Katten Honors Eight Attorneys With Pro Bono Service Awards

(CHICAGO) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP recognized eight of its attorneys for their exemplary commitment to pro bono services as part of the firm’s 13th Annual Pro Bono Service Awards.

Recipients of the award include Monica J. Mosby, partner in Litigation and Dispute Resolution (Chicago); David M. Allen, associate in Trusts and Estates (Chicago); Jessica M. Garrett, associate in Intellectual Property (New York); Christopher D. Jackson, associate in White Collar Defense, Internal Investigations and Compliance (Washington D.C.); Kristine A. Rembach, partner in Environmental (Washington D.C.); Rebecca K. Lindahl, associate in Litigation and Dispute Resolution (Charlotte); Matthew M. Maher, associate in Litigation and Dispute Resolution (Los Angeles); and Ekong Udoekwere, associate in Corporate (Los Angeles).

“These awards recognize the exceptional work these attorneys have done on behalf of pro bono clients on a consistent basis,” said Vincent A.F. Sergi, Katten’s national managing partner. “Through their outstanding commitment, they have helped many people in need improve their lives and receive the justice they deserve.”

The individuals honored this year have provided a wide range of pro bono legal services on a variety of issues including:

• Winning a $1.44 million civil hate crime judgment for a group of young African-American men who were brutally beaten by a white mob
• Creating a new nonprofit for the young sons of a woman with MS to sell handmade artwork to raise money to find a cure for the disease
• Relieving an overburdened federal defender’s office by representing indigent federal criminal defendants in plea negotiations and at trial
• Forcing the trustee of a special needs trust for a mentally disabled, elderly man to restore funds—and the man’s home—the trustee had taken from the trust
• Winning the right to stay in the United States for a woman from Yemen fleeing a forced marriage
• Securing reinstatement of the tax-exempt status for, and counseling the Board of Directors, of an organization that runs training workshops for low-income, high-risk youth to empower them with skills and habits for success
• Obtaining orders of protection for abused women and their children
• Drafting estate planning documents and providing counseling to HIV/AIDS-affected individuals
• Winning relief from property tax assessments that would have forced a charitable organization for the family members of hospitalized patients to close its doors; and
• Mentoring urban high school students in citywide moot court and mock trial competitions

“The attorneys who are honored with these awards are examples of our firm-wide commitment to pro bono services. There are hundreds of Katten attorneys across all of our offices who commit their time and service to pro bono clients each year,” said Jonathan Baum, Katten partner and director of Pro Bono Services. “We are proud of the difference that all of these attorneys make in the lives of those who are less fortunate and in the welfare of the communities Katten serves.”

This year’s Pro Bono Service Award honorees were presented with their awards during events in several Katten offices. Chicago honorees were recognized during a ceremony featuring The Honorable Judge Gary Feinerman of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; Washington D.C. honorees were presented with awards during a ceremony featuring Assistant Federal Public Defender Kenneth Troccoli of the Eastern District of Virginia; New York honorees were presented with awards during a ceremony featuring Bill Lienhard, executive director of Volunteers of Legal Service; Charlotte honorees were presented with awards during a ceremony that included The Honorable Ronald L. Chapman of the District Court of Mecklenburg County; and Los Angeles honorees will receive awards at an event featuring The Honorable Judge Julia W. Brand of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California.

Katten’s Pro Bono Service Awards include a $1,000 honorarium, which recipients donate to a charity of their choice.

To read profiles for the attorneys, click here.