Katten Cares Pro Bono & Community Service Report
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Katten Cares Pro Bono & Community Service Report March 2021 Victories on Behalf of Clients Chicago Team Wins Settlement for Prisoner Who Filed Civil Rights Complaint In 2015, Litigation senior counsel Ted Helwig was appointed by the US Court for the Northern District of Illinois to represent a prisoner who filed a complaint against the DuPage County Correctional Facility and the psychiatrist at the facility, alleging civil rights claims. During a suicidal episode, the client walked out of his second floor cell and jumped head- first onto the first floor, which rendered him paraplegic. The complaint alleged that the jail and the psychiatrist were aware of the client’s mental health issues but continued to house him in a dangerous second floor cell and did not provide any other precautions. Katten attorneys took and defended numerous depositions, and defeated two motions for summary judgment over the course of the case. Ultimately, Litigation partner David Stagman, Litigation associate Shannon Gross, and Financial Markets Litigation and Enforcement associate Anna Porter negotiated a substantial settlement amount in February 2021. This is a large settlement for a prisoners’ rights case, and the client is very pleased. Over the course of six years, 16 Katten attorneys and numerous paralegals and summer associates worked on the case, including Sarah Crocker, Anna Mikulski and Karolen Younan. Attorneys no longer at Katten who made significant contributions are: Amelia Chapple, Kristin Foster and Abimbola Oladukon. Zachary Denver, Chase Galerman and Zachary Beal Obtain Asylum for Cuban Refugee Fleeing Government Persecution Former associate Zachary Denver won an appeal with the Board of Immigration Appeals in September 2020 on behalf of a Cuban refugee, who had fled to the United States after being persecuted by the Cuban government. Due to her association with her common-law husband, who was a journalist associated with the Cuban Institute for Freedom of Expression and Press (ICLEP), the woman had an imputed political opinion that she was in opposition to the government. In March 2019, her husband fled Cuba after being arbitrarily detained by the Cuban government. When her husband failed to appear after receiving a summons, probation agents from the national revolutionary police and investigative technical department brought her in to be interrogated by two police officers. Later, after being threatened and raped by officers, the woman fled Cuba in July 2019, fearing that she would lose her life or end up in prison. In March 2020, an immigration judge had denied the client’s application for asylum based on an adverse credibility finding, among other deficiencies in her application. At the time, the client was represented by different counsel from Katten. Afterwards, her case was referred to Katten, and with Zachary Denver’s assistance, she filed a motion to remand with the Board of Immigration Appeals based on ineffective assistance of her prior counsel. She also asserted that her previous attorney did not submit key evidence corroborating her story. In August 2020, the Board granted the client’s motion, reasoning that there should be a chance to update the record in order to issue a decision based on all the facts. New York Litigation associates Zachary Beal and Chase Galerman joined the Katten team in representing the client in September 2020. Zachary Denver and they prepared a motion, a new asylum application, supporting brief and other documents on behalf of the client so that she would be released on conditional parole or for the court to set reasonable Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 1
bond. Katten asserted that the client was not a danger to others or property,
was not a threat to national security, and was not a flight risk. The Immigration “We deeply valued the
Judge denied the motion, reasoning that their client escaped her home country opportunity to work on this
of Cuba and, as such, was potentially a flight risk in the United States.
asylum matter and are grateful
Katten’s team represented the client at her asylum hearing. They prepared that we were able to contribute
a memorandum in support of the client’s application for asylum and other
to achieving asylum for our
documents, arguing that she should be granted asylum because she faced
past persecution on her imputed political opinion, had a well-founded fear of client. Devoting time and
future persecution, no statutory bars for asylum applied to her, and that the professional skills to pro bono
Immigration Judge should adopt the holding of the US District Court for the service is a hallmark of the legal
District of Columbia, which had invalidated an interim rule established under profession that, in our opinion,
President Trump that barred aliens seeking to enter the United States through
its southern border on or after July 16, 2019 from receiving asylum unless they
benefits the community, the
first successfully applied for similar protection in another country that they attorney, and the firm,” Zachary
traversed to enter the United States. Beal and Chase said.
Despite having a low rate of granting asylum, the Immigration Judge found
Katten’s legal arguments persuasive and sound and requested written closing arguments to be submitted weeks after
the client’s hearing. Katten submitted closing argument, and after reading those, the Immigration Judge issued an order
granting the client asylum in January.
Christina Romero and Neil Carbone Prove Two Hungarian Citizens as Heirs of
Holocaust Survivor
New York Private Wealth associate Christina Romero, with assistance from Private Wealth partner Neil Carbone,
obtained a determination from the New York County Surrogate’s Court that two Hungarian citizens were the sole heirs of
US citizen and decedent, Stephen Klein. After completing the administration of Mr. Klein’s estate, the New York County
Public Administrator sought judicial approval of its final accounting and direction as to how to distribute Mr. Klein’s
remaining assets. The clients received notice of the hearing but could not afford counsel or the cost of travelling to New
York, so Katten appeared on their behalf as pro bono counsel.
To prove that the clients, a half-sister and a niece from a predeceased sister, were Mr. Klein’s closest living heirs, Christina
and Neil sought testimony of disinterested persons who could prove Mr. Klein’s family tree. Regrettably, Mr. Klein was a
loner who hardly spoke about his family with his one long-time friend. Christina and Neil were left to gather documentary
evidence, which also proved difficult as Mr. Klein’s family was directly and severely impacted by the Holocaust, making
certain records unavailable, and whatever records were available had to be obtained from several different countries. At
the kinship hearing before the Court, Christina presented birth and death certificates of other family members, as well as
a document from the Budapest Jewish Community stating that Mr. Klein’s brother was killed in the Holocaust. After the
submission of post-hearing briefs, the Court rejected other claims to Mr. Klein’s assets and found that the clients were Mr.
Klein’s sole heirs, each entitled to one-half of his net estate, which is worth, in total, $65,000. While the funds may not seem
like much by New York standards, they will go a long way for our Hungarian clients, who could very much use the money.
Chad Doobay Wins Asylum for West African Man Fleeing Political Persecution
After five years, Chicago Government and Public Finance partner Chad Doobay successfully obtained asylum for a
man from Togo who fled to the United States in January 2015 after facing political persecution. The man had been a
labor union leader of customs forwarding agents. After attending several peaceful strikes to protest what he and others
believed were the unfair labor practices of the Togolese government, he was kidnapped by military officers and held in a
military detention facility for four days, where he was falsely accused of working with the Togolese government’s political
opponents to destabilize the government. He was tortured, humiliated, starved and interrogated before being released on
provision. Soon after, the military issued a summons for him to return for further interrogations, and, fearing for his safety,
he fled to the United States and filed for asylum through the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 2
Chad took on the man’s case in November 2015 and filed his asylum application in December of that same year. The man’s
asylum interview was rescheduled several times, initially due to a backlog of more than 158,000 cases at the Asylum Office
and later because of changes made under the Trump administration to the review process for asylum applications and
delays in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the client waited for his application to be reviewed, Chad helped him
obtain employment authorization, so he would be able to work. In the meantime, the client also received counseling for
post-traumatic stress disorder and continued working and studying English, while his wife and three children remained in
Togo and were unable to come to the United States.
After five years, the client’s interview was rescheduled for and took place on November 4, 2020. Chad helped him prepare
for the interview and submitted more than 200 pages of supporting materials, including a medical affidavit documenting
his physical scars, a psychological affidavit documenting his post-traumatic stress diagnosis, a country’s condition expert
on conditions in his home country, and a legal brief. On November 23, 2020, the man was notified that his application for
asylum was approved.
Chicago Team Negotiates Purchase of Chicago Furniture Bank’s First Warehouse
Since September 2020, Chicago Real Estate associates Sophia Popovic and Kristen Froese have been representing the
Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB), a nonprofit that provides gently-used furniture and household items to people who are
leaving temporary shelters and moving into permanent housing, to help the organization negotiate a purchase and sale
agreement of a warehouse building in Chicago and review and evaluate due diligence materials. Chicago Commercial
Litigation partner Nancy Rich is also providing guidance on environmental matters related to the purchase and sale of
the warehouse.
Founded by students from the University of Pennsylvania in July 2018, CFB
made the connection between businesses, such as hotels and offices that have “By representing CFB in this
furniture they want to dispose of, and community organizations placing people deal, I know that I can really
in need into permanent housing.
make a difference for them as an
“When most people think about getting homeless people, recovering addicts, organization, doing what we do
domestic abuse victims, ex-convicts and other disadvantaged individuals off the
best, which in turn means CFB
street and into permanent housing, they don’t think about furniture, but having
furniture is an essential prerequisite for making that housing habitable,” said can focus on the community
Chicago Real Estate partner Alvin Katz. they serve and what they do
In February, the purchase was successful, making the warehouse building CFB’s best,” Sophia said.
first permanent home. The organization will begin operating out of the building
in the summer of 2021.
“The work CFB is doing is quite inspiring and very much needed,” Sophia said. “While we as attorneys are giving our time
and skills, I know I gain so much personally and professionally by representing a pro bono client like CFB.”
For Sophia, working with a client like CFB is an example of why she enjoys doing pro bono work.
Shannon Gross and J. Matthew Haws Help Gay Man from Cote D’Ivoire Obtain Asylum
Financial Markets Litigation and Enforcement partner J. Matthew Haws, Litigation associate Shannon Gross and
Intellectual Property associate Guylaine Haché successfully helped their client, a gay man from Cote D’Ivoire, seek asylum
in the United States. Among other trauma, the client’s sexual orientation was revealed to his family, who imprisoned and
beat him until he was able to escape to Chicago in December 2019. The Katten team received the case from the National
Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) shortly thereafter and were able to interview the client, gather materials and draft an
asylum application, all with a language barrier and while working remotely for the first time. Despite significant delays
from the asylum office due to the pandemic, the petition was successful, and the client was granted asylum in January and
now lives safely in the United States.
With so much change in 2020, J. Matthew, Shannon and Guylaine said it was an honor to help someone in need. “It was the
high point of my year to learn our client’s asylum application was granted, and I still beam when I think of it. I look forward
to helping others in the future,” Shannon said.
Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 3
Katten Helps Foundation That Empowers Small Farmers to Update Employee Benefits Plan In December 2020, Katten began advising Digital Green Foundation, a global development organization that empowers small family farms to lift themselves out of poverty by harnessing the power of technology and local partnerships, on the design and implementation of its employee benefits. Digital Green needed assistance in documenting various medical, dental, and vision programs. Employee Benefits and Executive Compensation senior counsel Russell Greenblatt and associate Tenley Mochizuki reviewed and revised Digital Green’s relevant plan documents and counseled the foundation on negotiations with its third-party administrator. Armed with Katten’s recommendations, Digital Green has been able to update its employee benefits so it can attract and retain the talent it needs to continue fulfilling its mission of improving agricultural, health and nutrition outcomes in rural communities. Erica Yang Counsels Debt-Stricken Client Through Lawyers Helping Our Community Clinic To help address the economic and health impacts of the coronavirus pandemic on Asian American communities, Private Credit associate Erica Yang partnered with Chicago Volunteer Legal Services (CVLS) and colleagues from other Chicago law firms to create the Lawyers Helping Our Community (LHOC) Clinic in June 2020. Recently, Erica and LHOC provided assistance to a client who was involved in a car accident without proper insurance and struggled with major health problems. For the past three years, the client worked to save money and borrowed from friends and family to support himself and meet his monthly repayments. In 2019, he suffered multiple brain hemorrhages and was hospitalized. He worked when he could and continued to try to meet his monthly payments. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, the client lost his job and almost became homeless. He found temporary employment but was unable to keep making his monthly payments. He became overwhelmed by debt and his medical conditions, and his mental health began to deteriorate. Erica and other attorneys from LHOC met with the client virtually during the pandemic and negotiated with the collection agency to reduce his remaining balance from more than $4,000 to $900. They also counseled him on services available in his area and on his eligibility to receive various state and federal benefits and explained the application processes. The client was grateful to LHOC for assistance and said he would like to donate to the clinic in the future if he has the opportunity. CVLS highlighted this case in its newsletter. Katten Helps American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children Create Bylaw Provisions to Protect Its Name In January, the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children (APSAC) approached senior counsel and pro bono counsel Janet Goelz Hoffman for assistance in creating provisions for the model bylaws for their state chapters that would protect the APSAC name and satisfy the Internal Revenue Services’ requirements for tax exempt entities. APSAC had approached some other pro bono counsel with this request before Katten, but they were not experienced enough to be able to fully meet ASPAC’s needs. Janet has assisted a number of national organizations with state chapters on similar issues and was able to respond within the same week as the request was made, providing APSAC with some model bylaws for the organization to review and consider and, upon APSAC’s approval, later drafting the model bylaws. Support for the Community Carl Kennedy Hosts Virtual VAWA Immigration Clinic for Low-Income Residents Seeking Legal Status Being passionate about defending immigrants and to address the growing need for legal immigration services in New York City, Financial Markets and Funds partner Carl Kennedy teamed up with Legal Services New York City (LSNYC) and attorneys from JPMorgan Asset Management’s legal department to offer a Virtual VAWA Immigration Advice Clinic in February 2021 that matched attorneys with four pro bono clients located in the New York City area. LSNYC held a two hour virtual training for attorneys from Katten and JP Morgan’s legal department on how to advise clients on the VAWA, or Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 4
Violence Against Women Act, petition process. VAWA self-petitions are a form of immigration relief for domestic violence
victims who are married to US citizens or permanent residents. After the training, Katten and JPMorgan attorneys met
with four clients virtually over the course of one week to discuss the grounds on which they could apply for VAWA relief
and to help them prepare relevant immigration paperwork and accompanying statements of support.
Katten’s first Immigration Advice Clinic was held in November 2019. Katten attorneys who participated in the recent
virtual clinic included Corporate counsel Kelly Hutchinson, Corporate associates Lisa Wiznitzer and Erik Peterson,
Litigation associates Anna Mikulski, Samantha Taylor and Margaret McQuade, Financial Markets and Funds associates
Gregory Uffner and Timothy Kertland, Mergers and Acquisitions associate Alexa Rollins, Private Credit associate Stacy
Cundy, and Real Estate associates Edward Thiele, Gabriela Sampaio and Ava Alim.
Rhodri Preece Helps Law Students Interview Pro Bono Client at BPP University Clinic
London Real Estate associate Rhodri Preece volunteered to help law students in a law school pro bono clinic at BPP
University in the United Kingdom interview a pro bono client in January about a property dispute that involved failure
by the client’s landlord to meet its obligations under its headlease. The
client runs a small software development company in London and had to
close his business for two days and vacate the premises and work out of “Working with the students was a
alternative premises for a further two weeks. This occurred after learning rewarding experience, not only in
that the superior landlord was instructing bailiffs to visit the premises
terms of being able to ensure they
and repossess goods from the intermediate landlord, due to its failure to
comply with the headlease. The client incurred costs in excess of £15,000 were able to advise a client that
as a result of having to remove office equipment and relocate his business could not otherwise afford legal
for two weeks, while the issues over the lease were resolved. advice to resolve its dispute, but
Rhodri supervised the law students during their video conference interview also in terms of offering advice to
with the client, where they took instructions on the full nature of the the students about improving their
client’s dispute. Under Rhodri’s guidance and supervision, the students
advising skills,” Rhodri said.
were able to advise the client advice on the likelihood of bringing a
successful claim to recover the client’s losses.
Honors and Appointments
Katten Recognized by American Bar Association for Pro Bono Work with Legal Advice Clinic
Katten was recognized by the American Bar Association (ABA) Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service as an
ABA Free Legal Answers 2020 Pro Bono Leader for the firm’s dedication to pro bono service and providing legal advice to
low-income individuals who need it through the ABA’s virtual legal advice clinic, Free Legal Answers.
Participating attorneys from Katten, who advised their clients on
a wide variety of legal issues, included New York partner and chair
of the Real Estate Department Timothy Little, Chicago Real Estate
associates Timothy Cross and Edward Thiele, Chicago Litigation
associates Ben Levine and Mario Robertson, Chicago Corporate
associates Alex Schnepf and Zade Shakir, Chicago Financial
Markets Litigation and Enforcement associate Gizem Tunca,
Chicago Financial Markets and Funds associate Jack West and
Chicago Private Credit associate Erica Yang.
The annual recognition is presented to individual attorneys, law firms, corporate law departments and other
organizations that have provided extraordinary pro bono services through ABA Free Legal Answers. Katten attorneys
answered 119 civil legal questions through their participation in the clinic. Katten received a certificate and digital badge
acknowledging the firm as a recipient of the award and was also recognized on the ABA Free Legal Answer’s website.
Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 5
Janet Goelz Hoffman Becomes Pro Bono Counsel at Katten After 40 Years of
Helping Nonprofits
For almost 40 years, Government and Public Finance senior counsel Janet Goelz Hoffman
has helped nonprofit organizations achieve their missions by providing legal counsel on
matters involving board governance, tax and conflict of interest issues, as well as billions of
dollars in financings for the benefit of hospital systems, cultural and educational institutions,
and continuing care retirement communities.
In February, Janet assumed the role of pro bono counsel at Katten and collaborates with
Katten’s Director of Pro Bono Services Jonathan Baum to engage more transactional
attorneys in the firm’s pro bono work and enhance the firm’s pro bono program. The new
Janet Goelz Hoffman
position reflects Katten’s commitment to
high quality and impactful pro bono work, and Janet’s commitment to
focusing her energies on enhancing that work. “The firm’s substantial investment in
“We can take on more sophisticated assignments. I will be able to having people like Jonathan and me as
provide additional depth of experience and time and attention to administrators and encouraging that
expand on what our associates and partners already provide,” Janet
kind of pro bono work through a variety
said about her new role.
of ways shows that Katten is deeply
Each year, Katten engages in a broad array of transactional pro
invested in the quality of the pro bono
bono work, ranging from representing disadvantaged, low-income
populations, to helping small nonprofits achieve tax-exempt status work that we do and making sure that it
so that they can accomplish their unique missions. For Janet, doing is just as good as the work we do for our
pro bono work allows her to provide smaller organizations with the paying clients,” Janet said.
same caliber of advice that the largest and most successful nonprofits
typically enjoy.
Public Counsel Honors Memory of the Late Tanya Russell
Katten’s former Director of Office Administration, California, Tanya Russell, passed away in
late 2020. For more than a decade, Tanya organized the Katten team in support of the annual
Run for Justice event that raises funds for Public Counsel, the nation’s largest legal aid agency.
In recognition of, as Public Counsel’s Director of Development put it, the fact that “because
of Tanya’s incredible gift of rallying the troops, the award for best team participation almost
always went to Katten,” Public Counsel has named the Run for Justice trophy for the largest
team the Tanya Russell Team Participation Award. Tanya also was a major supporter of Public
Counsel’s William O. Douglas dinner, attending and arranging donations of silent auction items.
Tanya Russell
To further honor Tanya, Los Angeles
Litigation partner Joel Weiner has donated $1,000 to Public Counsel.
“I miss her,” Joel said of Tanya. “I
Joel, who is a member of Katten’s Pro Bono Committee and co-chair appreciated her collaboration, and she
of the firm’s pro bono program in Los Angeles, has been a member
was so committed to Public Counsel’s
of the Public Counsel Board of Directors for six years and has been
participating in Public Counsel’s annual dinner and Run for Justice mission of equal justice.”
event for more than a decade.
New York State Bar Association Selects More Than 30 Katten Attorneys as Empire State
Counsel Honorees
More than 30 attorneys from Katten’s New York office were selected as Empire State Counsel Honorees by the New
York State Bar Association as part of its Empire State Counsel program. These attorneys performed 50 or more hours of
pro bono services from December 2019 to November 2020. They received Empire State Counsel certificates in honor of
their dedication to public service on behalf of those with limited means or nonprofit and public service organizations.
Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 6
Congratulations to Intellectual Property partners Karen Artz Ash, Doron Goldstein, Jessica Kraver and Trisha Sircar, Litigation partners Michael Rosensaft, Alan Brudner, Brian Muldrew, Anthony Paccione, Scott Resnik and Marc Tract, Real Estate partners Andrew Jagoda and Timothy Little, Real Estate counsel William Meltzer, Private Wealth partners Jonathan Byer and Neil Carbone, Financial Markets and Funds partner Carl Kennedy, Litigation associates Sean Akchin, Thomas Artaki, Zachary Beal, Craig Convissar, Margaret Donohue and Chase Galerman, Structured Finance associates Devon Bryant, Matthew Jennings and Osahon Okundaye, Intellectual Property associate Alexandra Caleca and Dagatha Delgado, Transactional Tax Planning associate Tenley Mochizuki, Private Wealth associates Cynthia Reed and Christina Romero, Real Estate associate Christy Tirtatunggal. Rebecca Lindahl Elected Chair of Board of Directors for Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation Charlotte Litigation partner Becky Lindahl has been elected the chairperson of the Board of Directors of The Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation, a Charlotte-based nonprofit started by retired NBA point guard Muggsy Bogues that provides basic resources like food and clean water for at-risk families in Charlotte, as well as community college scholarships to vocationally bound students. Becky had become involved with the foundation after being approached by its executive director because of her work on other nonprofit boards. Living in a socioeconomically diverse neighborhood in Charlotte that experienced a homelessness crisis during the COVID-19 pandemic, Becky also had been looking for opportunities to assist at-risk families in the city. Becky’s experience with nonprofit board governance and fundraising will assist her as board chair in helping the Muggsy Bogues Family Foundation expand its reach and impact in 2021. The foundation’s goal over the next year is to double its impact in the community by providing hot meals and clean water to at-risk families, as well as at least six community college scholarships to Central Piedmont Community College students pursuing vocational education. “It’s a privilege to work alongside Muggsy Bogues to support and empower at-risk families in Charlotte. Muggsy did great things for Charlotte on the court as a Hornet and as the head coach of Charlotte’s WNBA team, the Charlotte Sting, and now he’s doing even better things by helping Charlotte families get their basic needs met to be safe, healthy and stable,” Becky said. Fundraising for the Public Good Katten Hosts Virtual Bingo Night with Special Olympics of Southern California Athletes More than 45 Katten employees and their families participated in a “Virtual Bingo” night with the Special Olympics of Southern California (SOSC) on January 27. Participants played four rounds, won prizes and, in between games, heard from SOSC athletes about their experiences with the organization. Among the SOSC athletes who participated in the Q&A session was Jordan Wall, a strong swimmer who has competed in many US and Special Olympics swim meets, and Caley Versfelt, an actress who has been featured on A&E’s Emmy Award-winning show Born this Way and has interviewed celebrities at red carpet events. Katten attorneys and staff participated in the event, including Dallas Health Care partner Cheryl Camin Murray, Litigation Legal Executive Assistant Maryann Carpentieri, Corporate Legal Executive Assistants Dawn Sykes and Victoria LoBello, and Docket Assistant Javone Iabichello. Katten Chairman Roger Furey also participated in the event and spoke directly with one of the SOSC athletes. Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 7
Katten’s Los Angeles Century City office has been a longtime supporter of SOSC, and Los Angeles Litigation partner David
Halberstadter is part of the SOSC Board of Directors. Katten raised over $1,000 in donations to SOSC.
“This was such a fun evening, especially because we all got to play along and interact with four of SOSC’s
athletes, who shared just how impactful SOSC has been to their lives. It’s such a caring organization, and I’m
proud that Katten has been such a committed sponsor,” David said.
Gavin Vollans Raises Funds to Support Rehabilitation of Neighborhood Park
After noticing that Priory Park, a park in his local neighborhood, was in a poor state with limited play equipment and no
options for older children, London Real Estate partner Gavin Vollans took the initiative to talk to his local town council in
Ware, England in September 2020 about their plans for the park and what budgets were available to update it. Realizing
that the town council needed assistance, Gavin created a Facebook page to promote awareness locally, commissioned a
survey to collect information from local residents about what they would like to see in the park, and set up a fundraising
page to supplement the town council’s budget. Gavin and his two
daughters are also continuing to distribute posters and leaflets to
generate support from local businesses. In the future, he hopes to
apply for local and national grants to help improve the park.
Gavin hopes to raise up to £30,000 and has so far raised £3,400.
Upgrading the park would include repairing and revitalizing
a skate park area in the park, installing new equipment such
as a twin zip line, a climbing dome, new swings and slides, and
interactive play equipment.
On his fundraising page, Gavin writes: “With your personal
support and the support of local businesses, I genuinely believe
we can make a difference and help achieve something that we, “Ware is a vibrant town with so much to offer
our children and future generations can enjoy. In these peculiar residents and visitors. As part of that offering it
and uncertain times, having good quality and varied outdoor play should have a central park available to all that
and activity equipment is even more important.”
connects, energizes, inspires play and gives the
To learn more about Gavin’s efforts and to help support his local users the recreational activity they deserve,”
park in Ware, click here.
Gavin said.
Click here to visit his Facebook page.
From Grateful Clients
From Mary Meg McCarthy, executive director of National Immigrant Justice Center, to Chicago managing partner
and co-chair of the Litigation Department, Gil Soffer:
“I want to congratulate you, your firm, and the dedicated Katten attorneys who provided extraordinary pro bono services to the
National Immigrant Justice Center’s clients during the second half of 2020. Specifically, Chad Doobay obtained asylum for a man
from Togo, whose case had been pending for nearly five years.
As we leave 2020 behind, we recognize that our pro bono network has been critical in helping NIJC and our immigrant neighbors
get through these challenging times. Thank you for all that you do. We look forward to working together to achieve a brighter
future in 2021.”
Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 8From Griffin Amdur, co-founder of the Chicago Furniture From Allyson Haut, president of the League of Bank, to Chicago Real Estate partner Alvin Katz and Chicago Women Voters of Illinois, to Katten’s director of Real Estate associates Sophia Popovic and Kristen Froese: Pro Bono Services, Jonathan Baum, and Katten “The Chicago Furniture Bank (CFB) wanted to thank you again senior counsel and pro bono counsel, Janet Goelz for your incredible work on this deal. I’m still amazed that we Hoffman: were able to get it done (gave us less than a 10 percent chance of “As I have shared many times before, we are very grateful closing at one point). Your ability to work with A.J. was both tactful to be a beneficiary of the Katten commitment to pro and impressive, and we ended up getting an amazing price for the bono services. building. We recognize that we are in an extraordinary position As you know, this warehouse is a major milestone for our to have the gift of this support. We appreciate the organization. It is going to allow the organization to grow its assistance and expertise we have received in improving capacity immensely and ultimately make the CFB sustainable long our organization and, perhaps even more so, the bright, term. We still need to figure out design work for the building but talented and dedicated people with whom we work. plan to have some sort of sponsorship wall that’ll surely include Janet, you have been a thoughtful, insightful and gracious Katten. In addition, we will have a big opening party this summer leader; Jenny and I are learning much beyond the specific that we hope you all can attend.” projects from our time with you. Thank you both!” From T. Alexis Owens, chief imagination officer of Ventures Unlimited Incorporated, to partner and chair of the Midwest Real Estate practice, David Dlugie: “Our country and the world are in unprecedented times and for people of color, it is particularly stressful. I am a woman and [the owner of a] minority-owned communications and marketing firm of 21+ years based in Chicago, Illinois. I am sending this note to express my deepest gratitude for the support of Edward Thiele from Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP. He was extremely instrumental in facilitating a business lease cancellation for our organization that helped us to continue to operate our business during a very difficult time. We had begun working to resolve the leasing issue right at the point when protesting erupted over the death of George Floyd, so it was a time of anxiety for me personally. It also triggered a reaction in me from the leasing company that I felt was privileged, biased and demonstrated a lack of care. I expressed my anxiety and discomfort and how I thought it may create additional difficulty in resolving the issue with Edward. He gave his undivided attention to my needs and went above and beyond to resolve the issue while being compassionate enough to ensure that my well-being was taken care of. As an organization, we have worked with many law firms but have never had a practitioner to move beyond their business responsibility. Please know that based on my experience, Edward Thiele is an amazing attorney. His work ethic, knowledge of the law, and understanding of how to relate to the specific needs of clients is beyond the professional norm. Gloria Steinem said that “Law and justice are not always the same.” Edward exemplifies knowing how to balance both. It has been a pleasure and was truly a valuable benefit.” Please send comments, suggestions and news about interesting pro bono cases and matters you’ve been involved with, as well as any non-legal community service work you’re doing, to jonathan.baum@katten.com. Pro Bono and Community Service Report – March 2021 Page 9
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