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issue no. tenPro Bono rePort 2011–2012
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arent fox attorney terree Bowers serves on task force to Help strengthen Haitian Justice system
arent fox Honored by Washington Legal clinic for the Homeless for firm’s Pro Bono Work on Behalf of veterans
arent fox secures Hard-fought victory for immigrant facing Deportation
five additional arent fox attorneys and staff receive Pro Bono recognition
arent fox recognizes clients’ community service efforts
arent fox supports southeast Washington Dc elementary school
firm continues commitment to Legal aid society of the District of columbia
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community Leadership
Pro Bono Hours Honor roll
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terree Bowers was one of nine lawyers who served on a task force sponsored by the america Bar association’s section of Litigation to help strengthen the Haitian justice system by teaching advocacy skills and international legal principles to counterparts in Haiti. the work of the task force culminated in a trial skills training program for 32 Haitian lawyers held in Port-au-Prince in august 2011.
the three-day training offered a unique opportunity for lawyers to exchange information through sessions on advocacy, american and canadian standards and procedure, international law, and the procedures of the international criminal courts. the Haitian lawyers, by comparison, must work within a judicial system founded on codes that have not been amended since they were written in the 1830s, which include such outmoded concepts as fines measured in piastres—a denomination that today has no value—and the inability to make use of biological, photographic, or audio/visual evidence in a Haitian court.
Hilarie Bass, chair of the aBa section of Litigation and leader of the task force, observed that “the Haitian lawyers, in describing their experiences and challenges, had as much to teach us as we had to teach them. their strength and courage, their willingness to seek justice with little reward, their persistence in the face of adversity, and their willingness to continue under extremely difficult conditions for little pay all served to inspire us and to make us think.”
arent foX attorney terree BoWers serves on tasK force to HeLP strenGtHen Haitian Justice system
for example, the notion of a defendant’s right to remain silent, a pillar of the american justice system, is unknown in Haiti. instead, the accused criminal is always the key witness for himself. criminal defendants are interrogated by an investigating magistrate. During the interrogation their lawyers must remain silent, being permitted requests only after the interrogation. the defendant’s testimony becomes a primary document, along with the magistrate’s report, at trial.
one attendee said, “We all agree that the way that the Haitian legal system functions is not good. it’s not enough to just take note of the fact; we must become involved.”
the Haitian lawyers expressed tremendous gratitude and appreciation for the interest and concern of their american counterparts and the opportunity to meet and share information with colleagues from all over Haiti. they described the challenge of defending the accused in a system where, despite a 1987 constitution enshrining protections such as speedy trials and the right to an attorney, prisoners are routinely detained for periods from months to years (there is no bail system) before their cases are heard. many never see a lawyer, and those who do have no right to private encounters and must meet with their attorneys in tiny, squalid cells crowded with other inmates.
While there was general agreement among the Haitians about the need for reform — especially of its extended preventive detentions, its prison conditions, and its antiquated codes — a debate erupted over the extent of the Haitian judiciary’s independence, with some asserting that there was independence because the law stipulates that no executive can change a judicial decision, and others saying that because the executive has command of the judiciary, judges’ decisions are constrained. “if judges feel they are well seated,” said an attendee, “they can make independent decisions.” He added that political winds can unseat a judge and that personal security of life, family, and assets are always at risk. only the supreme court judges are protected from executive fiat.
Haiti has abolished the death penalty and is party to the american convention on Human rights, which stipulates that countries that have abolished the death penalty may not reinstate it. attendees expressed perplexity, not so much over the fact that in the united states capital punishment is still practiced even as the world moves closer to its universal abolition, but rather over the fact that some states retain the death penalty while others had abolished it.
the Haitian lawyers ended the last day’s session by eliciting promises that the attorneys would visit again. in the closing session, during which the american lawyers asked them how the american legal community could help the Haitian legal community, the Haitian lawyers asked for aBa pressure to try to bring about reform of Haiti’s pretrial detention system, and to push the government to build new, more humane prisons, which could provide a measure of privacy and dignity for the prisoners and detainees, and a place where the lawyers would be able to have private conversation with clients.
one attendee responded, “i can assure you that i will be leaving here with a lot, especially with this motivation that was infused into us by one of the speakers . . . to organize ourselves as lawyers. We all agree that the way that the Haitian legal system functions is not good. it’s not enough to just take note of the fact; we must become involved. We must work to improve the system. When i get back to my jurisdiction i will speak of what i learned to other lawyers so that we can act and affect change on our system.”
Port-au-Prince, Haiti
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• assisting the Legal aid society of the District of columbia with establishing and managing a veterans legal intake program at veterans medical center in Washington, Dc;
• training volunteer lawyers and providing representation in 10 veterans’ disability cases;
• training volunteer lawyers and providing representation for 24 elderly clients from the Legal counsel for the elderly wills and power of attorney project;
• representing HeLP usa in connection with the development of a building at the Walter reed Hospital campus for transitional housing for veterans; and
• representing central union mission in litigation related to the conversion of the Gales school near union station to a homeless shelter with a priority for veterans in need.
in addition to the “outstanding Law firm” certificate, the Washington Legal clinic for the Homeless presented to arent fox a military-themed painting by an artist residing at miriam’s Kitchen, a Washington, Dc-based organization dedicated to providing individualized services that address the causes and consequences of homelessness in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.
the following arent fox attorneys and staff have contributed to the firm’s veterans initiative: taniel Anderson, Jimeelah Berryman, tim Bucknell, Aziz Burgy, Crystal Canterbury, Bill Charyk, Kathleen Chomski, sam Cohen, marc Fleischaker, myles Getlan, pat Granados, mike Grow, Kwan Koehler, terri labounty, meredith larson, stu manela, Anseleme mclorren, leah montesano, deanne ottaviano, ross panko, Benjamin sisko, sushupta sudarshan, Kathy thompson, Alvin thurman, Jackson toof, and rick webber.
rent Fox Honored By wAsHinGton leGAl CliniC For tHe Homeless For Firm’s pro Bono worK on BeHAlF oF VeterAns
the Washington Legal clinic for the Homeless honored arent fox for the firm’s work on behalf of military veterans
with disabilities in the District of columbia. at an event held october 20, 2011, the Legal clinic presented
arent fox with the “outstanding firm award” for its participation
and leadership in the senior attorney initiative for Legal services (saiLs) Project
in connection with helping homeless and low-income veterans in Washington, Dc.
the saiLs Project, a joint initiative of the Dc Bar
Pro Bono Program, the Dc access to Justice commission, and
11 participating law firms, was formally launched
on october 20, 2010 to infuse much-needed
resources into the public
interest legal community by harnessing the vast experience of the many talented senior lawyers at Washington, Dc, law firms, government agencies, and corporate legal departments. the saiLs Project is chaired by arent fox’s chairman emeritus, marc Fleischaker.
at arent fox, the primary initiative of the saiLs Project is to assist veterans in need. firm partner Bill Charyk — together with the Legal aid society of the District of columbia and the Washington Legal clinic for the Homeless — launched the arent fox veterans’ initiative in november 2010, recruiting attorneys throughout the firm to offer their services to help homeless and low-income veterans in a variety of ways.
since the launch of the veterans’ project, arent fox has taken on a number of pro bono matters designed to assist veterans in the Washington, Dc, area, including:
Left to right: Bill Charyk, Deanne Ottaviano, Marc Fleischaker
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since 2007, Dc bankruptcy associate Katie lane has represented Luis rendon, a mexican national who has faced deportation since 1997. Katie was initially retained to represent mr. rendon at a single proceeding, but her hard-fought efforts landed her in front of the us court of appeals for the ninth circuit two additional times on appeal, as well as the Board of immigration appeals (Bia) and the us Department of Homeland security. Katie’s skilled navigation of complicated and simultaneous legal proceedings in numerous forums resulted in a significant victory for mr. rendon, for whom Katie has secured permanent residency status.
mr. rendon is a hard-working tradesman with a wife and four children, ages 4 to 13 years old. all of mr. rendon’s children are us citizens, as is mr. rendon’s elderly father. mr. rendon had been brought to the united states illegally as a teenager in 1987. since then, he has been a law-abiding citizen, been gainfully employed, and has regularly paid his taxes.
mr. rendon had available to him at least two potential avenues to avoid deportation and obtain permanent residency: either by his father’s sponsorship for permanent residency, or by grant of his employer’s long-pending application for an employment visa. Both alternatives were jeopardized by a 2006 Bia denial, erroneously sent to mr. rendon’s prior address despite mr. rendon having properly provided change of address notice to the Bia. Because mr. rendon did not receive notice of the Bia decision, he failed to file a timely appeal, necessitating the adjudication of a motion to reopen before mr. rendon could pursue another avenue to adjust his status. in addition, the government charged that, by failing to leave the united
states within the time period specified in the Bia order mr. rendon never received, mr. rendon had overstayed his visa and was no longer eligible to obtain permanent resident status. Worse yet, mr. rendon’s pending motion to reopen the proceedings to allow for an appeal did not toll the government’s right to enforce the deportation order. this was a true quagmire.
over the course of a year and a half, Katie skillfully argued two ninth circuit appeals, two motions to reopen Bia proceedings, and a petition to the us customs and immigration service (cis). Katie successfully terminated the removal proceedings in court just as an employment visa number became available from cis. Katie’s work to link the Bia and cis proceedings after obtaining her court success allowed mr. rendon to take advantage of the employment visa, become a permanent resident, and remain in the united states with his wife and four children. Katie’s hard-fought victory on behalf of mr. rendon was an enormous relief to mr. rendon’s family.
in addition to her work for mr. rendon, Katie has been representing four additional immigration clients over the last two years, and she also serves as a member of the Legal advisory Board of capital area immigrants’ rights coalition. Katie has volunteered more than 500 pro bono hours on immigration matters since 2008.
in recognition of her outstanding service to her immigrant clients and her extraordinary efforts on immigration issues, arent fox awarded Katie the albert e. arent Pro Bono award for 2011.
arent foX secures HarD-fouGHt victory for immiGrant facinG DePortation
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in addition to recognizing Katie lane for her outstanding efforts on behalf of immigrants facing deportation, arent fox recognized several other attorneys and staff for their pro bono contributions.
mArC l. FleisCHAKer AwArdsLos angeles partner robert o’Brien received the marc L. fleischaker award for his extraordinary efforts as the private sector co-chair for the us Department of state’s Public Private Partnership for Justice reform in afghanistan (PPP), a nonpartisan, public-private effort to assist the afghan people in re-establishing the rule of law in afghanistan through the combined efforts of the state Department and private law firms, law schools, and individuals in the united states. since 2007, robert has volunteered nearly 2,500 hours on the PPP project. others at the firm, including Los angeles associate Jennifer terry, recorded an additional 300 hours to this project. another arent fox partner, Hon. stephen larson, also generously contributed significant hours to the PPP while serving as a federal judge.
robert travelled to afghanistan on numerous occasions to obtain a fuller understanding of the current afghan judicial system. under robert’s leadership, the PPP conducted the following programs to promote the rule of law in afghanistan:
• three multi-week intensive training programs for afghan judges, prosecutors, and defense attorneys in the united states (one of which was fully dedicated to afghan women legal professionals);
• an LLm scholarship program for afghan lawyers at law schools throughout the united states;
• a significant fundraising program which obtained contributions through monetary and in-kind donations from law firms, law schools, and individuals; and
• a rule of law chair at a major legal institution in Kabul.
in the upcoming year, robert will transition out of his position in the PPP. for his exceptional public service over his term as co-chair of the Partnership, arent fox recognized robert with the marc L. fleischaker award.
five aDDitionaL arent foX att orneys anD staff receive Pro Bono r ecoGnition
Robert C. O’Brien accepts Marc L. Fleischaker Award
Partner Jonathan Canis received the marc L. fleischaker award for his significant efforts on behalf of the oglala sioux tribe of south Dakota, whom Jonathan has represented since march 2010.
economic conditions on the Pine ridge reservation in south Dakota are dire, and tribal residents are completely dependent on cellular telephone technology for communications to, from, and within the
reservation, given the lack of landline telephone service throughout much of the reservation. against this backdrop, in 2009, the verizon-alltel merger caused considerable problems for the tribe—namely, a significantly lower level of telecommunications service. the tribe required experienced counsel to navigate the fcc regulatory maze and preserve at least the level of cellular telephone service the tribe had previously enjoyed. Jon canis agreed to take, on a pro bono basis, what appeared to be a confined regulatory challenge that ultimately became two tribal court cases, two federal court cases, two federal communications commission proceedings, an american arbitration association proceeding, and extensive negotiations with both verizon and at&t. in addition to Jon, nine lawyers and legal assistants worked on this matter, including Katherine Barker-marshall, Jon Bouker, Adam Bowser, marcia durkin, stephanie Joyce, Joe rieser, and sara rosinus. in total, over 18 months, the firm contributed in excess of 1,000 timekeeper hours to this project, at a time value exceeding $300,000. Jon himself volunteered nearly 700 hours.
at a tribal council meeting finalizing the settlement agreements in June 2011, the council surprised Jon with a tribal ceremony in which Jon and arent fox were presented with a “star Quilt,” one of the highest expressions of thanks bestowed by the tribe.
for Jon’s outstanding commitment to ensure equal access to justice to one of the nation’s poorest and most vulnerable populations, the firm recognized him with the marc L. fleischaker Pro Bono award.
AlBert e. Arent AwArdnew york associate shawanna Johnson received the firm’s albert e. arent award in recognition of her outstanding employment law work for the Harlem school for the arts and for spearheading the firm’s new york family court services project.
shawanna’s representation on behalf of the Harlem school for the arts included counseling, court appearances, drafting, and responding to pleadings and discovery, and resulted in a favorable settlement. shawanna’s excellent work on this matter has enabled the client to return its focus to its mission: to empower young people from underserved communities in Harlem and to teach discipline, stimulate creativity, and build self-confidence.
five aDDitionaL arent foX att orneys anD staff receive Pro Bono r ecoGnition
in addition to her work for the Harlem school, for the past three years shawanna has organized arent fox’s participation in the new york family court services project, in which participants provide family court litigants in the Bronx, Brooklyn, and manhattan with walk-in legal advice on issues relating to child support, paternity and custody, and orders of protection. shawanna devotes one or two days per month to the family court services Project, and has recruited additional arent fox volunteers. as a consequence of shawanna’s leadership, new york state access to Justice has recognized arent fox’s participation in the project.
the firm also recognized terri laBounty and Alvin thurman for their work in creating and supporting a legal intake center at the veterans medical center in Washington, Dc, in cooperation with the Legal aid society of the District of columbia. every other Wednesday, alvin, terri, or another firm paralegal operates the clinic with an equal Justice Works americorps fellow, interacting with the walk-in clients, maintaining a priority list for the fellow, and providing legal referral advice when appropriate.
alvin and terri handle scheduling to ensure coverage for the clinic, orient new paralegals on transportation and other volunteer issues, and attend to all other details required to make the project possible. according to Legal aid, the project has been a wild success and has significantly expanded Legal aid’s ability to serve members of the veteran community.
Left to right, top row: Marc Fleischaker, Wayne Matelski, Alvin Thurman. Bottom row: Deanne Ottaviano, Mark Katz, Jonathan Canis, Katie Lane, Terri LaBounty
Arent Fox reCoGniZes Clients’ Community serViCe eFFortsarent fox’s Washington, Dc, office presented its annual community service award to the Discovery channel Global education Partnership, the charitable arm of firm client Discovery communications, at that office’s December 15th holiday party. the Partnership, an arent fox pro bono client for several years, has set up more than a dozen Learning centers in underdeveloped countries in africa, south america, and eastern europe, with more in development. the Partnership’s programs provide educational resources to teachers, often through the provision of televisions and television programming, to empower youth and improve education in these developing nations.
for the past several years, nearly 25 arent fox partners, counsel, associates, and legal assistants have provided hundreds of hours of pro bono assistance to the Partnership, with projects ranging from:
• corporate: reviewing a wide range of contracts, including partnership agreements and contracts with local partners around the globe (Amal dave, dan lopez, and rachel richardson);
• international: interacting with local counsel and others in various countries, including nigeria, south africa, morocco, uganda, and Kenya (pierre prosper and others);
• foreign corrupt Practices act: providing advice and training (Kay Georgi);
• employment: advising on recruiting and hiring activities, as well as issues relating to employment and contractor staff (Kristine dunne);
• intellectual Property: advising on social media on other intellectual property issues (sarah Bruno, tony lupo, Halle markus, and matt mills); and
• Government contracts: providing advice on compliance with federal contract requirements and credited as “Legal advisor” in a recently released aiDs film project (Kevin pinkney).
firm partner tony lupo also has fostered the success of the Partnership directly through his role as a member of the organization’s Board of Directors. arent fox was pleased to be able to recognize the Partnership’s important work, and arent fox’s contribution to its ongoing success. Partnership executives on hand to receive the award were aric noboa, President; tamela noboa, chief of strategy; and Kathy canzona, vice President of finance and administration.
on December 8, 2011, arent fox’s Los angeles office honored Panda cares, a community involvement program established by firm client Panda restaurant Group, inc., with an arent fox client community service award. the award recognized Panda cares’ strong commitment to serving the health and education needs of underserved children through in-kind donations and charitable donations to nonprofit organizations, schools, and hospitals. on hand to receive the award from arent fox partner Harry Johnson were monte Baier, General counsel, and Glenn inanaga, executive Director - Legal, both of Panda restaurant Group and Panda express.
arent fox’s community service award annually recognizes a billable or pro bono client in each firm office that (1) has performed outstanding community service work (whether legal or non-legal); and (2) with whom the firm has worked within the last year. in the best case scenario, the firm has assisted the client in meeting its charitable mission through the high quality legal support we have provided.
the Discovery channel Global education Partnership provides educational resources to teachers, often through the provision of televisions and television programming, to empower youth and improve education in developing nations.
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Firm Continues Commitment to leGAl Aid soCiety oF tHe distriCt oF ColumBiAvolunteer arent fox attorneys staff intake at the Legal aid society of the District of columbia on mondays and thursdays to allow Legal aid attorneys to focus their efforts on their active caseloads. arent fox’s volunteers conduct interviews, gather relevant information from potential clients, and prepare a summary report to assist Legal aid with determining which cases it will take.
training for the intake program takes place annually and is conducted by attorneys from Legal aid with the assistance of arent fox’s Karen Carr, coordinator of the program, randy Brater, and deanne ottaviano. approximately 20 associates, counsel, and partners at arent fox are trained to conduct intake at Legal aid. they are: Alison Andersen, randy Brater, tim Bucknell, Karen Carr, ralph Brabham, tiffany Brooks, Amal dave, Jennifer donohue, edna Garrett, Joanna Giasafakis, pam Kopp, leah montesano, tarik nabi, nancy noonan, Kelli scheid, Brian schneider, Amy schoenhard, Jim shipe, sushupta sudarshan, and matt wright. arent fox hosted an intake training for new arent fox volunteer attorneys february 7th and 8th.
Arent Fox supports soutHeAst wAsHinGton dC elementAry sCHoolarent fox hosted its seventh annual GeoPlunge tournament, a geography tournament for fifth and sixth grade students in the Washington, Dc, metropolitan area, at the smithsonian’s national Portrait Gallery on november 10, 2011, during national Geography Week. nearly 300 students from 45 area schools participated in the all-day event in which students compete in GeoPlunge, a card game developed by arent fox partner Alan Fishel that teaches students about united states geography. the tournament was made possible by the following arent fox attorneys and staff: Claudia Bass, Adam Bowser, Joe Bowser, tiffany Brooks, Crystal Canterbury, edilma Carr, david Carter, debbie Crouse, Andrea davison, Kristine dunne, Alan Fishel, laure Hadas-lebel, missy Hudzik, Katie Heilman, emily Johnston, rachelle llontop, Jason madden, elisabeth maddrell, Katherine marshall, Ann mclorren, monica phillips, tony peluso, Valentin povarchuk, eva pulliam, Amy salomon, loni sherwin, Alexandra sheedy-rodriguez, eli sheets, Jim shipe, Benjamin sisko, Corey smith, sushupta sudarshan, Christine thach, Alvin thurman, stephanie trunk, doris wallace, rachel witriol, and matt wright.
arent fox plans to host its annual debate program for randle Highlands elementary students in the spring of 2012.
Participants in the GeoPlunge Tournament
arent fox has been representing
milton James, a songwriter who
co-wrote the beat track for a top
grossing rap hit (“Bottoms up”
featuring Kane Beatz, nicki minaj,
and trey songz) released by atlantic
records, but had not been receiving
royalties and was experiencing
significant economic hardship. mr.
James was sued by an independent
recording company with which
he was previously affiliated for
copyright infringement, claiming mr.
James was under contract with the
company at the time he helped write
“Bottoms up,” and was therefore
entitled to proceeds from the song.
firm attorneys ross Charap,
pam deese, eric roman, and
matt thorne secured royalties for
mr. James for “Bottoms up” and
continue to vigorously defend mr.
James in the litigation.
Working on a project sponsored
by the Dc Bar community and
economic Development Program, a
team of attorneys led by Jeff Jordan
and including Katherine Barker-
marshall, Crystal Canterbury,
david Carter, edna Garrett, ike
morinaga, deanne ottaviano,
rachel richardson, and Jim
shipe has advised numerous Dc
nonprofit organizations regarding
deficiencies in and modifications
necessary to their bylaws and
articles of incorporation as a result
of Washington, Dc’s, new nonprofit
corporation code that became
effective January 1, 2012.
maidie oliveau, with assistance
from Carla Feldman and rachel
richardson, provided the 2015
special olympics World summer
Games organizational committee
with assistance in a variety of
matters including corporate
documents and bylaws, tax filings,
licensing, and employment work.
tope yusuf provided representation
to ahmed sharif, a new york city taxi
driver who was the subject of a brutal
attack in august 2010. tope assisted
mr. sharif with securing workers’
compensation and reinstatement of
his taxi license, and with various other
issues, including donation collection,
interfacing with the new york city
taxi Workers alliance, and various
government entities.
a number of arent fox attorneys
represented individuals in pro bono
immigration matters overseen by
nancy noonan. among these are
Aaron Brand and matt thorne,
who assisted with a cancellation of
removal action; Alison Andersen
and sushupta sudarshan, who
assisted with an asylum applicant;
Kimberly Gold, who assisted
with an opposition to deportation
proceedings; Katie lane, who
represented a senegalese immigrant
in connection with her asylum
petition, and Valentin povarchuk
and nataliya slyepicheva, who
assisted a tajikstani journalist in his
successful bid for asylum.
associate Jason moore assisted
in preparing and filing an amicus
brief with us court of appeals
for the ninth circuit on behalf of
the association of Gospel rescue
missions, a nonprofit association
of homeless shelters, in support
of one of its members, the Boise
rescue mission. the Boise rescue
mission had been sued under
the fair Housing act for allegedly
discriminating against mormons in
its provision of homeless shelter
and addiction recovery services. in
late 2011, the ninth circuit ruled in
the matter and affirmed the Boise
rescue mission’s constitutional
right to determine its own religious
purpose in how it serves the poor.
the case is Intermountain Fair Housing, et al. v. Boise Rescue Mission, no. 10-35519 (9th cir.).
rachel richardson advised
academicsreview.org and
education for all on their respective
irs tax exemption applications.
arent fox attorneys eric Biderman
and James westerlind represented
a pro bono client in a paternity
proceeding commenced pro se by
the mother in Bronx family court
against the father of the client’s
13-year-old daughter, seeking
establishment of paternity and child
support. since that time, eric’s and
James’ representation expanded to
defending the mother in a protective
order case initiated by the father
to coerce voluntary dismissal of
the paternity suit, and an action for
protective order against the father
initiated by the mother. James and
eric successfully obtained a court
order requiring the father to submit
to a paternity test, dismissal of
the protective order suit against
the mother, and an extension of
the temporary order of protection
against the father. the matter is
set for trial in January 2012. eric
and James are assisted by legal
assistants stephanie morano and
desiree morris.
susan Kleiman assisted the
carlos rosario international Pubic
charter school with its section
403(b) retirement plans, including
compliance, education on new
legal requirements, revision of plan
documents, and implementation
of changes in operation and
administration of the plans. the
school’s mission is to provide
education that prepares the
diverse adult immigrant population
of Washington, Dc, to become
invested, productive citizens and
members of american society who
give back to family and community.
Jeff lord and Alec rosenberg
represent cedric Howard, a
convicted murderer on death row in
Louisiana. alec and Jeff are working
with outside investigators in fact-
gathering efforts in preparation for
filing a petition for post-conviction
review.
a number of arent fox attorneys
assisted catholic charities/Hogar
Hispano with its naturalization
workshop. Participating attorneys
included Crystal Canterbury, Amal
dave, yelee Kim, ike morinaga,
and sushupta sudarshan.
in conjunction with aarP Litigation
foundation and university Legal
services, an arent fox litigation team
filed a class action disability rights
suit in the us District court for the
District of columbia to require the
District of columbia to comply with
its legal duty to provide services
to disabled individuals in the
community rather than in institutional
settings. the lawsuit alleges that as
many as 3,000 city residents with
disabilities are institutionalized in
nursing homes despite the ability
to live independently if provided
information about and access
to home- and community-based
services. the lawsuit seeks to order
the city to provide these services
and inform residents of their rights
and choices. the case is Day v. District of Columbia. the team
consists of Alison Anderson,
Alayne o’neill, Brian schneider,
and Barbara wahl.
animal rescue and conservation,
an australian nonprofit looking
to expand worldwide, engaged
Jim davis to provide intellectual
property advice. Jim coordinated
with australia counsel and filed a us
trademark application on behalf of
the client.
Andrea davison represented astor
Place tenants in connection with
distributions owed to the low-income
tenants out of a bankruptcy estate.
patrick Quigley and rick webber
defended carmen titong-Bonewell
in a case before the us court of
federal claims to determine whether
a deceased serviceman’s ex-wife is
entitled to receive the deceased’s
military retirement pay, which is now
being paid to ms. titong-Bonewell.
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the center for Women Policy
studies engaged elizabeth Cohen
to provide trademark advice and
renew its marks.
tim Brown and Jason moore
defended firm client the central
union mission in a suit filed by the
american civil Liberties union on
first amendment grounds to prevent
a planned property swap between
the central union mission and the
District of columbia. although the
original transaction was scrapped,
the matter remains pending while a
substitute transaction is finalized.
Brothers Adam Bowser and
Joseph Bowser teamed up to
resolve city Gate, inc.’s dispute
with yes, inc. and the District of
columbia office of state secretary
of education (osse) relating to their
failure to pay city Gate in connection
with the services it provided under
certain 21st century Learning
grants that osse awarded to yes
in 2009. the case is proceeding to
administrative appeal at Dc’s office
of administrative Hearings.
Adam Bowser worked on behalf
of the oglala sioux by researching
green energy project grants available
from the us Department of energy
and coordinating with an outside
consultant who was previously
the special assistant to energy
Department’s assistant director for
green energy grants.
the Jewish social services agency
(Jssa) asked for arent fox’s
advice related to its handling of
patient information, the adoption of
policies and procedures to ensure
compliance with state and federal
privacy laws, and guidance on legal
risk and appropriate corrective
action in the event Jssa’s HiPaa
and privacy policies may are
breached. Jssa also looked to
arent fox for assistance on benefits,
litigation, and contract matters.
contributing to the efforts were
sarah Bruno, sam Cohen, Carol
Connor Cohen, david Greenberg,
and susan Kleiman.
several firm attorneys loaned their
expertise to local clinics through the
community economic Development
Program, including Andrea davison
(Dc Bar Pro Bono Bankruptcy
clinic) and ike morinaga (Dc small
Business clinic).
the firm contributed to the Dc Bar
in several capacities, including
through the work of Bill Charyk
and susan Kleiman as the Dc
Bar’s outside erisa counsel and
marc Fleischaker’s and Kathy
thompson’s work in connection
with the Dc Bar foundation’s loan
repayment assistance program for
lawyers who take low-paying jobs
with legal service providers.
Jon Bouker and Aaron Brand, with
the assistance of tim Bucknell,
wrote a memo for pro bono clients
Dc vote and Dc appleseed
explaining how Washington, Dc,
can amend its charter through
a referendum to give itself more
control over its local budget. top
officials in the Washington, Dc,
government, including mayor vincent
Gray, council chairman Kwame
Brown, and Delegate eleanor
Holmes norton, have expressed
significant interest in the idea.
several firm attorneys have
supported Dc appleseed’s work.
Particularly notable efforts include
sam Cohen’s work to advance
Dc voting rights and the work by
a team of people, including Aaron
Brand and leah montesano, to
investigate and write an in-depth
report for Dc council chairman
Kwame Brown relating to the
effectiveness of the auditor of the
District of columbia.
the firm continues to represent John
Booth-el, a death penalty inmate
in maryland, in his post-conviction
appeal efforts. Kathleen Chomski,
Joanne Hawana, deanne
ottaviano, rita salamone, and
Carmen Zollman are handling the
case.
Jonathan phillips assisted
Debbie takikawa and carrie
conte, co-authors of a book on
infant development and childcare
intended for use by various nonprofit
organizations, in negotiating for the
return of all publishing rights from
a publisher who repeatedly missed
publishing deadlines, performed
extremely poor work (editing, design,
etc.), and was unable to publish the
book.
arent fox’s Los angeles office
collaborates with the alliance for
children’s rights foster children’s
adoption Program by working
with the Los angeles children’s
court, the Department of children
and family services, and minors’
attorneys to remove barriers to
adoption in individual cases. arent
fox attorneys represent prospective
adoptive parents in finalizing
their foster child adoption by
completing their adoption finalization
documents and representing them
at the adoption finalization hearing.
melanie Joo, Christian scali,
and mike turrill handled cases in
2011, and several other attorneys
have participated in the training to
enable them to take cases in 2012.
in addition, the La office raised more
than $1,000 to support the program
through participation in the Go
casual for Justice fundraiser.
firm attorneys continued their
support for the Jewish council
for the aging in connection with a
transfer of assets from interages,
another nonprofit, and a joint
venture with a virginia nonprofit. in
addition, arent fox negotiated the
construction documents for Jca’s
build-out of the first floor of its
headquarters building and assisted
in other contract, leasing, and
sponsorship matters. the Jca team
includes Karen Ancharski, Ken
Jacob, and priya ramamurthy.
credit Do sought the assistance of
ross Charap, matt Finkelstein,
and Jeff leung regarding general
copyright and intellectual property
issues.
Alexandrea Barney, lindsay
Brinton, and meghan largent took
on several domestic violence matters
through Legal advocates for abused
Women. they have successfully
argued for orders of protection in
each case.
a team of arent fox attorneys
provided will and power of attorney
advice to several elderly clients
as part of a program sponsored
by Legal counsel for the elderly.
demetria Buncum, tim
Bucknell, Bill Charyk, Amal
dave, mary Jo dowd, Josh
Fowkes, edna Garrett, mike
Grow, nancy Heermans, pamela
Kopp, ike morinaga, david
noonan, Valentin povarchuk,
Amy schoenhard, sushupta
sudarshan, and Kathy thompson
participated in the program.
Asari Aniagolu and tope
yusuf coordinated a multiday
intern program in the new york
office through Legal outreach,
which involved legal writing and a
mock mediation. the project was
supervised by dennis Henderson.
Kimberly Gold, and Jennifer
Koehler also served as mentors to
Legal outreach participants.
Amal dave and tim Bucknell,
with support from pam deese,
revised the Lewinsville retirement
residences resident handbook,
leasing plan, and tenant selection
plan.
stanley stringfellow provided
employment law advice to the Los
angeles city college foundation.
stanley was supervised by Harry
Johnson.
Katrin lewertoff assisted
metropolitan Waterfront and
nesc in connection with obtaining
and maintaining their respective
trademarks.
wib Chesser, Jay Halpern, mike
stevens, and Alvin thurman
helped my sister’s circle with
its expansion efforts outside of
Baltimore and in intellectual property
matters.
nation’s capital child and family
Development sought the advice of
Carol Connor Cohen and susan
Kleiman related to retirement plan
matters.
shawanna Johnson led an arent
fox team that includes Kimberly
Gold and others in connection
with the new york family court
services Project, which provides
free family court advice on child
support, paternity, custody, orders
of protection, and other matters, in
Brooklyn, the Bronx, and manhattan.
shawanna was awarded the new
york city family court volunteer
attorney Pro Bono service award
for her work on the Project.
ross panko delivered a “copyright
in the classroom” seminar to
teachers in the north carolina
association of independent schools
that focused on the fair use doctrine.
taniel Anderson, Jonathon Kopy,
and ralph taylor represented a
tenant in a housing dispute in which
the landlord sought to terminate the
lease and evict the tenant based on
her child’s alleged criminal activities.
Helping Haitian angels asked sarah
Bruno and matt mills to assist in
the development of their website and
web content, as well as for general
trademark advice.
david Greenberg worked to
expedite the immigration process for
ritchelle alfred, a Haitian national
looking to be reunited with her
family in the united states after her
house was destroyed by the 2010
earthquake.
samaritan inns, a residential
treatment facility for homeless
substance abusers, sought the
advice of melissa Hudzik and
meredith larson in connection
with its application to Dc’s
medicaid program. mike Anderson
supervised the matter.
smithsonian national Zoological
Park asked sarah Bruno and tony
lupo for advice on an advertising
matter.
Asari Aniagolu advised a client
through the Hague service
convention program in connection
with an uncontested divorce.
Kimberly Gold worked on the
dissolution and transfer of assets of
the Headwater initiative corp.
erin muellenberg, through her
membership in the american Legion
auxiliary, assisted with collecting
and preparing for shipment goods
and monetary donations for troops
serving in active military zones, with
the hope of lifting the spirits of those
serving abroad.
arent fox adopted 100 angels as
part of the salvation army’s 2011
angel tree Program. in addition to
the gifts donated for each angel,
firm attorneys and staff donated
more than $1,600. delores Butler
spearheaded the program.
on December 20, 2011, arent fox
hosted a dinner for 150 wounded
troops at Walter reed national
medical center in Bethesda,
maryland (formerly Bethesda naval
Hospital) who were unable to travel
home for the holidays. items donated
by arent fox attorneys and staff were
gifted to the troops at the dinner. in
addition to the donated items, the
firm raised nearly $500, which was
used to purchase needed items for
wounded troops and their families.
Kristine dunne coordinated the
event.
sarah Bruno advised saving
orphans through Health care and
outreach on various intellectual
property matters.
the firm’s Los angeles office, as
part of its Los angeles arent fox
takes action initiative, adopted three
homeless families (24 individuals)
over the holidays and provided them
with bedding, toiletries, kitchen
items, and blankets. iris Fletcher
ran the initiative.
the firm’s Go casual for Justice
fundraiser in Dc allowed attorneys
and staff to wear jeans on
Wednesday october 26, 2011, in
exchange for a donation to the Dc
Bar foundation. the effort garnered
more than $7,800, far exceeding
the 2010 results for the same event
and the 2011 results of the other
participating Dc firms.
firm associates, with matching
contributions from partners and the
firm, raised almost $21,000—the
second highest result in firm history—
in support of Legal aid society of
the District of columbia’s Generous
associates campaign. citywide
campaign receipts were a record
$785,000. Karen Carr and Kelli
scheid ran the arent fox campaign
and also served as coordinators of
the citywide campaign.
12
name title organization
debra Albin-riley Director Library foundation of Los angelesmichael Blass Director national executive service corpsJon Bouker Director center for Health and Gender equality
vice chair Dc appleseedcommissioner Dc access to Justice commissionchairman of the Board Dc voteDirector access youthcommissioner District of columbia federal Law enforcement nominating commissionDirector university of the District of columbia David a. clark school of Law
lowell Brown Director venice family clinicHunter Carter Director and corporate secretary foundation caring for colombiawib Chesser Director center for children’s Law and PolicyAmy demske Director and officer Junior state foundationAmy donnelly Director starlight children’s foundation mid-atlanticKristine dunne Director national maritime Heritage foundation
Director the John carroll societylisa estrada Director street senseBob Falb trustee shakespeare theatre company
Director institute for social and economic Development solutionsAlan Fishel Director Learning Plunge, inc.marc Fleischaker Director appleseed foundation
Director Lawyers’ committee for civil rights under LawDirector, audit committee chair, and
executive committee membercouncil for court excellence
Director Washington Lawyers committee for civil rights and urban affairschairman of the Board national Health Law ProgramDirector Dc Bar foundationchairman senior attorney initiative for Legal services (saiLs)Director Hawaii appleseed
Jamie Frankel Director salvadori centerDirector samuel Waxman cancer research foundation
Craig Gelfound Director the conrad foundationmissy Hudzik Director and secretary Learning Plunge, inc.Jay Hulme Director and executive committee
membercouncil for court excellence
Aaron Jacoby Director Western center on Law and PovertyJeff Jordan Director secret Passage therapeutic riding centersteve Kahn Director national Kidney foundation of the national capital area
General counsel the Wolf trap foundation for the Performing artsmette Kurth Director 4 Girls G Local LeadershipKatie lane member capital area immigrants’ rights coalition Legal advisory Boardtony lupo Director Discovery channel Global education fund
Director smithsonian national ZooDirector Wooly mammoth theater
stewart manela Director District of columbia Jewish community centerellen mcCarthy Director and chair of external affairs
committeecultural tourism Dc
Kenneth murphy Director catholic charities of Los angelesrichard nettler Director Preservation action
Director council for court excellencerichard newman trustee arena stage
Director aia Legacy foundationChristopher norton Director center for children’s Law and Policy
community LeaDersHiP
14name title organization
robert o’Brien executive committee member united states Department of state Public-Private Partnership for Justice reform in afghanistan
Director friends of the Public-Private Partnership for Justice reform in afghanistan
advisory Board member the conrad foundationmaidie oliveau trustee california state Parks foundationdeanne ottaviano trustee Legal aid society of the District of columbiapierre prosper Director us Holocaust memorial council
Director Gen next foundationDirector Project concern international
Connie raffa Director Hospice & Palliative care association of new yorkethics committee member Hospice care network
Jill steinberg Director older adults technology servicesmatt wright Director Learning Plunge, inc.
community LeaDersHiP (continueD)
250+ Hours 150 to 249 Hours 50 to 149 Hours
Alison AndersenAaron BrandBill CharykKristine dunneBob Falbmarc Fleischakerrobert o’Briendeanne ottavianopierre prospermatt thorne
taniel andersoneric BidermanJoe BowserJon caniscrystal canterburysusan KleimanKatie LaneBernice Leberike morinagaconnie raffaeric romanBrian schneiderBarbara Wahl
Debra albin-rileyJennifer allenKaren ancharskironni arnoldJennifer BougherJon Boukeradam Bowsertimothy Bucknellaziz BurgyKaren carrDavid carterross charapandrea DavisonPam DeesePaul fakleralan fisheledna GarrettPatricia Granadossteven Haskinsmelissa HudzikJay HulmeKen Jacobshawanna Johnsonmeghan Largentmeredith Larson
Gerard Levalstewart manelaKatherine Barker-marshallDavid modzeleskiLeah montesanotarik nabinancy noonanmaidie oliveauJonathan Phillipsvalentin Povarchukeva PulliamPatrick Quigleyrachel richardsonalec rosenbergDavid salkeldKelli scheidsushupta sudarshanralph taylorJennifer terryJackson toofHeike vogelJames Westerlindria Williamsrachel Witrioltope yusuf
Pro Bono Hours Honor roLL
aBout arent foX
arent fox LLP (www.arentfox.com), with offices in Washington, Dc, new york, and Los angeles, is a recognized leader in areas including intellectual property, real estate, telecommunications, health care, automotive, sports, white collar, international trade, government contracts, bankruptcy, and complex litigation. With more than 350 lawyers nationwide, arent fox has extensive experience in corporate securities, financial restructuring, government relations, labor and employment, finance, tax, corporate compliance, and the global business market. the firm represents Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, trade associations, foreign governments, and other entities.
1050 connecticut avenue, nW Washington, Dc 20036t 202.857.6000 F 202.857.6395
1675 Broadwaynew york, ny 10019t 212.484.3900 F 212.484.3990
555 West fifth street, 48th floorLos angeles, ca 90013t 213.629.7400 F 213.629.7401
www.arentfox.com
Deanne ottaviano Partner (chair)Jon s. Bouker PartnerWayne H. matelski Partnernancy a. noonan Partnermichael L. turrill PartnerKristine J. Dunne counselDennis J. Henderson counselJennifer L. Bougher associateKaren ellis carr associateJennifer fischer associateDavid s. modzeleski associateKelli a. scheid associateJennifer c. terry associatesteven Harras communications managerchristine thach Business Development coordinator
Arent Fox pro BonoCommittee