA K. NEWMAN Chicago KEVIN J. PATARIU San Diego DAVID A. PEREZ Seattle DANIEL T. SHVODIAN Palo Alto CHRISTOPHER D. THOMAS Phoenix
STAFF SUPPORT: LINDA BERNSTEIN ALYCIA DELMORE
2018 PRO BONO ANNUAL REPORT PRO BONO COUNSEL Leah Medway MANAGING EDITOR Amy K. Spach EDITORIAL SUPPORT Alycia Delmore, Sharon Salonen SENIOR CREATIVE SERVICES & BRAND MANAGER Jessie Caruso DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS Jodi Joung GRAPHIC DESIGNER Mary Eaton
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