Our Pro Bono Commitment
A Jenner & Block team won the admiration and respect of a federal judge, who nominated the team for an “Excellence in Pro Bono Service” award presented by the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago chapter of the Federal Bar Association. District Judge Matthew Kennelly had appointed Partner Matthew R. Devine to represent a client who alleged that a police officer in the Village of East Dundee had violated his constitutional rights. Associates Hillary E. August and Jordan C. Blumenthal joined the team. The team defeated a motion to dismiss and then settled the case on terms favorable to the client.
Please click here to learn more about the award presented in May.
Sheila Simon, visiting assistant professor at the Southern Illinois University School of Law and former Lieutenant Governor of Illinois, spoke recently on the topic of “The Responsibility of Attorneys To Address Pervasive Societal Issues: Why Law Clinics Should Care about Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault.” In her speech, she discussed a successful effort during her tenure as lieutenant governor: launching a virtual legal clinic that gives domestic violence victims in remote areas of Illinois access to consultation by practicing lawyers via online technologies. She also mentioned an idea that she would like to see come to fruition: an AmeriCorps-type program in which new lawyers would work pro bono on domestic violence and sexual assault cases and get law school loan relief in return.
Ms. Simon spoke at The John Marshall Law School to launch an initiative of Chicago Says No More, an organization dedicated to educating and engaging individuals and organizations about the challenges of domestic violence and sexual assault. The new initiative is a task force aimed at recruiting university-based law clinics to join the fight against domestic violenceand sexual assault. The task force is co-chaired by Partner Keri Holleb Hotaling.
Please click here to read more about the task force.
In Tenants of 710 Jefferson Street v. DC Rental Housing Commission, a firm team won an important victory for the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia. The win will affect the way DC courts determine lawyers’ fee awards when the prevailing party is a non-profit legal services corporation.
Please click here to read more.
The firm successfully represented a pro bono client who was sued by her landlord in an effort to evict her based on nonpayment of rent and violation of the terms of the lease. On her behalf, the firm pursued a counterclaim to recoup rent she had paid despite serious housing code violations, including flooding in the bathroom over a nine-month period, exposed heating elements and electrical wires, and rodent and cockroach infestations.
Please click here to read more.
In January 2016, Jenner & Block received a favorable outcome for a pro bono client in an Illinois expungement hearing proceeding. The client, a widow, had been indicated with three counts of neglect for the alleged inadequate care of her autistic daughter. The client maintained that the conditions cited by the state Department of Children and Family Services investigator were the direct result of temporary financial difficulties and that the state investigation was cursory and inadequate. A few weeks before the hearing, DCFS dropped the case and voluntarily unfounded all the indications against the client.
Please click here to read more.
The firm represented the mother of a young boy, who, due to severe physical and mental abuse by the boy’s father, wanted to move to a different state. The client had an excellent job opportunity there that provided her with a significantly increased salary, greater professional advancement opportunities and tuition reimbursement to pursue a Ph.D. while working.
Please click here to read more.
