(CHICAGO) Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP announced today that 17 of the firm's attorneys were honored for exceptional dedication to pro bono services as part of the firm's 18th Annual Pro Bono Service Awards. Recipients were selected for demonstrating a long-term commitment to using their legal skills on behalf of those in need.
"Pro bono service, like industry-leading client service and legal innovation, is a core value that defines Katten," said Firm Chairman Roger P. Furey. "The honorees this year exemplify caring for underserved people and communities. This dedication to volunteerism is something we treasure here at Katten."
The following attorneys were recognized as Katten's 2017 Pro Bono Service Award recipients:
- Kimberly A. Beis, associate, Litigation
- Amelia M. Chapple, associate, Litigation
- Mark T. Ciani, associate, Litigation
- Kristin L. Coveney, associate, Litigation
- Elizabeth Dominguez, associate, Real Estate
- Allison M. Freedman, associate, Litigation
- Christopher Hitchins, partner, Employment Law and Litigation
- Hannah O. Koesterer, associate, Litigation
- Sarah Ma, associate, Tax Planning
- Thomas P. Peabody, associate, Litigation
- Camille Richard, associate, White Collar, Investigations and Compliance
- Yasmin Roland, associate, Corporate
- Mitch D. Sprengelmeyer, associate, Structured Finance and Securitization
- Carrie M. Stickel, associate, Litigation
- Emily A. Thomas, associate, Real Estate
Additionally, Jonathan J. Faust, a partner in Litigation, and Rebecca Kinburn, an associate in Litigation, received recognition for their pro bono contributions.
Highlights of the pro bono service work honored this year include:
- Assisting travelers and their families at airports in response to the recent travel bans, and providing information sessions and individual counseling to immigrants concerning their legal rights;
- Representing prison inmates on claims of deliberate indifference to their medical needs;
- Working on numerous asylum cases, including obtaining asylum for an Egyptian Coptic Christian refugee who was persecuted by extremists for her work with a Christian orphanage;
- Providing counsel at neighborhood legal clinics on a variety of issues facing low-income individuals and families including wills, unemployment benefits, and child custody and divorce support;
- Defending state and local gun legislation on behalf of the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence; and
- Performing a variety of corporate governance work, obtaining tax-exempt status, and providing employment, commercial, and compliance counseling for nonprofit organizations that help disadvantaged young people find pathways back into education and work, provide education for autistic children, protect wildlife, and clear landmines from former war zones throughout the world, among other noteworthy matters.
"Katten firmly believes in our ethical obligation to serve individuals and organizations in need and to partner with local legal service providers to ensure access to the justice system," said Jonathan Baum, Katten's Director of Pro Bono Services. "We are so proud of this year's Pro Bono Service Award recipients, and all our Katten attorneys, who make a difference in the lives of those less fortunate and in the welfare of the communities in which we practice."
Katten's Pro Bono Service Awards include $1,000 honorariums that each recipient donates to a charity of his/her choice.
