Wiley Rein Recognizes 22 Attorneys in Fourth Annual Pro Bono Program Celebration

November 1, 2016

Washington, DC —Wiley Rein held its fourth annual Pro Bono Program Celebration on October 25, singling out 22 attorneys for their commitment and contributions to pro bono matters. These deserving lawyers were selected by a joint subcommittee of the firm’s Pro Bono and Associates committees, after nominations were solicited from attorneys throughout the firm.

“Pro bono work and giving back to the community are core values of our firm, and we’re very proud to highlight the meaningful contributions of this year’s award recipients,” said Managing Partner Peter D. Shields, who served as master of ceremonies for the awards. “Their efforts included helping groups with 501(c)(3) applications, defending individuals’ civil rights, and representing children, immigrants, prisoners, students, and countless others. We applaud their tremendous success and are delighted to be an active participant in the vibrant Washington, D.C. pro bono community.”

Theodore A. Howard, the firm’s full-time Pro Bono Partner, added: “We are grateful to our colleagues for the thousands of hours they have donated to our pro bono initiatives over the past year, providing crucial assistance to a wide range of organizations and individuals who might not otherwise have had access to legal counsel.”

The awards were presented for the following team and individual contributions:

• Commitment to Capital Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition:  Special counsel Edgar Class was recognized for his representation of the CAIR Coalition on general matters. Of counsel P. Nicholas Peterson, and associates Madeline Cohen and Dylan Hix, were honored for their contributions to the CAIR Coalition’s Crim-Imm Pro Bono Project and other, non-criminal immigration work.

• Human Trafficking Matters:  Two teams of associates—Katherine Church Campbell and Shane B. Kelly, and Umair Javed and Madi Lottenbach—successfully advocated on behalf of victims of human trafficking in separate cases referred to Wiley Rein through the Northern Virginia Human Trafficking Initiative and the Human Trafficking Pro Bono Legal Center.

• Racial Discrimination Case: Savage et al. v. Pocomoke City et al.: In association with the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs and the Maryland ACLU, partner Andrew G. McBride and associates Christen B’anca Glenn, Dwayne D. Sam, Brian G. Walsh, Moshe B. Broder, Craig Smith, Craig G. Fansler, and Jillian D. Laughna represent the plaintiffs in a high-profile civil rights case challenging a conspiracy of race discrimination and retaliation against African American police officers on Maryland’s rural Eastern Shore.

• Landlord Tenant Matters:  Luke J. Karamyalil, M. Tyler Brown, and Jeremy J. Schofer secured a favorable settlement for a Washington, DC tenant in a dispute with her landlord over housing code violations and rent payments.

• Maryland Personal Information Civil Case:  Associates Meredith G. Singer and Jennifer A. Williams, are a key part of the Wiley Rein team that, working with the ACLU of Maryland, secured a favorable ruling for individual plaintiffs in a civil case involving a violation of the “personal records” provision of the Maryland Public Information Act.

• Non-Litigation/Corporate Pro Bono Matters:  Kay Tatum, co-chair of  Wiley Rein’s Corporate Practice, was recognized for helping to form and provide ongoing support to a number of pro bono clients—including an organization of scientists promoting international cooperation through academic discussion. 

Wiley Rein prides itself on a strong and rich tradition of service to the local and global community, and encourages its lawyers to participate in pro bono activities. For the past two years, Wiley Rein has been named to Washington Business Journal’s Corporate Philanthropy list for its contributions to charitable organizations on both a local and national level.