Page 26 - Katten 2025 Pro Bono Annual Review

2024 CAPITAL PRO BONO HONOR ROLL KAREN ARTZ ASH TAPPED FOR KEY
RECOGNIZES 11 KATTEN ATTORNEYS LEADERSHIP ROLES IN MULTIPLE
COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

The DC Courts, in partnership with the D.C. Access to Justice New York Intellectual Property Partner and National Co-
Commission, the DC Bar and the DC Bar Pro Bono Center, Chair of Katten’s Trademark/Copyright/Privacy Group Karen
announced that the 14th Annual Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll Artz Ash was recently appointed to multiple leadership roles
recognized nine Katten attorneys. The list honors their com- for community and service organizations. She was elected to
pletion of 50 hours or more of pro bono service during the the New York/New Jersey Regional Board of the Anti-
prior calendar year. Katten honorees include Real Estate Defamation League (ADL), re-elected to both the Executive
Associate Vinny Baumann, Transactional Tax Planning Assoc- Committee of the Board and as Chair of the Board
iate Mitchell Fagen, Appeals and Critical Motions Partner Nominations Committee at Volunteers of Legal Service
Timothy Gray, Corporate Partner and Deputy General (VOLS), and re-elected to the Board of Trustees of the New
Counsel Christina Grigorian, Financial Markets and Funds York Choral Society. These appointments reflect Karen’s
Counsel Lori Jacobs, Health Care Partner Christopher Locke, ongoing leadership and commitment to supporting community
Health Care Partner M. Ramana Rameswaran, Intellectual service across many causes.
Property Partner Terence Ross and Litigation Partner Robert
T. Smith.

“ Working with NIJC has been one of the most meaningful experiences of my career. Being
able to help a client and her children gain asylum, offering them safety and a new beginning,
has been a powerful reminder of the real impact we can have through our legal work.”

BORA NIEDS
“ Working with our asylum-seek-
ing clients has been both
humbling and empowering … SAMANTHA DRAKE AND BORA NIEDS NAMED RISING
I am honored that our clients STARS BY NATIONAL IMMIGRANT JUSTICE CENTER
would entrust me with their
stories and allow me to On June 3, our Chicago Litigation Associates Samantha Drake and Bora Nieds were hon-
advocate for a safer future ored with the “Rising Stars” Award at the National Immigrant Justice Center’s (NIJC) 26th
for them and their children.”
Annual Human Rights Awards, recognizing their commitment to advancing access to justice
SAMANTHA DRAKE and providing exceptional pro bono services. They were awarded, in part, for their recent

representation of a woman and her two children from El Salvador who were granted asylum
in February 2025 after several years of navigating challenges inherent to the immigration
court system. Bora emphasized that working with NIJC “has been one of the most meaning-
ful experiences,” and that “being able to help a client and her children … offering them safety
and a new beginning, has been a powerful reminder of the real impact we can have through
our legal work.” Samantha, who said working with asylum-seeking clients “has been both
humbling and empowering,” also supported a Togolese client’s asylum case with Financial
Markets and Funds Associate Robert Bourret.

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