Posts Tagged ‘ Pro Bono ’

King and Spalding Pro Bono Work Saves Man from Death Row

August 16th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Attorney Alan Dial of King and Spalding in Washington DC…

Attorney Alan Dial: “We believe in Justin’s innocence and…that there was more to it than what was presented at trial.”

An intense six year effort and 9000 hours of pro bono work by the firm of King and Spalding has overturned the capital murder conviction and death sentence for 29-year-old Justin Wolfe, a man whose trial the court ruled was rife with prosecutorial misconduct.

“We were thrilled about that and very excited to have Judge Jackson conduct such a thorough and careful review of the facts and find that the prosecution failed to turn over a lot of information that would have been extremely helpful in presenting a defense in the murder charge presented against Justin at trial,” says trial attorney Alan Dial from King and Spalding in Washington D.C.

Wolfe, who was involved in marijuana distribution ring, was found guilty of killing his supplier in a murder hire plot based on the testimony of a man who later recanted the story he told to police and confessed to committing the murder himself.

A hearing last November found that the state had withheld information that might have precluded Wolfe’s conviction. The arguments put forward at that hearing, says Dial, were the result of long hours and a collaborative effort with University of Virginia law students working on the Innocence Project and the efforts of the Virginia Capital Representation Resource Center.

“As a lawyer, you want to make sure that the rules of engagement are set up so that the process is fair,” says Dial who previously worked as an assistant state prosecutor in Atlanta and San Diego, “particularly when you have someone who has been convicted of capital murder.”

“We believe in Justin’s innocence and wanted to dig into the facts of the case and show the court that there was more to it than what was presented at trial,” he adds.

Wolfe, who has been on death row in Virginia since 2002, was also convicted on charges of drug dealing and will remain in prison.

An appeal by the Commonwealth is possible however, and Dial says King and Spalding will remain on the case. The firm has a long history doing pro bono work and as many as 50 members of the firm were involved in the Wolfe case.

For Dial, apart from overturning Wolfe’s murder conviction, one of the highlights of the case was working with the 12 UVA students involved in the Innocence Project.

“The experience was outstanding” says Dial. “I think this experience gave the students incredible experience. They assisted us in reviewing documents and interviewing witnesses, helping us with some of the research that went into this so it was a real collaborative effort.”

Alan Dial is a partner in the international law firm of King and Spalding. He earned his J.D. at Howard University and focuses his practice on complex civil litigation, white collar criminal litigation and internal investigations. He has experience in pharmaceutical, medical device, healthcare, criminal and civil investigations.

Tags: Alan Dial, Justin Wolfe, King and Spalding, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono, The Innocence Project, University of Virginia, wrongful convictions
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back | 1 Comment »

Attorney Holly Baer Kammerer: It’s about Helping Others

June 28th, 2011. By BrendaC

Attorney Holly Baer Kammerer: “Some people might believe ‘lawyers are in it for the money’, but it’s certainly not the case in our firm.”

A skilled attorney and mother of three boys, Holly Baer Kammerer never loses sight of why practicing law is important to her. A personal injury attorney with the well-known firm of Burg Simpson, Kammerer has come to the rescue of families in crisis, injured children, children with disabilities and recently she’s become involved in representing women harmed by the controversial birth control pill, Yaz.

“I became a lawyer to help people through a process—for a lot of people, personal injury litigation is a very difficult process and it can be very confusing,” says Kammerer. “It can take time and it is coupled with the fact that clients often have serious injuries and they are in pain and that can magnify the difficulty.”

Kammerer considers she is fortunate to be part of a firm that puts an emphasis on practicing law to the highest moral and ethical standards. Although like everyone else in our society, lawyers have to be compensated for the work they do, the money is secondary. “Some people might believe ‘lawyers are in it for the money’, but it’s certainly not the case in our firm. I believe we are in it for the right reasons and we believe in giving back to the community.”

Burg Simpson has given millions of dollars to community organizations in the Denver area over the last two decades. Some of it has gone to the Denver Symphony, some to the Craig Hospital that specializes in the treatment of spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury patients—and other recipients include multiple charitable causes that make up a long list of ongoing projects.

Kammerer spends many of her off hours helping low income families access early childhood education as the Vice President/President Elect for the Wild Plum Center in the Longmont and Boulder County area. “There are many children in the area from families that live below the national poverty level,” says Kammerer. “Many of the kids have a combination of issues and I am interested in that and focused on that. My oldest son has a genetic disability and early intervention in his preschool years was extremely important and I certainly know how important that is.”

Members of the Burg Simpson team recently agreed to put themselves out there in a t.v. commercial to raise money for worthwhile projects. “I thought, I am a lawyer,” Kammerer says with a soft laugh. “I don’t want to do commercials, but it does help raise money and that helps our community.”

It is late in the day as Kammerer talks about the business of being a lawyer and she is finishing up some work at home as her three boys return from school. “It is true it goes deeper. I love being a lawyer and helping people and if I wasn’t able to help people and be involved in charitable work, I guess I would be happy to be at home with my boys.”

Holly Baer Kammerer is a shareholder in the law firm of Burg Simpson and has been a practicing lawyer for 19 years. Her career began in Washington D.C. and she joined Burg Simpson in Denver in 1996. She has recovered millions of dollars for her clients including a $2.5 million personal injury verdict in US District Court for the District of Colorado. Kammerer also volunteers with children in the St. Vrain Valley School District and she volunteers on behalf of children with disabilities, specifically in education and research regarding Velo Cardio Facial Syndrome (VCFS).

Tags: Burg Simpson, Holly Baer Kammerer, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back | 1 Comment »

Burg Simpson: Denver’s Tight ‘Knit’ Law Firm

June 20th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers and law firms you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with legal secretary Gina Clement of Burg Simpson…

Legal Secretary Gina Clement: “giving back…is really rewarding and makes me like working here even more.”

It maybe isn’t what you’d expect to happen at a law firm like Burg Simpson, but then again it might be. A major law firm that engages itself in serious litigation is hardly the place you’d expect to find people knitting in the office lunchroom—but that is exactly what happens several times a year.

The “Kaps for Kendall” knitted hat drive started six years ago when legal secretary Gina Clement was struck by the strength and courage of a young Denver, Colorado woman who was born with Fanconi Anemia (FA), a rare and often fatal blood disease.

To save her life, Kendall Atkinson would have to undergo a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately it meant losing her long curly hair—no minor inconvenience to a young girl just barely out of her teens. To cope with the hair loss, Kendall began knitting hats.

Sadly, the bone marrow transplant failed and Kendall died at age 20. But the knitted hat drive continues and, through the efforts of the Burg Simpson knitters, it continues to raise money for the Fanconi Research Fund and provide warm fuzzy hats for individuals across the US who are going through treatment for FA or other diseases, like cancer, that might also involve hair loss.

“At first I thought won’t that be fun, we will do something for charity,” says Gina Clement. “And when I met the Atkinson family I felt like I had known them my whole life. I absolutely love to knit and it’s a great way to do something for the community.”

Burg Simpson has a deep and abiding commitment to giving back to the community and the firm has earned a reputation for contributing time and hundreds of thousands of dollars each year to a variety of worthy causes in the Denver area.

For legal secretary Gina Clement it’s a nice break from some of the more weighty issues the lawyers and staff usually deal with. “It’s a chance to cool your head a little bit,” says Clement. “It’s just really awesome that everyone genuinely cares about giving back here. It is really rewarding and makes me like working here even more.”

Gina Clement is legal secretary to attorney Michael Burg, founding partner of Burg Simpson.

Tags: Burg Simpson, Fanconi Anemia, Gina Clement, Kaps for Kendall, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back | 2 Comments »

Lawyer Wall of Heroes: 26 Stories You Really Should Read

May 25th, 2011. By AbiK

Chances are, none of the lawyers shown above is really comfortable with the title “hero”. And we usually reserve the honor for caped crusaders in tights or, joking aside, those who’ve shown incredibly selfless acts of courage in the face of devastating events. But for the individuals who were extended a helping hand during their own personal hour of need—often when everyone else had turned their backs on them—these attorneys are indeed truly heroes.

In each of our interviews with these attorneys, the majority shared this one quote with our senior legal correspondent, Brenda: “It’s the right thing to do.” If you’re wondering what that ‘thing’ is for each of them, click on their images above to find out. The legal practice areas they’ve chosen to champion and the causes they’ve chosen to support are as diverse as can be imagined—from Hurricane Katrina to children with special needs to the transgender community and even one that combines practicing with preaching.

We continue to be inspired by the pro bono stories we share in our Lawyers Giving Back columns. We hope you are, too.

If you know an attorney who ‘gives back’, let us know—we’d love to share their story as well. Drop us a line at .

Tags: charitable giving, Lawyer Wall of Heroes #1, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono, Volunteer
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers, Lawyers Giving Back | 2 Comments »

Attorney Andrew Strenio Discusses Team Effort to Release Cuban Doctor from Prison

April 26th, 2011. By BrendaC

Lawyers Giving Back looks at a side of lawyers you don’t hear too much about—the side that gives back…pays it forward..and shares the love. We’ve found quite a number of attorneys who log non-billable hours helping others—simply because they believe it’s the right thing to do. Their stories are inspiring, and hey, who knew lawyers were so…good? If you’ve got a story to share about an attorney who’s doing the right thing, let us know—we’d love to let others know, too. Today, we’re talking with Washington DC attorney Andrew Strenio of Sidley Austin…

Attorney Andrew Strenio: “When you…work with this kind of an individual you don’t begrudge a second that you spend on it”

Had it not been for the efforts of a group of American lawyers, Cuban human rights activist, Dr. Oscar Biscet might have continued to languish in a jail on the outskirts of Havana. But in March 2011, after eight years in prison, Biscet was released. It had taken six years and likely thousands of pro bono hours involving delicate negotiations by a determined and skilled group of lawyers to achieve freedom for Biscet.

: Attorney Andrew Strenio of Sidley Austin

“It was just phenomenal news,” says Andrew Strenio from the Sidley Austin firm in Washington DC.

“We were a proud partner in the effort, but it was really a collaborative effort,” says Strenio. “There really were so many people involved including Jeremy Zucker from Hogan Lovells here in DC.”

Since the 1980s, Biscet, a medical doctor, has been a fearless advocate for basic civil liberties in Cuba. His pro democracy position came with considerable risk to his safety and well-being.

In 2002, Biscet was arrested, charged and sentenced to 25 years in prison as an enemy of the state. Known and respected internationally for his opposition to the Cuban government, Biscet has been likened to Nelson Mandela, Vaclav Havel and others who have risked their lives in David and Goliath human rights struggles.

In fact, Biscet was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in February, just weeks before his release from prison.

If Biscet had been willing to accept exile as the price for freedom he might have been released sooner according to Strenio. “Oscar made it clear he would stay in prison no matter how long it took in order to be able to remain in Cuba, which shows his love of his country,” says Strenio.

“He was also subjected to horrific conditions during his imprisonment which were certainly barbaric,” says Strenio. “Despite all that, he had this immense personal and moral courage in refusing to accept exile to another country as the price of release.”

Strenio won’t discuss how the group managed to negotiate Biscet’s release, but it is fair to say they talked to anyone that they believed might have influence with the Cubans.

“Any attorney knows it is a challenge to achieve a result in your home district and the farther away you go from home the more complicated it becomes,” says Strenio.

“Dealing with the situation in Cuba is extraordinarily complicated both because of the dictatorial nature of the regime and because of the distance and because of Dr. Biscet’s plight of being imprisoned unjustly for such a long period of time,” he adds.

How many hours he and other lawyers involved spent working on the Biscet case is impossible to know.

“It added up to a considerable amount,” says Strenio. “But I don’t think any of us involved in the process stopped to count. When you do this kind of work with this kind of an individual you don’t begrudge a second that you spend working on it. In fact you feel quite honored to be able to help to such a person.”

Andrew Strenio is a partner in the firm of Sidley Austin. Considered a top-flight full-service international firm, Sidley Austin has 1,600 lawyers working in 17 cities in the US and around the world. Strenio’s practice focuses on domestic and international anti-trust law. He is also a former Federal Trade Commissioner.

Tags: Attorney Andrew Strenio, Cuba, Dr Oscar Biscet, Lawyers Giving Back, Pro Bono, Sidley Austin
Posted in Emerging Issues, Lawyers Giving Back | 1 Comment »