Katten has taken on Chicago pastor and community activist Corey Brooks as a pro bono client. Mr. Brooks spent three months on the roof of an abandoned motel adjacent to his church in the Woodlawn neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago in the hopes of raising awareness about violence in the community—as well as the money needed to purchase the motel's land and demolish the building, which had become a haven for crime and drugs. The building came down on March 27 after Mr. Brooks successfully raised the $450,000 needed to buy the motel, which included a sizeable donation from actor-director-producer Tyler Perry. The firm is now representing Mr. Brooks in connection with his efforts to raise $15 million to build a new community center on the site of the old motel through his Project H.O.O.D. (Helping Others Obtain Destiny) initiative.
