Pro Bono 2019 Annual Report Smart In Your World Since our founding in 1942, Arent Fox has A Message emphasized pro bono work as an essential part of our legal practice and a uniting aspect of our from Our firm’s culture and community. We encourage our attorneys and staff to contribute their time Chair and legal knowledge to combat inequities in legal services throughout the United States and abroad. Over the past year, our attorneys and staff have contributed over 17,000 hours of pro bono work through various individual and firm efforts. They have provided assistance on myriad issues, including housing, immigration, fine arts, elderly care, policing, religion, and youth programs. Critically, their efforts have assisted communities and individuals by providing legal services that might otherwise have been unavailable to them. This year, we are especially proud of our work with immigrant families “Arent Fox has on the US - Mexico border, which mobilized emphasized pro attorneys and staff in all of our offices. bono work as an essential part of Through this report, we hope you gain our legal practice.” further insight into our firm’s commitment Mark M. Katz to pro bono work and to bettering the Chair communities in which we live and work. Thank you for your interest in our pro bono efforts. Mark M. Katz Chair Contents Mission Public service is a pillar of our Features 06 firm and fundamental to the practice of law. Mobilizing to 11 Reunite Families Awards at the Border Each year, Arent Fox 07 recognizes Partners, Associates, and legal professionals who perform Making a outstanding contributions to public service. Difference in 15 Homes and on the Stage Leadership Our strong roots in pro bono 23 work inspire our attorneys Justice and to believe in a vision, make things happen, and do what Integrity in it takes to see it through. 17 New York Service Our attorneys dedicate Pro Bono Growth 25 their efforts to matters that in San Francisco range from one-day issues 19 to long-term arrangements that span years. Community Our commitment to our 31 communities goes well beyond legal work. Looking Forward 35 What’s next for AFProBono? Mission Lawyers have a special obligation to the administration of justice. Arent Fox believes that community service and pro bono publico work are integral to the practice of law and the firm has made it a priority to give a voice to those who otherwise might not be heard. Looking Back at 2018 +250 Pro Bono Matters Over the years, our attorneys 17,500 Pro Bono Hours and staff have contributed +325 Participating Attorneys & Paralegals hundreds of thousands of hours, to ensure that the firm remains at the forefront of the private Pro Bono Honor Roll bar’s effort to address unequal access to legal representation. 250+ Hours 50–149 Hours Jon Bouker Deborah A. Adams Yvonne Li Hunter T. Carter Debra Albin-Riley B. Thorne Maginnis Award Winners Mohammed T. Farooqui Taniel E. Anderson John Malone Marc L. Fleischaker Alissa F. Bard David M. Martin Marc L. Fleischaker Award James H. Hulme Ismael Bautista, Jr. Donald C. McLean Abigail M. Kagan Jimeelah Berryman Andrew M. Murad For Outstanding Work by Richard J. Krainin Robert L. Capers Matthew Nolan Partners & Counsel Bernice K. Leber Omelia M. Chan Catherine M. O’Brien Richard A. Newman William R. Charyk Victor M. Padro Karen E. Reyes Jacob M. Christensen Harsh P. Parikh David L. Dubrow, Partner* Emily B. Slavin Jill Clough Nadia A. Patel Richard A. Newman, Partner Michael F. Dearington Eva J. Pulliam Kelli Scheid Smith, Partner Pamela M. Deese Rachel J. Richardson 150–249 Hours Jason Denaburg Alexandra M. Romero Albert E. Arent Award David L. Dubrow R. Erica Roque Carlos Estevez Joseph Rosenberg For Outstanding Work by Alison Lima Andersen Barnabas T. Fekete Jule Rousseau Alexander S. Birkhold Associates & Staff Joshua Fowkes Ankit Shrivastava Roger O. Chao Darrell S. Gay Zach Smith Sylvia G. Costelloe Mohammed T. Farooqui, Associate Jacob M. Gilbert Hillary M. Stemple Mary Joanne Dowd Eva J. Pulliam, Associate Michele L. Gipp Brian J. Stevens Andrew J. Dykens Karen E. Reyes, Project Assistant Susan M. Gordon Michael L. Stevens Wesley T. Gee Aimee M. Hall Annie Y. Stoops Matthew I. Levine *Representing the entire Support Immigrant Jessica L. Harrington Daniela Galeano Valencia Henry Morris, Jr. Families team. For the full list of award Claudia D. Hartleben Karen N. Van Essen Alexander S. Osterlind winners, please see page 12. Kathleen R. Heilman Barbara S. Wahl Nancy A. Noonan Rachel Hold-Weiss Richard J. Webber Karoline M. Nunez Brandi G. Howard Cynthia M. Weiss Warren C. Seay, Jr. Kenneth S. Jacob James M. Westerlind D. Jacques Smith Les Jacobowitz Christopher K.S. Wong Kelli Scheid Smith Marylee Jenkins Rachel E. Yount Mark M. Katz Temitope K. Yusuf Susie Kim Laura E. Zell Susan S. Kleiman Gerard Leval Angelica V. Lewis 7 Features Arent Fox faces the critical issues and challenges head-on, while giving a voice to those who otherwise might not be heard. These are the stories that have transformed lives and communities. Mobilizing to Reunite Families at the Border Arent Fox is well-known for its strong sense of community and company culture. In 2018, this generosity of spirit was collectively displayed in the firm’s response to the humanitarian crisis at the country’s southern border. Attorneys and staff from every office came together to produce formed bonds with local organizations through which attorneys a powerful, multifaceted program of pro bono support could provide research, policy, and impact litigation support. for immigrant families detained at the border. The efforts kicked off with a call-to-action email from New York Partner Committee member and Partner Scott Peeler piloted a David Dubrow. Following a realization that “lawyers have a fundraising campaign that immediately affirmed Arent Fox’s special contribution to make here,” David sent a firmwide firmwide commitment to the Initiative’s endeavors. Attorneys email that resulted in over 90 commitments to help. David and staff at Arent Fox made donations that surpassed the recounts, “Others were also looking for a way to help and Initiative’s goal of $50,000 within fewer than two days. A I knew we could have much greater impact as a group.” $50,000 match by the firm brought the total amount of funds raised to more than $100,000, leading Scott to note that “the The expressions of support quickly coalesced into the Support level of personal and collective generosity at this firm is Immigrant Families Initiative, led by a Steering Committee absolutely incredible.” The contributions funded the travel consisting of David; Pro Bono Committee Chairs Marc expenses for each of the three trips and provided financial Fleischaker and Jon Bouker; Nancy Noonan, who oversees all support to Central American Legal Assistance, the Capital immigration pro bono work at the firm; Ismael Bautista, Jr. (LA); Area Immigrant Rights Coalition, Catholic Charities, the Beth Brownstein (NY); Rob Capers (NY); Andrew Dykens (NY); Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, and other organizations Lewis Goss (DC); Scott Peeler (NY); Frank Petrilli (SF); Jennifer in the community that are involved on the front lines. Terry (LA); and Cynthia Weiss (DC). The committee established a plan of action that included on-the-ground volunteer work, In August, a group of Arent Fox volunteers traveled to Karnes pro bono legal support, policy advocacy, and fundraising. City, Texas. There, they partnered with RAICES to provide legal services to detained asylum-seekers at the Karnes County The firm sent volunteers to Texas and Georgia to assist the Residential Center, a facility that housed approximately 700 Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services fathers and sons who had recently been reunited after forced (RAICES) and the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) over the separation. In many cases, this separation had lasted several course of three separate trips. For those unable to travel, the months and spanned multiple detention centers across the Steering Committee identified opportunities to provide remote United States. Some volunteers served as lawyers and others support to people in Texas through telephonic participation as bilingual translators to provide counseling on the asylum 11 in hearings and remote preparation of legal papers, and also process and draft requests for rehearings for detainees. Support Immigrant Families Initiative Team Award Recipients Mariana Acuna - DC Alison Andersen - DC Ismael Bautista, Jr. - LA Alexander Birkhold - LA Jacob Christensen - SF Yolanda Cruz - NY David Dubrow - NY Caroline English - DC Sarahi Estrella - DC Carlos Estevez - NY Joshua Fowkes - DC Lewis Goss - DC Jessica Harrington - DC Claudia Hartleben - DC Angelica Lewis - DC David Martin - DC Nancy Noonan - DC Karoline Nunez - DC Victor Padro - NY Nadia Patel - DC Scott Peeler - NY Sylvia Ponce - NY Karen Reyes - DC Jule Rousseau - NY Warren Seay, Jr. - DC Emily Baver Slavin - DC James Westerlind - NY Laura Zell - DC “The level of personal and collective generosity at this firm is absolutely incredible.” Scott Peeler Government Enforcement & White Collar Co-Practice Leader Each attorney-translator team met with eight to 12 The work is ongoing. Most recently, Arent Fox completed a fathers a day, seeking to make a difference by appealing lengthy research memorandum for Central American Legal decisions, by helping eliminate procedural barriers that Assistance and presented their conclusions to a large group stood in the way of substantive resolution, and in some of asylum advocates in the New York City area. The research cases, by simply listening. For many families, the Arent Fox unpacked then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ opinion in volunteers were the first people to take the time to listen the asylum case Matter of A-B-, which would seemingly to their stories since they entered the United States.