good cause - Goodwin Procter

GOOD CAUSE
2008 PRO BONO ANNUAL REPORT
Foreword
P
ro bono and public service work is an integral part of Goodwin Procter. Our
attorneys and paralegals are provided year-round opportunities to participate in
the firm’s Pro Bono Program, which benefits hundreds of individuals and
organizations in the United States and abroad.
Late in 2008, Goodwin Procter formally announced the firm’s first international offices
in London and Hong Kong. A presence in the United Kingdom and Asia has been a key
element of our strategic growth plan, and we look forward to exploring pro bono
opportunities in these locales through NGOs and legal services organizations.
In the United States, our pro bono work continues 365 days a year. On any given day, our attorneys are working on a
wide variety of pro bono matters, so we have made this year’s report a month-by-month retrospective – a “year in the
life” of pro bono at Goodwin Procter. For each month of the past year, we highlight a particular pro bono client or
project. These 12 profiles serve as a fine sampling of the nearly 500 pro bono matters we handled in 2008.
My gratitude, and admiration, go out to our staff, whose passion and energy help drive our Pro Bono Program.
I must also acknowledge our pro bono clients. It is a privilege to work with – and be enriched by – each of you on a
daily basis.
Regina M. Pisa
Chairman and Managing Partner
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 1
Introduction
by Thomas Mikula
A
successful law firm pro bono program requires us to apply the same enthusiasm,
dedication and creativity that we have in our commercial practice to the
problems of clients we represent at no charge. In the pages of this report, you
will read many examples of lawyers who did just that. Whether providing direct legal
services to those who cannot afford them, or working with nonprofit organizations that
seek to improve the quality of life for the poor and under served, Goodwin Procter
attorneys have devoted themselves to providing high-quality service to pro bono clients.
2008 Pro Bono Report
We have highlighted 12 representative matters that challenged our lawyers in 2008 across various offices and practice
groups. To describe just a few, we helped Holocaust survivors apply for reparations from the German government,
helped guarantee the right to vote by participating in a national Election Protection Program and represented litigants
on a wide range of issues before the U.S. Supreme Court and before trial courts and administrative agencies. Our
business lawyers advised nonprofit organizations that lend money and provide training to help people work their way
out of poverty, and that supply meals to underprivileged school children. Through passion and commitment, we strive
to fulfill the promise of “equal justice under law” and make a difference in our communities and around the world.
Pro Bono 2008 Statistics
Pro bono at Goodwin Procter is a voluntary practice, one that is enthusiastically supported and encouraged at all
levels. Over 70% of our attorneys participated in our Pro Bono Program in 2008, and the involvement spanned all
practice areas, levels of experience and geographic locations. This past year – over the course of more than 65,750
2
hours – our attorneys worked on 493 matters, 162 of which were new. Our lawyers have continued to reach out and
dedicate an average of over 4.6% of their billable time to pro bono work.
Thomas Mikula is a Products Liability partner in Goodwin Procter’s Washington, D.C. office. He served as co-chair of the
firm’s Pro Bono Program from 2005 through 2008.
Pro Bono Areas of Concentration*
Number of...
Attorneys Participating in Pro Bono
Legal Assistants Participating in Pro Bono
Summer Associates Participating in Pro Bono
Non-Legal Staff Supporting Pro Bono
579
91
123
56
Active Cases
493
New Pro Bono Matters Opened
162
Attorneys Who Billed Greater Than
50 Pro Bono Hours
251
Informational Sessions and Training
Programs (internal and external)
39
*by number of matters
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 3
Photos owned by The Akshaya Patra Foundation.
4
January
Akshaya Patra Foundation
by Paul Lee, partner and Nithya Das, associate
T
he Akshaya Patra Foundation is the world’s largest NGO-run mid-day meal program for schoolchildren.
Akshaya Patra, which means “never ending bowl” in Sanskrit, currently feeds over one million underprivileged children in government-run schools across India daily. By incorporating innovative technology, scaled
engineering and high-level management, the organization has built a cost-effective program that tackles hunger and
improves education by increasing school attendance. The program, which is being studied for replication in other
countries, serves nutritious meals at a cost of $28 per year per child, and one of its innovations is a chapatti (bread)
machine that makes 10,000 chapattis an hour.
In January 2008, we helped the organization revamp its U.S. board of directors and appoint its new board chair.
Also in January, as Akshaya Patra began forming chapters throughout the United States, Goodwin Procter advised on
compliance with charitable solicitation regulatory and filing requirements, as well as various contractual relationships
with local service providers.
Goodwin Procter’s pro bono work has also gone beyond the realm of legal work. In 2007, Akshaya Patra held its
first ever walk-a-thon fundraiser in Boston, Massachusetts. Our attorneys helped from the initial steps of planning
the route and obtaining the requisite permits to consulting on potential liability issues; many even participated in
the event. In early 2008, we helped Akshaya Patra plan its second walk-a-thon, now an annual fundraiser for
the organization.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.foodforeducation.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 5
6
February
Public Advocates
by Elizabeth Stone, associate
P
ublic Advocates Inc. is a nonprofit law firm and advocacy organization that challenges the systemic causes of
poverty and racial discrimination by strengthening community voices in public policy. In 2007, Public
Advocates turned to Goodwin Procter for support in a new case, Renee v. Spellings, et al., in which Goodwin
worked with Public Advocates on behalf of a coalition of California parents, students and community groups. This
coalition challenged a U.S. Department of Education regulation that allows teaching interns to be labeled as “highly
qualified,” which, in turn, has permitted teachers still in training to be concentrated in low-income schools, deprived
parents of accurate information about the qualifications of their child’s teacher, and allowed schools to side-step
requirements to recruit and employ “highly qualified” teachers.
In February 2008, Goodwin invested hundreds of hours in this case, working with Public Advocates to draft the
plaintiffs’ summary judgment motion. In this motion, the plaintiffs argued that the defendants’ regulation defining
“highly qualified teacher” to include interns exceeds the scope of the federal No Child Left Behind Act, and thereby
violates the Administrative Procedure Act.
Goodwin attorneys and staff researched and focused on the use of the terms “highly qualified” and “fully qualified”
in the legislative history of the No Child Left Behind Act. Discussions regarding these terms supported the plaintiffs’
argument that “highly qualified” teachers were meant to be fully accredited – not interns working to obtain
accreditation.
On June 17, 2008 a federal court upheld the Department of Education regulations at issue, and the plaintiffs appealed
that decision. On August 26, 2008, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals granted the request to expedite the
appeal, and on February 11, 2009 the argument was heard in an expedited hearing in front of a three-judge panel
in the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Renee v. Duncan, et al. (formerly Renee v. Spellings). We are currently
waiting for this decision to be rendered.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.publicadvocates.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 7
8
March
DC Bar Pro Bono Program Advocacy & Justice Clinic
by Thomas Mikula, partner and Jeffrey Skinner, associate
G
oodwin Procter has been working with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program’s Advocacy & Justice Clinic since
its inception in 1993. As Chair of the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Committee, Goodwin Procter senior counsel
Stephen Pollak was instrumental in designing and launching the clinic, which provides lawyers in private
and government practice the opportunity to help people who cannot afford counsel. The clinic regularly hosts intake
sessions at which lawyers interview, and subsequently represent, indigent clients in family, housing, public benefits and
consumer law matters. Successful resolution of these “bread-and-butter” poverty law cases profoundly affect the lives
of clients by helping them avoid homelessness, stabilize their families and secure income to buy the bare necessities
to survive.
On March 7, 2008, seven attorneys from Goodwin’s Washington D.C. office attended an intake session hosted by
the D.C. Pro Bono Program. Our lawyers met with prospective clients and listened to their stories and evaluated legal
claims that might be used to vindicate their rights. This provided a unique opportunity to “put a face” to the clients
for whom we would be advocating. By the end of the session, each of the participating attorneys had agreed to
represent a client.
By joining forces with the Advocacy & Justice Clinic, Goodwin Procter is insuring that low-income D.C. residents
secure individual justice and have a voice in areas that are vitally important in their day-to-day lives. And, through
their participation in the clinic, our lawyers are, once again, able to make a significant and lasting difference in the
lives of their pro bono clients.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.dcbar.org/for_lawyers/pro_bono/
about_the_program/serving_the_community/index.cfm
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 9
April
In the Arena
by Stephanie Paré, partner and Gessingga Storer, associate
I
n the Arena supports Olympic-caliber athletes with natural leadership skills as they mentor disadvantaged kids
and provide much-needed community service programs across the country. In exchange, the athletes receive
stipends from In the Arena that help support them as they vigorously train to excel in their specific Olympic
sports. Through placement of the highest-caliber role models in American communities, In the Arena strives, in its
words, to inculcate in today’s youth “a development of character and integrity, a thirst for excellence and a pervasive
appreciation for the merits of civic engagement.” In 2007, Goodwin Procter attorneys Stephanie Paré and Jennifer
Berylson helped form In the Arena as a nonprofit and obtained its tax-exempt status. We have provided periodic
general counsel to the organization since.
In April 2008, attorneys Bob Crawford and Gessingga Storer assisted the organization with protecting its trademarked
name and logo, which they had shepherded through the registration process the year before. This process culminated
in the issuance of Certificates of Registration by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Bob and Gessingga also helped
counsel In the Arena when the company received a “sham” notification from an entity offering phony services, and
requesting thousands of dollars in fees in connection with In the Arena’s newly registered trademarks.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.in-the-arena.org
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2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 11
12
May
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project
by Elianna Marziani, associate
I
n 1999, Hassan arrived in the United States after fleeing a work camp in Somalia and living in hiding in Kenya.
His father and brother had been killed, his wife and sister had been assaulted, and he had been captured twice,
beaten and left for dead – all because they were members of the minority Bajun clan in Somalia. Through the
Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project, we were matched up with Hassan to help secure his
safety and freedom in the United States. We accomplished this in 2001.
We then helped Hassan apply for derivative asylum for his wife, Safia. Due to the lack of a stable government in
Somalia, Hassan was not able to authenticate his marriage certificate and prove he was married to Safia, and the
petition was denied. After Safia arrived in this country, we agreed to represent her in filing her own asylum petition.
Since she, too, was unable to authenticate her marriage certificate, Safia’s petition was referred to the Immigration
Court, and the government sought to remove her from the country.
In May 2008, Goodwin attorneys, paralegals and staff spent over 150 hours preparing for Safia’s hearing before the
Immigration Court. They prepared a legal brief demonstrating that Safia was entitled to asylum both as Hassan’s wife
and on account of the persecution she herself had suffered; identified and prepared expert witnesses to testify about the
physical and psychological manifestations of the trauma she had endured; and identified and prepared an Islamic law
expert to opine on the validity of Safia and Hassan’s marriage under “sharia,” or Islamic law. On August 14, 2008, an
immigration judge granted Safia asylum both as Hassan’s wife, and of her own right – the culmination of nine years of
Goodwin Procter’s representation of this family.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.pairproject.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 13
June
Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
by James McGarry, partner; Catalina Azuero, associate; and Beth Norton, associate
T
he Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice operates on the theory that law is not just something
to restrain abuses, but also an opportunity to give people the chance to fulfill their potential in life. As such,
the organization seeks to develop innovative and collaborative solutions to legal problems not currently being
addressed by the public or private sectors. Massachusetts Appleseed turned to Goodwin Procter to support its new
initiative entitled “Keep Kids in Class: Breaking the School to Prison Pipeline.” The project examines the intersection
of school discipline, zero-tolerance policies and youth entering the juvenile justice system in Massachusetts, and seeks
to mitigate the effects of school disciplinary proceedings on the increasing rates of drop-outs and juvenile delinquency.
This effort began in June 2008 with a 50-state survey of zero-tolerance laws. Our attorneys worked with Massachusetts
Appleseed to determine the scope and nature of the issues created by a zero-tolerance approach to school discipline.
We then assisted the organization with developing a framework to analyze school discipline data, and to define the
precise data needed from the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) in order to
conduct that analysis. Goodwin attorneys also researched the privacy issues related to DESE’s release of this data and
drafted a Freedom of Information Act request to obtain it.
Our attorneys have met with certain Juvenile Court judges to gain their perspective on the impact of school discipline
on the juvenile justice system. The ideas developed from these interviews were then incorporated into a comprehensive
judicial survey in order to better understand the judicial perspective on this issue. We also made significant contributions to drafting proposed legislation which, if enacted, will decrease the number of students removed from school for
nonviolent offenses across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.massappleseed.org
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2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 15
Photos by John Rae for ACCION International.
16
July
ACCION International
by Alyssa Grikscheit, partner and Shilesh Muralidhara, associate
A
CCION International is a nonprofit organization with a mission of giving people the financial tools they need
– microenterprise loans, business training and other financial services – to work their way out of poverty. The
organization partners with microfinance institutions in 25 countries in Latin America, Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and the United States. With a small amount of start-up capital (loans can be for as little as $100) and continuing
business support, ACCION and its lending partners help the poor create and sustain microenterprise ventures, such as
selling vegetables, sewing clothes or making papads, that help them earn enough income to support their families.
In the summer of 2008, Goodwin Procter assisted ACCION in structuring and investing in Swadhaar Finserve Private
Limited, a nonbanking financial corporation in Mumbai, India focused on providing microfinance services to the
urban poor. Despite the tremendous need in India for financial services in urban areas, most Indian microfinance
initiatives target the rural poor. Swadhaar is addressing this gap by providing loans mainly to urban women
microentrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 55, and is aiming to serve over 100,000 clients.
The legal complexity of ACCION’s investment in Swadhaar was significant. A multi-disciplinary Goodwin team, led
by Alyssa Grikscheit, was able to leverage its cross-border, private equity, bank regulatory, tax and other expertise to
insure that at the time of the closing of the investment in Swadhaar all the necessary capital, governance, management,
services and other critical tools were in place.
With the Swadhaar investment complete, Goodwin is helping ACCION with other investments in microfinance
institutions in regions of need around the world. The firm is also working with ACCION to develop workshops to
keep their personnel informed of best practices as they make additional investments in microfinance institutions in
new and challenging environments.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.accion.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 17
18
August
Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
by Robert Fitzgerald, senior counsel
T
he Massachusetts Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership (CWRP) is a public/private initiative whose
mission is to restore degraded or impaired wetlands throughout Massachusetts. In conjunction with
public partners from federal and state agencies, corporations, law firms and environmental consultants devote
time and talent to identify and complete significant restoration projects. Private sector contributions – in the form of
money or hard work – is leveraged to compete for public funds and achieve impressive results. As of 2008, CWRP had
completed 55 projects restoring nearly 1,500 acres of wetlands.
In August 2008, Goodwin Procter assisted with the largest restoration project undertaken by CWRP to date: the
1,100 acre Herring River restoration project in the town of Wellfleet. Simple in concept, the project involves the
removal of tide gates from an existing dam to allow the reintroduction of tidal flow to the upstream marsh areas.
Goodwin attorneys researched the statutory and regulatory requirements potentially triggered by removal of the dam.
The analysis of the legal implications of removing the dam was just one component of a series of the work performed
for CWRP. Earlier in the Herring River project, Goodwin attorneys evaluated potential tax implications for private
landowners regarding the sale or donation of conservation restrictions that would be necessary to complete this
restoration effort. More recently, we provided assistance through CWRP for the incorporation of a nonprofit
organization to serve as a fundraising entity for charitable donations in support of the project. By assisting with these
various tasks, Goodwin’s work has cut across many practice areas and has helped CWRP achieve some wonderful
results for the environment.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.cwrp.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 19
September
New England Innocence Project
by Alison Douglass, partner
I
n September 2008, the Boston Bar Association awarded Goodwin Procter with the prestigious Thurgood
Marshall Pro Bono Award in recognition of the firm’s dedication to tackling the serious issue of wrongful criminal
convictions through its work with the New England Innocence Project (NEIP). Founded in 2000 by Goodwin
partner Joseph Savage and others, NEIP is an independent, nonprofit organization which has been coordinated on
a pro bono basis by a team of Goodwin attorneys, paralegals and case assistants, and physically hosted by Goodwin
Procter. NEIP provides pro bono legal assistance to inmates who are challenging their wrongful convictions based on
DNA or other new evidence. The organization is also committed to legal reform that will hasten the identification and
release of innocent prisoners and ensure that wrongful convictions are, to the extent possible, prevented in the future.
To date, through NEIP and similar groups nationwide, at least 234 wrongly convicted individuals across the country
have been exonerated by DNA evidence.
Each year, the Goodwin NEIP team and the project’s network of volunteer attorneys and law students screen dozens of
cases to identify those in which DNA testing of forensic evidence (or other investigative techniques) have the potential
to exonerate. More than 25 Goodwin attorneys have worked on active NEIP matters, representing several inmates
in New England in their pursuit of exoneration through DNA. Goodwin attorneys Joe Savage, Jennifer Chunias and
Wayne Budd also serve on the NEIP board of trustees.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.newenglandinnocence.org
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Goodwin Procter partner Joseph Savage accepts the Thurgood Marshall Pro Bono Award from Boston Bar Association president Kathy
Weinman. Photo by Aaron J. K. Ostow.
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 21
October
German Ghetto Work Payment Program
by Shirley Sperling Paley, associate
I
n 2007, the German government created the Ghetto Work Payment Program – a reparations program to benefit
those who performed work in Nazi-controlled ghettos. The program is designed to issue a one-time payment of
2,000 euros to Holocaust survivors who worked in a ghetto under German control during World War II. For the
survivors (most of whom are in their 80s and 90s, and many of whom are struggling to make ends meet), the money
they may receive from the program makes a critical difference in meeting basic living needs – rent, food and medicine.
Beyond the needed financial assistance, this program provides an important measure of recognition from the German
government regarding what the survivors endured, and what it took to survive.
In 2008, Bet Tzedek, a legal services program in Los Angeles, pioneered a legal clinic to assist Holocaust survivors in
navigating through the German application form in order to participate in the program. Bet Tzedek then rolled out
this clinic model nationwide by helping to form teams, led by firms around the country in partnership with nonprofit
organizations, and sharing its substantive and practical knowledge about how to service clients in this area. In Boston,
Goodwin Procter served as the coordinating law firm, and in California, New York and Washington, D.C. we were
among the participating law firms. Throughout all Goodwin Procter offices, over 100 attorneys have dedicated 1,076
hours to this worthy cause.
On October 16 and 23, our Boston office, as the coordinating law firm, hosted its first clinics at the Jewish Family and
Children’s Services in Waltham, Massachusetts. Through the Boston area clinics, we have helped over 82 survivors fill
out applications for the program. To date, seven applications have been approved. Nationally, over 360 survivors have
received payments through the German Ghetto Work Payment Program.
Additionally, attorneys in our New York and Boston offices have also staffed home visits for survivors who are too ill or
frail to travel to a clinic.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.bettzedek.org/holocaustrep.html
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Bet Tzedek Holocaust Services attorney Volker Schmidt in discussion with Goodwin Procter partner Brooks Brown. Photo by Eric Grushky.
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 23
Goodwin Procter associates Amy Harman Burkart and Chelsea Teachout took part in Election Protection as
“mobile legal volunteers” in South Boston.
24
November
Election Protection
by Jack Falvey, partner and John Haggerty, partner
A
s record numbers of voters turned out at the polls on Election Day on November 4, 2008, over 100
Goodwin Procter lawyers from our Massachusetts, New York, Washington, D.C. and California offices
joined with Election Protection to support voters’ efforts to exercise their legal right to vote. The Election
Protection program is the largest nonpartisan legal program of its kind, and is supported by a coalition of groups led
by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.
Out of our Boston office, for example, more than 50 Goodwin Procter staff participated as “mobile legal volunteers,”
fanning out in teams of two to polling places across the city of Boston and in Manchester and Nashua, New Hampshire to answer would-be voters’ legal questions and monitor polling places. The teams handled a wide range of voter
questions, and one team had to notify poll workers of impermissible electioneering activity, which was halted.
Other Goodwin Procter lawyers throughout the country helped staff call centers in which they received calls from
voters around the country who had dialed Election Protection’s hotline number. The hotline, advertised on the NBC
television network and elsewhere, produced a steady stream of calls. Our team members joined other lawyers and
law students in their cities in using Election Protection 2008’s online voter registration data to assist voters. The calls
ranged from issues such as whether the individual was a registered voter, and if so, where to vote, to polling-place
problems requiring troubleshooting through contact with election officials. Despite long lines at many locations,
the day went smoothly. All Goodwin Procter teams reported an exciting day at the polls. The consensus was,
“we made a difference!”
For more information on this organization, please visit www.866ourvote.org
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 25
26
December
ABA Amicus Brief in Caperton v. Massey Coal Company
by William Sheehan, partner
I
n December 2008 our lawyers assisted in preparing a Supreme Court merits brief on behalf of the American Bar
Association (ABA) in Caperton v. Massey Coal Company. We had previously helped draft an amicus curiae brief
in August 2008 in support of the original petition for certiorari in this matter and were gratified when the court
granted the writ.
The case raised the question whether constitutional due process requires a judge to recuse himself or herself from a
case involving a litigant who had made a large contribution to the judge’s election campaign. The facts involve a justice
of the West Virginia Supreme Court who had received over $3 million in campaign contributions from the CEO of
Massey Coal Company, but refused to recuse himself from the appeal of a multi-million dollar judgment against the
company and then cast the deciding vote to set the judgment aside.
We researched the legislative history of the Constitution’s due process clauses and then, working with the ABA’s
Committee on Judicial Independence and later with its Standing Committee on Amicus Curiae Briefs, helped draft
a brief that contends that public confidence in the judiciary is threatened by cases like this one, notes that ABA
standards mandating recusal in cases involving the appearance of impropriety are typically self-enforcing and asks the
court to identify the due process considerations that govern recusal when a major contributor is a party. Working with
both ABA committees was a treat and a challenge as we sought to craft a brief that would accurately reflect the ABA’s
views. At oral argument on March 3, 2009, one of the justices referred to the ABA recusal standards in noting the
difficulty in identifying an appropriate due process clause test for recusal.
On June 8, 2009, in a 5-4 decision, the court held that due process required the recusal of the state court justice in this
case. The opinion cited the ABA’s brief and noted that almost every state has adopted the ABA’s objective standard for
recusal to avoid even the appearance of impropriety.
For more information on this organization, please visit www.abanet.org/
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 27
Contributors
The following pages list the attorneys, paralegals and summer associates who worked on the 12 pro bono matters highlighted within this report.
Akshaya Patra Foundation
Massachusetts Appleseed Center for Law and Justice
Susan Abbott, Nithya Das, Lalitha Gunturi, Kate Lee, Paul Lee,
Sejal Shah and Kristina Wardwell
Katherine Aldrich, Catalina Azuero, Naina Bhadra, Elaine
Herrmann Blais, Don Kennedy, James McGarry, Beth Norton,
Barry O’Connell and Dalton Randall
Public Advocates
David Cook, Robert Fitzgerald, Kathryn Georgian, Eric Jeffrey,
Ajay Malshe, Elizabeth Mason, Nicole Perroton, John Rich,
Christine Sama, Marie Scott, Jeffrey Simes, Elizabeth Stone,
Patrick Thompson and Alison Jean Wais
ACCION International
Janet Andolina, Alyssa Grikscheit, Ajay Malshe, Thomas Meriam,
Shilesh Muralidhara and Sejal Shah
Corporate Wetlands Restoration Partnership
DC Bar Pro Bono Program Advocacy & Justice Clinic
Jeffrey Ahdoot, Julia Black, Soyong Cho, Adam Chud, Kristin
Davenport, Monica Douglas, Eric Goldberg, Maria Green, Eric
Hager, Michael Isenman, Sirisha Kalicheti, Nicholas Kim, Mary
Kostel, Ann Gavin-Lawrence, Katrina Loffelman, Thomas Mikula,
Melisa Moonan, Stephen Pollak, Rachel Rosenthal, Sabrina
Rose-Smith, Marie Scott, Jae Shin, Katherine Shinners and Jeffrey
Skinner
In the Arena
Susan Abbott, Jennifer Berylson, Robert Crawford, Michael
Fairhurst, Robert O’Connell, Stephanie Paré, Miriam Rovner,
Ellie Simon and Gessingga Storer
Politcal Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR)
Robert Crawford, Dennis D’Angelo, Rosalie Fazio, Daniela
Juvani, Jonathan Lent, Elianna Marziani, Kenneth Parsigian,
George Schneider, Gessingga Storer and Linda Trieu
28
Susan Abbott, Corrine Belt, Alyssa Chandler, Christophe
Courchesne, Robert Fitzgerald, Collette Goodman, Nia Fripp,
Janet Rickershauser and Caroline Stevenson
New England Innocence Project
James Abely, Laura Acosta, David Apfel, Yael Aufgang, Catalina
Azuero, Andrea Boivin, Yvonne Chan, Jennifer Chunias, Caroline
Cochenour, Kimberly Dean, Gauri Dhavan, Alison Douglass,
Caroline Driscoll, Lisa English, Jennifer Fischesser, Bernard
Flanagan, Robert Frederickson, Juan Garcia, Ilan Graff, Michal
Herzfeld, Christiaan Highsmith, Stephen Hoeplinger, Daniel
Kalik, Natalie Kaminsky, Francis Kelleher, Terrence Knapp, Leah
Leavitt, Elaine Lin, Devin Lindsay, John Mangones, Elianna Marziani, James McGarry, Nicholas Mitrokostas, Ambica Mohabir,
Steven Pacini, Michael Perry, Jason Port, Christina Queiros, Neil
Raphael, Elizabeth Regan, Laura Rosenbaum, Joseph Savage,
Jeremy Scanlan, Jennifer Schultz, Marcy Smirnoff, Noah Spaulding, Janet Taylor, John Taylor, Matthew Thaler, Kenneth Thayer,
Brandon Thompson, Jonathan Thompson, Kelly Trainor, Arivee
Vargas, Jeanna Volp, Shakiva Wade, Damian Wilmot, Amanda
Wong, Sarah Wrubel, Christine Yancovitz, Adrienne Zack and
Tracy Zupancis
German Ghetto Work Payment Program
Jonathan Auerbach, Jeffrey Barry, Michael Bavli, Craig Blumsack,
Brooks Brown, Alyssa Chandler, Marie DeAndrade, David Dobin,
Francisco Fierro, Jamie Fleckner, Jaclyn Freeman, Jessica Gill,
Stuart Glass, Heidi Goldstein Shepherd, David Goldstone, Bruce
Graham, Jung Han, Amy Harman Burkart, Yaniv Heled, David
Henken, Julie Hoffman, Benjamin Hron, Gregg Katz, Nicholas
Kim, Jennifer King, Andrew Kirsh, Rena Kramer, Cynthia Lippman, Andrew Levin, Andrew Moosmann, Susan Morningstern,
David Nemes, Phuong-Ha Ngo, Rachel Oshry, Shirley Paley,
Virna Pepe, Douglas Praw, Emily Rapalino, Shepard Remis,
Barbara Rutkowski, Adrienne Scerbak, Alexis Shapiro, Benjamin
Shapiro, Alex Shukhman, Justin Silberberg, Jordana Sobey, Jack
Steele, Craig Todaro, Natasha Us, Daryl Wiesen, Benjamin Wish,
David Young and Lisa Zebrowski
Election Protection
Richard Arculin, Jonathan Auerbach, Benjamin Baum,
Jennifer Bell, Nomi Berenson, Christopher Brancati, Frances
Anna Brickman, Nathan Brodeur, Katherine Bromberg, Harley
Brown, Stacey Brown, Caroline Bullerjahn, Melissa Celli, Brandon
Clippinger, Erik Collins, Sarah Conde, Christophe Courchesne,
Cheryce Cryer, Dennis D’Angelo, Nithya Das, Chad Davis,
Ethan Davis, Kimberly Dean, Marta Delsignore, Marva Deskins,
Vilas Dhar, Silvia Diaz, Allison Driscoll, Caroline Driscoll, John
Falvey, Francisco Fierro, James Fox, Jessica Gary, Liana Grossman, Lalitha Gunturi, Catalina Gutierrez, John Haggerty, Amy
Harman Burkart, Christiaan Highsmith, Charleen Hsuan, Patrick
Hurley, Sirisha Kalicheti, Francis Kelleher, Richard Kerr, Elizabeth
Killingsworth, Conor Kilroy, Eric Kim, Jennifer King, Christopher
Kocher, David Koenigsberg Black, Yoel Kranz, Hans-Christian
Latta, Josh Launer, Michael Levesque, Michael Litchman, Jennifer
Luz, Matthew Manning, Elianna Marziani, Katherine McKenney,
William Monnin-Browder, Melisa Moonan, Andrew Moosmann,
Siobhan Murphy, David Nemes, David Newton, Rachel Oshry,
Jessica Packard, Michael Pappone, Nathan Perez, Segev Phillips,
Joseph Piacquad, Brian Prew, Tara Ramchandani, Davina Reid,
Lindsey Repose, Therese Rohrbeck, Laura Rosenbaum, Rachel
Rosenthal, Shailesh Sahay, Kate Salley, Rachel Samuels, Erin Russ
Scherzer, Luke Scheuer, George Schneider, David Schumacher,
Jonathan Sclarsic, Paras Shah, Sejal Shah, Jeffrey Skinner, Marcy
Smirnoff, Meghan Spillane, Kenda Stewart, Ai Tajima, Chelsea
Teachout, Kenneth Thayer, Darren Thornton, Lindra Trieu,
Benjamin Tschann, Matthew Tulchin, Jenna Ventorino, Mitchell
Webber, Anya Wittenborg and Maryana Zubok
ABA Amicus Brief in Caperton v. Massey Coal Company
Robert Carroll, Sarah Conkright, Marva Deskins, Bernard
Flanagan, John Rich and William Sheehan
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 29
Recognition
In 2008, the firm and individual attorneys were proud to be honored with the following awards and recognition:
February 2008
Goodwin Procter received a Special Acknowledgement from the New York Lawyers for the Public Interest
April 2008
Partner Kenneth Parsigian received Special Honors at a Year End Celebration hosted by Boston University
School of Law
April 2008
Goodwin Procter received Special Recognition at the D.C. Judicial Pro Bono Breakfast, hosted by the D.C. Courts
June 2008
Goodwin Procter received Special Recognition from the Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project
July 2008
Partner David Apfel and associate Danielle Picozzi received Goodwin Procter’s Robert B. Fraser Pro Bono Award,
named after the firm’s former managing partner. Also recognized was a multi-office team of Goodwin attorneys for
their help in forming CheckSpring Bank in New York.
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September 2008
Goodwin Procter was honored with the Thurgood Marshall Award for Pro Bono Work by the Boston
Bar Association
September 2008
Partners Stephen Poss and Kevin Martin and associates Christina Nolan, Scott Nardi, Nicholas Pilchak and
Michael Sugrue received Special Recognition Awards from the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund
October 2008
Partner Thomas Meriam and associates Laurie Holsey and Michael Bavli received the 2008 Pro Bono Award for
Outstanding Service from the Legal Aid Society in New York
December 2008
Partner Anna Dodson was honored with the Women of Justice Award, selected by Massachusetts Lawyers Weekly in
partnership with the Women’s Bar Association and the Massachusetts Association of Women Lawyers
2008 Pro Bono Annual Report 31
Appreciation
Goodwin Procter’s Pro Bono Committee wishes to acknowledge the 840+ attorneys, paralegals, summer associates
and administrative staff members who were active participants in the firm’s Pro Bono Program in 2008. Their
support, dedication and energy are what makes our pro bono efforts possible.
Thank you.
2008 Committee Members:
William P. Mayer, Co-Chair
Michael J. Pappone
Thomas J. Mikula, Co-Chair
Bruce J. Rader
Brooks R. Brown
Valerie E. Ross
Roberto M. Braceras
Jon D. Schneider
Christopher P. Davis
Jeffrey A. Simes
Inez Friedman-Boyce
Patrick S. Thompson
Christopher J. Garvey
Carolyn Rosenthal, Pro Bono Manager
Satish M. Kini
For more information about our Pro Bono Program, please visit our website at www.goodwinprocter.com
©2009 Goodwin Procter LLP. All rights reserved. This brochure may be considered advertising under the ethical rules of certain jurisdictions.
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