Page 4 - Katten 2021 Pro Bono Annual Review
P. 4
PERSON TO PERSON
Strengthening Direct
Connections to Clients
When the spread of COVID-19 shuttered courthouses
and in-person matters ground to a halt, one thing
didn’t change: the need for justice.
Indeed, the need for legal services only intensified and
was exacerbated by the global pandemic. Our partner
organizations and attorneys responded by persisting
and finding creative ways to press matters forward,
find relief and resolve conflicts.
In one matter, DC-based partner Claudia Callaway
drove 45 minutes to mask up and meet a client, socially
distanced, in a public park. Others quickly adapted
to online clinics, discovering new ways to deliver
services, directly and with a personal touch. They also
raised their hands, volunteering for more hours.
When the courts shut down and offices closed in the
spring of 2020, Ascend Justice reported it scrambled
to create the Remote Order of Protection Hotline to
help survivors obtain Emergency Orders of Protection.
Katten attorneys quickly stepped up to volunteer for
the hotline.
“ [T]he Katten attorneys have been invaluable this past year with our new
program. Katten attorneys have signed up for more shifts than all of our
other partner firms combined.”
KIMBERLY WASHINGTON, MANAGER OF VOLUNTEER SERVICES, STAFF ATTORNEY OF ASCEND JUSTICE
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