Orrick Receives High Praise for Its Pro Bono Achievements

October.09.2012

Orrick has been recognized by three publications for its commitment to providing exceptional pro bono legal service to underprivileged clients over the past year. The firm was named to Law360's Top Pro Bono Firms of 2012, placed #10 in The American Lawyer's 2012 Pro Bono Survey and was selected to The Recorder's elite list of the top 10 Pro Bono Achievers in Northern California.

"We are so pleased to have our pro bono achievements acknowledged by these well-respected publications," said pro bono counsel Rene Kathawala. "Orrick is truly dedicated to undertaking meaningful pro bono work for the disadvantaged, while offering our lawyers rewarding opportunities for professional and personal growth."

Recognizing only 20 firms, Law360's Top Pro Bono Firms of 2012 highlights firms that secured major victories in high-profile matters between June 2011 and June 2012 and committed, on average, more than 100 hours per attorney to pro bono matters. Law360 noted Orrick's "dedication to supporting diverse causes with tangible human stakes, including high-profile immigration disputes and civil rights litigation, all while championing grassroots global development through an innovative social sector finance initiative."

The American Lawyer's 2012 Pro Bono Survey listed the nation's 200 top-grossing firms and ranked them based on the average number of pro bono hours per lawyer and percentage of attorneys with 20 or more pro bono hours in 2011. Orrick improved five spots this year to #10, a direct result of an increased commitment by the firm's attorneys to address the growing need for legal assistance by disadvantaged individuals.

The Recorder commended 10 leading Northern California pro bono practices that demonstrated a commitment to pro bono clients or causes through determined and creative advocacy. Editors of The Recorder evaluated the breadth of pro bono work, the amount of resources devoted to it at the local level, and, where possible, the results that were obtained. The publication singled out Orrick's representation of George Souliotes in a habeas corpus matter and its representation of Zoraida Pena-Canal in a human trafficking case as examples of the firm's exceptional pro bono work.

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Rene Kathawala Pro Bono Counsel

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Rene Kathawala Pro Bono Counsel

New York

Rene works with other pro bono counsel and legal services nonprofits to increase the quantity and quality of pro bono representation that is being provided to indigent clients in each of the cities worldwide where Orrick has a presence. In addition, he supervises and directly works on cases in such diverse areas as immigration law, family and matrimonial law, housing law, public benefits law, employment law counseling, impact litigation and nonprofit advice and counseling. Rene has worked on many substantial matters in the federal and state systems over his career that are reported as precedent. He also works with firm attorneys to strengthen the firm's innovative Impact Finance and Social Enterprise team that he founded and that provides representation in diverse transactional areas to nonprofit, for profit and hybrid organizations dedicated to providing basic services to poor persons around the world in areas including microfinance, water, education, energy, housing and health.

Based on his long-standing commitment to access to justice issues, Rene has been appointed to serve as a member of the New York City Bar Association Right to Counsel Task Force and the New York City Bar Association Family Court Judicial Appointment & Assignment Process Work Group. In recognition of his exemplary work in family law, United States District Judge Bloom appointed Rene as a special master in a federal court family law matter in 2014 in the Eastern District of New York in case number 07-cv-02565-ARR-LB, styled Garmhausen et al v. United States Department of Justice et al.