Download - 2005 Pro Bono Annual Review - Latham & Watkins · Cheryl Coeand associate Jessica Haferadvised Ashoka on corporate and tax issues, while New ... worldwide trademark portfolio. †

Annual Review2005 Pro Bono

T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s

Message from the Chairman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Pro Bono Year in Review . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Global Pro Bono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Office Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Protecting a Student’s Civil Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Human Rights & Refugee Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Battling Housing Discrimination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Justice for Immigrants in the Post-9/11 World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Disaster Recovery Work . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

The Trials of Pro Bono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

Equal Justice Works . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Pro Bono Committee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

2005 Pro Bono Annual Review

Latham & Watkins • 2005 Pro Bono Annual Review 1

At Latham & Watkins, our pro bono commitment is a hallmark of our

firm. Providing quality legal services to those most in need and least

able to pay is an integral part of being a lawyer, and at Latham we

take that responsibility seriously.

Since 2000, Latham has provided more than $200 million in pro bono

legal services to low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations

and to advance access to justice, which makes us one of the largest

providers of free legal services in the world, a distinction of which

we are quite proud. Our pro bono accomplishments include both

litigation and transactional successes, large as well as small,

encompassing almost every area of public interest law. Our pro bono

practice is as broad and diverse as the attorneys in our firm and the

communities we serve.

As you read this annual review of our pro bono efforts, I hope you

will get a sense of our deep tradition of community involvement and

outstanding public service, and join us in celebrating the firm’s many

pro bono accomplishments of 2005. �

Message from the Chairman

RR oo bb ee rr tt MM .. DD ee ll ll

Robert M. DellChairman and Managing Partner

2 Latham & Watkins • 2005 Pro Bono Annual Review

Pro Bono Year in Review

Since 2000, Latham personnel haveprovided more than $200 million inpro bono legal services.


Pro Bono Year in Review

Every year our attorneys, paralegals and staff donatethousands of hours of their time and expertise to helpthose who might otherwise be denied access to justice.By providing free legal services to low-incomeindividuals and nonprofit organizations without theability to pay, we uphold the traditions of our firm andthe ideals of our practice. At Latham, pro bono iscentral to our culture and an integral part of ourpractice of law.

This was another impressive year for our pro bonoprogram. In 2005, Latham attorneys and summerassociates provided more than 117,000 hours of freelegal services valued in excess of $41 million, withparalegals and other professional staff logging anadditional 11,000 pro bono hours. In total, Lathampersonnel provided more than 128,000 hours of freelegal services, valued in excess of $43 million. Morethan 1,100 attorneys and 180 summer associates in 18offices across eight countries, including approximately76 percent of the firm’s US attorneys and 38 percent ofour European and Asian attorneys, provided pro bonoservices in 2005.

Latham’s pro bono program stands out as an exampleamong private law firms of how a commitment to probono can go hand in hand with profitability. Whilecontinuing to achieve strong financial results, Lathamhas demonstrated year after year its unwaveringcommitment to pro bono legal service. Latham’s probono program is consistently ranked as one of the top pro bono programs among private law firms,demonstrating that committed lawyers at a global lawfirm can make a difference in all types of publicinterest matters. Since 2000, Latham personnelincluding attorneys, summer associates, paralegals andother professional staff have provided more than700,000 hours of pro bono assistance, totaling morethan $200 million in free legal services.

As detailed in thisreport, Latham’s probono accomplishmentsinclude litigation andtransactional successesranging from humanrights and refugeeissues, children’s rights, foster children adoptions,homelessness prevention and landlord/tenant issuesto community economic development, nonprofitcorporation counseling and representation, land usepermitting and approvals, family law, assistance tovictims of domestic violence, consumer law, publicbenefits, international law, civil rights, disability-related cases, and criminal trial and appellateproceedings including death penalty litigation.

Latham partners with local, national and internationallegal services providers, bar associations, human rightsand civil rights organizations, federal and local courtsand other nonprofit and community groups to identifypro bono projects and community needs. Thesecommunity organizations are an essential part of ourpro bono practice. Our pro bono program relies on theefforts of the dedicated people at these organizationswho devote themselves to serving the legal needs ofthe poor and disadvantaged in our communities.

Our dedication to pro bono reflects a fundamental partof our firm’s culture. Latham encourages all of ourattorneys to participate, and associate pro bono hoursare treated the same as commercial billable hours forpurposes of associate pace, evaluation and bonuses.There is no cap on pro bono hours.

As a signatory of the Law Firm Pro Bono Challenge,Latham has committed to provide, at minimum, theequivalent of 60 hours per US attorney per year in probono legal services. We have met this goal every yearsince making the commitment in 2000. We also havemade significant strides in expanding our pro bonopractice in Europe and Asia. By providing free legalservices in our communities, Latham attorneys,paralegals and staff across all of our offices continueour tradition of community involvement and publicservice. �

Attorneys at Latham & Watkins recognize that, aslawyers, we have a duty to help ensure that the doorsof justice are open to all, regardless of income.

M e s s a g e f r o m t h e P r o B o n o C o u n s e l

AA mm oo ss EE .. HH aa rr tt ss tt oo nn

2005 Firm Pro Bono Highlights*

Hours 117,000

Participating Attorneys 1,120

Participating Summer Associates 184

Participating Offices 18

Value of Services Provided $41.7 million

* Includes only pro bono service by attorneys and summer associates


Global Pro Bono

As Latham continues to expandinternationally, so too our pro bonopractice continues to develop internationally.We are proud of the increasing local pro bonowork in our offices in Europe and Asia, as wellas important multinational projects handled byteams of our attorneys around the globe.” — Jim Kearney

Pro Bono Committee Chair

‘‘


A Post-Conflict Legal System in SudanOver the last year, Latham & Watkins has beenassisting the Civil Authority of the New Sudan(CANS), also known as the Sudanese PeopleLiberation Movement (SPLM), in its nation-buildingendeavor, helping to establish the rule of law for a newconstitutional democracy in Africa. Decades of conflictand civil war based upon geographic divisions, ethnicdifferences, religious and political ideology, andcompetition over resources left most portions ofSouthern Sudan without basic civil institutions, withoutaccess to basic services such as electricity or telephoneservice, without educational opportunities and withoutthe rule of law.

Following an internationally brokered peace agreementsigned in January 2005, Latham represented CANS, the new leader of the recently establishedGovernment of Southern Sudan, in its efforts to design a post-conflict legal system. Through thisgroundbreaking project — accomplished in partnershipwith Nathan Miller, Executive Director of Rule of LawInternational, a US-based non-governmentalorganization — Latham analyzed issues involved increating a new national legal system, drafted heavilyannotated constitutional text and advised on strategiesto enable our client to adequately articulate and defendits interests in four separate post-conflict constitutionalprocesses at the federal and state levels.

Assembling a multinational team of more than 50Latham attorneys and 25 summer associates spanningnine offices around the world, we mobilized our globalresources for our client, bringing together firmexpertise in finance and banking, environment andland resources, and human rights, among other subjectareas. Our global team provided unwaveringdedication, as well as round-the-clock support for ourclient, as the people of Southern Sudan worked todevelop a new economic and political structure.

Meeting room for the SPLM Southern Kordofan Stateconstitutional drafting committee

Headquarters of Southern Sudanese government attorneys

Global Pro Bono

‘‘How does a newgovernment build a legalsystem from scratch when it can muster no more than ahandful of lawyers? For CANS, it was by strategically utilizing thetremendous resources and expertiseof the Latham team. The ideas,enthusiasm and professionalism that Latham brought to the tablewere simply invaluable.”

— Nathan Miller Executive Director, Rule of Law International

Photo

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Latham attorneys in Europe and Asia contribute significantly to theircommunities through pro bono legal services. Over the last severalyears, the firm’s pro bono program has developed into a global practice,with attorneys now participating in 18 offices across eight countries. The firm also has taken on an assortment of compelling internationalpro bono matters that impact developing countries and concernimportant global issues.

In 2005, more than 140 of the firm’s attorneys in Europe and Asia —representing approximately 38 percent of our attorneys based in theseregions — participated in the pro bono program, providing more than $2.9 million in free legal services.

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Ashoka

Social Entrepreneurship Around the World. Ashoka is

a global, nonprofit organization which identifies and

invests in social entrepreneurs — supporting them,

their ideas and institutions through all phases of their

careers. Ashoka has created fellowships for more than

1,700 Ashoka Fellows in 60 countries, resulting in

projects that have transformed the lives of millions of

people in thousands of communities worldwide.

For more than 20 years, Latham has been providing

global legal services to Ashoka on a full range of

matters. Coordinated by retired Washington, D.C.

partner Bill Kelly and New York partner Kenneth

Schuhmacher, our work with Ashoka during the past

year has spanned the globe and included several

innovative projects such as:

• In the United States, Washington, D.C. partner

Cheryl Coe and associate Jessica Hafer advised

Ashoka on corporate and tax issues, while New

York associate Andrew Miller advised on a project

funding agreement to develop Ashoka’s Irish Youth

Venture project. Senior Policy Specialist Laura

Davis worked with the SEED Foundation to pass

legislation to allow the transfer of certain

underutilized acreage in the RFK Stadium complex

for use by a public boarding school. Orange County

associate Julie Dalke assisted with Ashoka’s

worldwide trademark portfolio.

• In Germany, Hamburg partner Andrea Jaeger-Lenz

and associate Christian Meyn advised Ashoka

Deutschland gGmbH on establishing its German

program, including assistance on contractual issues

and providing employment law and tax advice. The

team is currently helping to establish the Youth

Venture program in Germany and assisting with

Ashoka’s European trademarks.

• In England, London partner Michael Bond and

paralegal Jack Mathew advised Ashoka on the

winding-up of a UK trust and registration of a new

UK charitable entity. The team has also assisted

with employment, IT and general corporate issues,

and is helping with the replication of Ashoka UK’s

operational structure in Sri Lanka.

• In France, Paris associate Julien Vaucheret

advised on the establishment of a French

nonprofit association loi de 1901.

International Senior Lawyers Project

In conjunction with the International Senior Lawyers

Project, New York attorneys Jim Kearney and Jeroen

van Kwawegen, with the help of summer associate

Parul Mehta, provided assistance to two Indian

NGOs — the Voluntary Action Network India and

the Human Rights Law Network — in their bid to

limit the impact of proposed Foreign Contribution

Management and Control legislation that would

have had a significant impact on their ability to

provide social assistance to some of the world’s

poorest people. The team analyzed various

provisions of the proposed legislation against the

backdrop of provisions in international treaties and

covenants guaranteeing freedom of expression and

freedom of association including the Universal

Declaration on Human Rights, United Nations

General Assembly Resolution 53/144 and the formal

declarations of Commonwealth principles.

We are proud to use our

skills as attorneys and our

capabilities as a global law firm

to help pro bono clients like

Ashoka, which brings the idea

of social entrepreneurship to

life – worldwide. The

collegiality and reward

of pro bono work are

tremendous.”

— Andrea Jaeger-LenzPartner in the Hamburg Office

‘‘


A Global Study of Pro Bono

Latham & Watkins assisted the Pro Bono Institute in

preparing a report on culture, regulations and practices

governing pro bono work in various countries around

the world. Drawing on the firm’s global resources, New

York partner Jim Kearney and associate Manfred

Gabriel assembled a team of attorneys including

partner Matteo Bay and associates Melissa Cacciotti

and Igor Taccani in Brussels, partner Mitchell Stocks

in Hong Kong, associates Ben Davies and Johan

Mattsson in London, associates Maya Steinitz, Jeroen

van Kwawegen, Lillian Gutwein and Michael O’Leary

and summer associates Jason Strickland, Ingrid

Waldman and Marc Suskin in New York, associates

Cécile Angulo, Fabrice Fages, Maxime de

Guillenchmidt and Valentine Tassy in Paris, and

partner Hisao Hirose and associate Koji Ishikawa

in Tokyo, as well as foreign interns Veronika Nutt

from Switzerland and Harmen Holtrop from

the Netherlands.

This global team worked together to write numerous

white papers provided to key opinion leaders from

various countries in order to elicit comments and to

initiate a dialogue regarding the importance and

benefits of providing pro bono legal services. The

Latham team also organized videoconferences with

opinion leaders from several national bar associations,

large European law firms and universities. These

videoconferences have led to significant local pro bono

initiatives in the Netherlands and in France. The white

papers were eventually combined into an extensive

report entitled “A Survey of Pro Bono Practices and

Opportunities in Selected Jurisdictions,” which was

presented at the Pro Bono Institute’s annual seminar in

Washington, D.C. in March 2005.

U.N. Global Compact

The United Nations Global Compact, an entity

established under the office of the Secretary-

General of the U.N., serves the primary function of

promulgating 10 principles in the areas of human

rights, labor standards, environment and anti-

corruption, and obtaining the written commitment

of corporations and non-governmental organizations

throughout the world to support these core values. It

has recently been recognized by a resolution of the

U.N. General Assembly.

Latham is advising the Global Compact’s corporate

responsibility initiative with respect to governance

issues and with respect to the establishment of the

Foundation for the United Nations Global Compact,

a not-for-profit organization that supports the

Compact’s activities and mission. In addition, Latham

has advised the Global Compact in connection with

its trademark and branding policies, the negotiation

of a trademark license between the Foundation and

the U.N., and in connection with the conception and

adoption of a new logo for Global Compact members

— the “We Support the Global Compact” logo —

which has been adopted as the official emblem for

use by participant companies.

The Latham team, which includes partner Jim

Kearney and of counsel Jeff Tochner in New York and

associate Matt Kasdin in London, continues to advise

the U.N. Global Compact on various legal matters.

Other Global Pro Bono Matters

Latham has taken on a number of other pro bono

matters in our offices in Europe and Asia, some of

which are described elsewhere in this report, in

addition to partnering with international nonprofit

organizations on matters related to human rights and

other important global issues. �

2005 European and Asian Pro Bono Highlights*

Hours 7,500

Participating Attorneys 140

Participating Offices 8

Value of Services Provided $2.9 million

* Includes only pro bono service by attorneys and summer associates in Europe and Asia


Office Highlights

Providing legal services to those in need is important to attorneys across allof our offices. By participating in pro bonoefforts, Latham attorneys enhance theircommunities and enhance their experiencesas lawyers and as people.”— Ora Fisher

Office Managing Partner, Silicon Valley

“


Office Highlights

Chicago

Fleeing from the Congo. Chicago

associates Jennifer Reicher Jaffe

and Julie Bailey and Silicon Valley

associate Joann Liao, under the

supervision of Chicago partner

Mary Rose Alexander, secured

asylum for a couple who fled the

Democratic Republic of the Congo

(DRC) after being imprisoned and

tortured. Our clients are members

of the Lunda tribe, which has a

long history of conflict with the

tribe currently in power. One of our

clients was rounded up after the

assassination of the DRC president,

and was twice detained and

tortured but never formally charged

with any crime. At one point the

military broke down his door, held

a gun to his head and tortured his

wife while forcing him to watch.

Latham represented the couple

throughout the four-year asylum

application process. At the

conclusion of a five-hour

evidentiary hearing, the

immigration judge granted asylum.

Flawed Identification of a Minor.

Associates Meghan Sullivan and

Matt Johnson, with assistance

from associate Alice Decker,

represented a 14-year-old

improperly charged with

aggravated unlawful use of a

weapon and unlawful possession of

firearms. The minor was arrested

on his own front porch after the

police were unable to find the true

perpetrator in the alleys and streets

near his house. The identification

evidence relied upon by the police

was speculative at best, and several

eyewitnesses as well as other

evidence confirmed that the minor

was not involved and had been

wrongly charged. After the

repeated inability of the Chicago

Police Department to respond to

challenges regarding the

identification evidence, all charges

were dismissed.

Fairness in Criminal Sentencing.

Chicago partner Bob Tarun and

associates Matthew Mock and

André Geverola successfully

represented an indigent criminal

defendant before the US Court of

Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

challenging the trial court’s overly

harsh sentence for possession of a

firearm. After convincing the

Seventh Circuit to vacate the

sentence based on the trial court’s

review of factors that should not

have been considered in the

sentencing determination, the

Latham team persuaded the same

trial court on remand to reduce our

client’s sentence to the lowest

permissible under the sentencing

guidelines. As a result, our client

became eligible for a local work

release program which will allow

him to obtain employment and

resume his education.

Disability Rights. Chicago partner

Juli Marshall and associates Nick

Gorga, Peter Moore, Laura Bauer

and Brett Doran and paralegal

Kelley Evans represent a disabled

high school student suffering

from Rett Syndrome, a rare

neurological disorder characterized

by impairment of verbal

communication, motor skills and

cognitive abilities. Our client’s

local high school refused to

provide her with statutorily

guaranteed aids, accommodations

and services, and forced her into a

segregated school far from her

home. Our client and her parents

challenged this decision under the

Individuals with Disabilities

Education Act and other federal

laws. Latham is assisting the

family before the Seventh Circuit

Court of Appeals in challenging

adverse rulings as well as

pursuing a separate suit in federal

Latham’s pro bono work spans almost every area of public interest law. Thevariety of pro bono matters throughout our offices reflects the diversity of ourattorneys, our commercial practice groups and the communities that we serve.Across our offices, we continue to expand relationships with local communityorganizations, to identify and respond to local needs as well as matters ofnational and international concern.

Reflecting only on the number of hours or monetary value of free legal servicesprovided cannot adequately explain the quality of the individual contributionsor the impact those contributions have had on so many lives and in so manycommunities. Below is a sampling of the firm’s pro bono work throughout theyear, illustrating just some of the many public interest efforts provided by ourattorneys, summer associates, paralegals and other professional staff.


Off

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s district court alleging related

violations of the Americans with

Disabilities Act and the Civil

Rights Act.

Prevent Child Abuse America.

Prevent Child Abuse America

provides leadership to promote and

implement child abuse prevention

efforts at both the national and

local levels. In 2005, Latham

represented the organization in a

wide range of matters, including

advice on employment issues,

trademark counseling and

infringement litigation, corporate

governance, management of

endowment funds and negotiating

subleases for a significant office

move. Supervised by Chicago

partner Matt Walch, many Latham

attorneys and other personnel were

involved in these efforts, including

Chicago partner Robin Struve,

associates Jenny Baker, Abizer

Zanzi, Roderick Branch, Matthew

Pryor and Mia DiBella, and

Litigation Analyst Thomas

Buettner, Los Angeles partner Joel

Krischer and New York associate

Michelle Kelban.

Asylum for a Student Protester.

Associates Jacob Drouillard and

Kaitlin Verber secured asylum for a

student from the Democratic

Republic of the Congo who fled that

country after being unlawfully

imprisoned and tortured for peaceful

political activity. The team obtained

a flight manifest, produced by the

airline just before the merits

hearing, to establish that our client

applied for asylum within the

required one-year period from her

date of entry into the United

States.

Residence for an Abused and

Neglected Teenager. Working in

conjunction with the Midwest

Immigrant and Human Rights

Center, Chicago associate Paige

Ormond obtained legal permanent

residency for a Honduran teenager

who had been abused and

abandoned by the family that took

custody of him after the death of his

parents. Left to fend for himself on

the streets of Honduras, the 16-year-

old fled to the United States in an

effort to escape gang life. Latham

successfully petitioned for a Special

Immigrant Juvenile visa and

secured placement for our client in a

group home for youths. Now, at 19,

he lives independently in his own

apartment, holds a steady job and is

working toward his GED.

Asylum for a Colombian Artist.

Chicago associate Mark Ramsey

successfully represented an openly

gay artist from Colombia in

connection with his affirmative

application for asylum. Our client

suffered repeated verbal and

physical harassment in Colombia,

including having his home and art

gallery vandalized and being

attacked and severely beaten.

Fearful of the lack of effective law

enforcement and the “social

cleansing” being carried out by

guerillas in various parts of

Colombia, our client could not report

his attack. Instead, he fled to the

United States. Latham assisted with

an asylum application and interview

where our client’s request for asylum

was granted.

Frankfurt

Reorganization of an Art College.

Frankfurt partner Martin Meissner

and associate Harald Horstkotte are

assisting the Städel School of Arts in

its reorganization process, helping to

draft a new constitution to regulate

and clarify the affiliation of the

college with the city of Frankfurt

and the state of Hessen. Although

financially dependent on the city of

Frankfurt, the college is organized

as a public corporation with the

right of self-administration. In

drafting the constitution, the team is

giving thorough consideration to the

historic background of this

Latham’s commitment toprofessionalism is matched equallyby its commitment to prevent the abuseand neglect of our nation’s children.These caring pro bono attorneys arehelping us to achieve animportant national priority.”— James M. Hmurovich

Interim President/CEO, Prevent Child Abuse America

“


traditional and prestigious art

school and the implications of

higher education law, as well as

civil law and the law of public

corporations.

Advising Youth Venture. Youth

Venture is a nonprofit

organization focused on helping

young people in the United

States start new youth-led

organizations that achieve lasting

benefits for their schools and

communities. In 2005, Youth

Venture investigated expansion

to the European Union. Frankfurt

associate Malte Hilpert, along

with New York associates Eric

Andrews and Carrie Girgenti,

advised Youth Venture on

necessary changes to its Web site

to meet European regulations and

local practices, including issues

regarding transfers of personal

data. The team also helped

Youth Venture develop its Web

site privacy policy and advised

generally on information

collection practices in the

US and EU.

Charlene Nguon is, in all respects, a model high schoolstudent. She has taken multiple Advanced Placementcourses and ranks among the top 5 percent of her class.Charlene’s teachers have consistently praised hercharacter, commenting in her report cards that Charlene is “very cooperative,” has a “good attitude”and “works very hard.”

During Charlene’s junior year, she began to date anotherfemale student in her public high school. Subsequently,Charlene was suspended from school for hugging andaffectionately kissing her girlfriend on campus. Charlene’ssexual orientation also was revealed to her parents withouther permission. Ultimately, Charlene spent part of herjunior year at a different high school, and her gradessuffered significantly.

After unsuccessful attempts to resolve the situation withoutlitigation, the American Civil Liberties Union requestedLatham’s assistance in filing a complaint. Orange Countyassociates Collie James, Chris Campbell and JordanKushner, with the assistance of partner Virginia Grogan,filed a complaint in federal court alleging that schoolofficials violated Charlene’s equal protection, free

expression and privacyrights. The suit seekspolicy changes thatwould prohibit schoolofficials from revealinga student’s sexualorientation withoutpermission andselectively enforcingdiscipline or censoringstudents on the basis oftheir sexualorientation.

In an early victory for Charlene that was covered by newsmedia ranging from CNN to MTV, the court denied thedefendants’ motion to dismiss, holding as an issue of firstimpression that students have an interest in not havingtheir sexual orientation disclosed by school administratorsabsent a compelling state interest.

The case is expected to be scheduled for trial in the

fall of 2006. �

Civil Rights

‘‘Suing my high school and making my personal life the subject of a lawsuit was

one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done. Fortunately, Latham was there for me every step

of the way. They give me hope that I can change how gay and lesbian students are treated in

schools across the nation, and for their work I am thankful.”

— Charlene NguonHigh school student

Protecting a Student’s

Office Highlights

Charlene Nguon


Off

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Hamburg

National Red Cross of Germany.

The National Red Cross

organization of Germany

(Deutsches Rotes Kreuz, or DRK),

part of the international Red Cross

organization, fulfills humanitarian

services in accordance with

Geneva Red Cross Conventions, in

particular taking care of those

victimized by wars and natural

disasters. Latham has provided

advice to the DRK on a number of

issues relating to the protection of

the symbol of the Red Cross under

German law and under the Geneva

Conventions, including questions

relating to trademark and licensing

issues. Associate Björn Joachim,

under the supervision of partner

Andrea Jaeger-Lenz, continues to

work with the DRK.

Joint Venture Agreement.

Lebenshilfe Lüneburg gGmbH is a

nonprofit organization which

provides housing and other services

for people living with mental

disabilities. Latham attorneys have

provided assistance with a joint

venture agreement joining these

service offerings with other

nonprofit organizations to improve

the quality of life for the target

population. The team, which

includes associates Christian Meyn

and Christoph Engeler and

partners Max Wilmanns and Björn

Dissars, also has provided general

assistance on other corporate and

contractual matters.

Holocaust Survivors. Our

Hamburg and Los Angeles offices

joined forces with Bet Tzedek

Legal Services in Los Angeles to

help with pension claims by Los

Angeles-area Holocaust survivors

who worked in Jewish ghettos

during World War II. Under a new

German statute — Gesetz zur

Zahlbarmachung von Renten aus

Beschäftigungszeiten in einem

Ghetto (ZRBG) — the German

government has made available

pensions for Holocaust survivors

remunerating certain work

rendered in ghettos, but the large

majority of claims for such

pensions have been denied.

Latham brought the first appeal of

a Hamburg Social Court order

related to ZRBG, which may

clarify the circumstances under

which ZRBG pensions are to be

made available. Hamburg

associate Dirk Kocher leads the

representation with assistance

from associates Maria Schefe and

Sebastian Klausch, partner Björn

Dissars and Pro Bono Counsel

Amos Hartston.

London

Learning for Life. Learning for Life

is a UK charity that provides

educational support to

disadvantaged groups in South

Asia, focusing on increasing the

availability of quality education to

the most marginalized communities.

In 2005, London associates

Christopher Hitchins, Guy Dominy

and Caroline Emerton, under the

supervision of partner Stephen

Brown, advised Learning for Life

on general corporate and

intellectual property matters and

various commercial agreements

related to fundraising activities.

Latham Honored by American Immigration Lawyers Association

The American Immigration Lawyers Association honored Latham & Watkins’

Washington, D.C. attorneys with its “Outstanding Pro Bono Representation” Award

for our continuing representation of Malik Jarno, a mentally disabled war orphan

from Guinea who came to the US as a refugee at the age of 16. The Department

of Homeland Security continues to oppose asylum and the case is currently

before the Board of Immigration Appeals. The case has garnered international

media attention, and more than 70 members of Congress, along with numerous

immigration, human rights, religious and mental disability organizations, have

weighed in to support the granting of permanent relief for Malik.

The award honors partner Claudia O’Brien and associates Ben Jacqmotte, Jeff

Hamlin, Alexi Maltas, Stefanie Alfonso-Frank, Sarah Maria, Kerry Macleod,

Becky Spain and Seung Baik for their outstanding work on the case.

I never would havebeen able to pursue my claim without thesupport of Bet Tzedekand Latham & Watkins.” — Holocaust survivor

‘‘


The Roundhouse Theatre. The

Roundhouse Theatre is an

internationally renowned arts

venue in North London. Its

performers over the years have

included The Clash, The Doors,

Pink Floyd and Jimi Hendrix.

Latham attorneys are advising the

Roundhouse in connection with its

attempt to raise sufficient funds to

cover the cost of its redevelopment

as a youth performing arts venue.

Our London attorneys also have

advised the Roundhouse in areas

such as corporate, intellectual

property, finance, employment,

outsourcing and litigation. The

Latham team includes associates

Philip Watkins, Clare Kipping,

Mark Robinson, Charles White,

Christopher Hitchins and Emma

Scarratt, of counsel Andrew

Longmate and partner Nigel

Campion-Smith. The renovated

Roundhouse is due to open in

June 2006.

Human Rights Watch. Human

Rights Watch, the largest human

rights organization based in the US,

conducts fact-finding investigations

into human rights abuses in all

regions of the world. In 2005,

Latham provided counsel to

Human Rights Watch regarding UK

charities law, fundraising issues

and compliance activities. The

team includes London partners

Stephen Brown, Nick Cline,

Oonagh Whitty and John

Kallaugher and associates Scott

Campbell and Caroline Emerton.

Friends of the Lancaster Centre.

Friends of the Lancaster Centre is

part of a nonprofit group formed

in 2002 which provides facilities to

a variety of volunteer and

nonprofit organizations which, in

turn, provide needed services to

residents in the vicinity of the

Lancaster Road and North Enfield

area. London associates Omar

Shah, Christopher Hitchins and

Scott Campbell have provided

general corporate and nonprofit

advice and assisted with contract

and leasing issues.

Get Well UK. Get Well UK is a

social enterprise seeking to

facilitate the provision of

complementary therapy, including

acupuncture, osteopathy,

homeopathy, chiropractic and

aromatherapy, to all sectors of

society free through the National

Health Service, and conducting

research into the benefits of these

and other alternative therapies.

Traditionally, access to

complementary medicine in the UK

has been available only privately to

those who could afford the cost of

treatments. Partner Andrew Moyle

and associates Gail Crawford,

Roberto Grande, Ivan Waide,

Bobby Reddy, Matthew Cutlan and

Stephen Fietta provided Get Well

UK with strategic advice and

drafted the necessary contractual

documentation for the development

of an IT system to facilitate Get

Well UK’s expansion.

Los Angeles

Foster Children Adoptions. Since

1999, our Los Angeles attorneys

have completed more than 500

adoptions in cooperation with the

Alliance for Children’s Rights.

These adoptions often involve

children who have lingered in the

foster care system for several

years while waiting to have their

adoptions finalized. In 2005,

Latham attorneys and summer

associates assisted in finalizing

more than 50 adoptions.

Five Acres. Five Acres, the Boys’

and Girls’ Aid Society of Los

Angeles County, is a nonprofit

organization that has operated

programs for abused and neglected

children since 1926, constituting

the oldest nonsectarian child abuse

and neglect prevention treatment

and education center in the San

Gabriel Valley. Five Acres turned to

Latham to help secure the

necessary environmental review

and approvals for much-needed

additions to its property. Partner

Loren Montgomery and associates

Estela de Llanos Carlson and Lisa

Weinberger, with the assistance of

Land Use Analyst Patrick Michell,

worked over the course of two

years to improve relations between

Five Acres and its surrounding

community, answer all technical

and environmental review issues,

redefine the proposed project to

address community concerns and

represent Five Acres during several

contentious Regional Planning

Commission meetings. The project

was ultimately approved by

unanimous vote of the Planning

Commission and is currently before

the County Board of Supervisors.

Los Angeles associate Brad Helmsassists with the adoption of a child infoster care


Human Trafficking Report

A multi-office team of Latham attorneys, inpartnership with the Women’s Commission forRefugee Women and Children, worked together todraft a report on human trafficking in the UnitedStates. The project involved extensive research onthe state of human trafficking and its impact in theUS, including interviews with service providersand government officials.

The report explores many areas of the humantrafficking problem, including laws pertaining to theprotection of refugees and trafficked persons in the

US, the demographics and root causes of humantrafficking, efforts to combat trafficking and assistvictims, and public awareness of the problem ofhuman trafficking. The report is expected to bepublished in 2006.

The Latham team includes Silicon Valley associatesSigne Holmbeck, Joann Liao and Lauren Walz, andsummer associates Laura Boysen, Soo-Jean Chi andKevin Mosher, San Francisco associates Randy Kim,Xochitl Arteaga, Karli Sager and Jeannie Lee, andWashington, D.C. of counsel Steve Schulman andassociates Nicole Thorpe and Jessica Hafer.

Human Rights & Refugee Practice

Over the last several years, Latham & Watkins has developed a premierhuman rights and refugee practice, with particular emphasis on addressingthe plight of unaccompanied refugee children.

Latham continues to represent dozens of individual refugees each year, andhas expanded the practice to include projects such as compliance reviews ofimmigration detention centers, working to improve the standards ofdetention of minors awaiting immigration proceedings, and representingasylum seekers around the world. Scores of attorneys from several of thefirm’s offices participate in this practice and coordinate strategy andinformation on legal developments and case issues.

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School Student. Los Angeles

partner Wayne Flick and associates

Yury Kapgan, Liv Tabari, Alex

Roje and Asha Muldro along

with paralegal Joel Shields,

represented a Jewish high school

student who, because of his

religion, was harassed and

discriminated against by his high

school baseball coach. After

informal efforts to address the

issues with the coach and school

were unsuccessful, Latham filed

lawsuits against the school district

and the coach individually. Both

cases settled favorably, resulting in

a cash payment which will cover

the cost of counseling and help

fund a college education for the

teenager, and a commitment from

the school district to expand its

anti-discrimination/anti-harassment

training and education programs.

Watts Cinema & Education Center.

Partner Susan Azad is representing

Watts Cinema and Education

Center, a nonprofit public benefit

corporation, in the development of

the WattStar, a first-run movie

theater and training and education

center to be located in the

depressed Watts area of Los

Angeles. This pioneering project

will bring much-needed

development to the Watts

community, which has been

economically blighted since the

Watts Riots in the 1960s. Revenue

from the theater will support a

training and education center

which will provide apprenticeship

opportunities to youth in

surrounding areas to facilitate their

entry into jobs in the film

production industry. In addition,

WattStar’s facilities will be able to

transmit educational programs to

neighboring schools and housing

projects. Associate Shannon Paresa

provided tax advice to the project.


Ensuring Compliance with Detention Standards

In the summer of 2005, roughly 50 Latham attorneysand summer associates from several US officescontinued the firm’s participation in the American Bar Association (ABA) Detention Center DelegationProject, helping to ensure that facilities housing federal immigration detainees are implementing andmaintaining the Detention Standards agreed upon bythe Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and theABA. The Detention Standards establish a variety ofcriteria for DHS detention centers, including access tocounsel, consulates, legal services organizations and alibrary with basic immigration and other legal materials.

Delegations of partners, associates and summerassociates, led nationally by Chicago associate LeslieRosen and locally with assistance from Allison O’Neilland Nicholas Gorga in Chicago, Courtney Vaudreuil inLos Angeles, Kristi Midboe Miller in New Jersey, LanaMorton-Owens in Orange County and RebeccaMalcolm and Allyson McKenzie in Washington, D.C.,toured facilities housing undocumented aliens awaitingresolution of their immigration status, and intervieweddetainees and detention center staff about theconditions of confinement. This multi-office projectresulted in a comprehensive report to the ABACommission, which then presented this and otherreports to DHS in the continuing effort to protect thebasic legal rights of, and improve conditions for, federalimmigration detainees.

Individual Asylum Claims

The firm’s human rights and refugee practice continuesto have at its core the representation of individualrefugees seeking asylum in the United States. Thepages of this report are replete with stories of refugeesfrom countries spanning the globe, including, amongothers, Angola, Armenia, Cameroon, Colombia, Coted’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, El Salvador, Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, Guinea, Honduras,Somalia, Tanzania, Turkey and Zimbabwe.

A Rare Grant of Asylum in Japan

In addition to our thriving US practice, our asylumpractice also includes Japan, where our Tokyoattorneys successfully represented a 26-year-oldasylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of theCongo whose original request for refugee status hadbeen rejected by the Japanese Immigration Bureau.Led by partner Hisao Hirose and of counsel JosephKim, Latham achieved a rare success in Japan — our client was one of only a few applicants grantedasylum in Japan in 2005. �

I will never forget our client’sgreat joy after he was

granted asylum in Japan. It’san honor to be able to providefirst-class legal services to probono clients as well as ourcommercial clients.”

— Hisao HirosePartner in the Tokyo office

‘‘

Office Highlights

AIDS Project Los Angeles. AIDS

Project Los Angeles (APLA), one of

the United States’ largest AIDS

service organizations, provides

direct services to men, women and

children living with HIV and AIDS,

as well as prevention publications,

education programs and

community forums. Latham has

advised APLA regarding a

number of corporate and litigation

matters. In 2005, Latham assisted

APLA with redrafting its bylaws

and partner Jeff Haber and

associates Brian Fox and Jennifer

Blair successfully represented

APLA in connection with a

dispute with one of its landlords.

Homelessness Prevention Project.

In coordination with Public

Counsel’s Homelessness Prevention

Project, Latham represents several

clients attempting to clear their

path to employment and regain

their ability to support themselves

and their families. For example,

associate Jeanne Berges, under the

supervision of partner Manny

Abascal and associate Jim

Dillavou, assisted a young

homeless woman seeking to obtain

her occupational license as a

vocational nurse. Our client had

recently moved into a transitional

shelter with her two small children,

and her nursing license was denied

St. Joseph Center Presents Latham with Community Service Award

St. Joseph Center presented Latham & Watkins with its Community Service

Award in recognition of the extensive pro bono contributions the firm’s Los

Angeles attorneys provided to help the Center through an entitlement process

for its new facilities. St. Joseph Center provides emergency services, childcare,

job training and senior services to 7,000 people each year through programs on

eight sites in the Los Angeles area.


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due to two prior misdemeanor

forgery convictions. Jeanne

presented a compelling story on

our client’s background to the

Deputy Attorney General and the

nursing board, explaining that our

client had been under the control of

an abusive husband who forced her

to commit petty theft to help feed

his drug abuse. As a result, the

board decided to grant our client

her license under a probationary

period. With her nursing license,

our client will now be able to earn

a living wage that will allow her

to take care of herself and her two

small children.

The Latino Theater Company.

In the face of stiff competition,

Latham secured unanimous

approval from the Los Angeles City

Council on a fully negotiated 20-

year lease of the city-owned Los

Angeles Theatre Center (LATC) to

our nonprofit client, the Latino

Theater Company. Led by partners

Edith Perez and Don Baker, the

team’s success will result in the re-

opening of the LATC, a federally

registered historic building in

downtown Los Angeles. In addition

to providing space for live theater

and dance performance and

production, the LATC also will

serve as the permanent home for

exhibitions of the Latino Museum.

The Latham team included

associates Lisa Weinberger, May

Chan, George Avila and Lindsey

Drake, paralegals Ane Priester and

Joseph Palombi, Land Use Project

Manager David Thompson, and

summer associates Scott Lawrence,

Rebecca Torres and Bethany Turke.

Habeas Appeal for Wrongly

Convicted Youth. In 1997, our

client, a 16-year-old with no record

of gang affiliation and no criminal

record, was convicted of murder

and attempted murder stemming

from a gang-related shooting in Los

Angeles. Despite eyewitness

statements and ballistics evidence

confirming that there were only

two guns fired, and overwhelming

evidence that the two shooters

were known gang members, the

District Attorney’s office tried three

people for the crimes, including our

client. Only one witness testified

that he “looked like” the shooter,

who was seen firing a gun with his

left hand. Our client is right-

handed.

In 1999, Juvenile Hall chaplain

Sister Janet Harris brought our

client’s case to the attention of Los

Angeles of counsel Bob Long.

Latham investigated the conviction

and quickly recognized numerous

problems, including the

performance of our client’s trial

counsel, new witnesses who

indicated that our client was not

involved in the shooting, and other

witnesses whose statements

undermined the eyewitness

identification of our client. In three

habeas corpus petitions and during

an eight-day evidentiary hearing,

Bob, along with partner Marcus

McDaniel and associate Ian

Graham, argued that the trial

counsel had failed to conduct a

timely or reasonably thorough

investigation, failed to call

witnesses who could have provided

exculpatory evidence, failed to

adequately cross-examine

witnesses and failed to point out to

the jury that our client is right-

handed. After seven years of

advocacy by Latham attorneys, the

California Court of Appeal

concluded in 2005 that these errors

and omissions had deprived our

client of a fair trial, vacating his

conviction in its entirety. The state

has appealed.

Latham attorneys have showered theirexceptional talent and supportupon the Inner City Law Center. I can't evenimagine where we would be without them.” — Thomas A. Freiberg, Jr.

Board President, Inner City Law Center

“

Sister Janet Harris and Los Angelesassociate Ian Graham discuss the habeasappeal of a convicted youth


Moscow

AIDS Foundation East-West. Since

2002, the Moscow office has been

working on a number of pro bono

projects with AIDS Foundation

East-West (AFEW), an

international, non-governmental

humanitarian public health

organization whose mission is to

make a major contribution toward

reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS

in Eastern Europe and Central

Asia. AFEW takes innovative and

proactive steps in developing,

implementing and promoting tools

for effective HIV/AIDS prevention

and treatment designed for the

specific conditions in its target

countries. Most recently, Latham

has advised on the impact of a new

Russian law on non-governmental

organizations and provided advice

on tax issues in connection with

grants extended by AFEW. These

projects were handled by Moscow

of counsel Lev Simkin and

associate Igor Sosnovsky.

Friends of Russian Orphans.

Friends of Russian Orphans

(FORO) is a charitable organization

dedicated to aiding orphans in the

Arkhangelsk region and elsewhere

in Russia. FORO’s mission is to

provide programs in Russian

orphanages that will improve the

lives of the growing number of

disadvantaged children in the

region, helping the orphans to

become healthy, productive

Russian citizens. Latham advised

FORO regarding certain banking

issues and procedures in Russia as

well as on new Russian laws

regulating foreign non-

governmental organizations.

Moscow associate Alessia

Tepikina, under the supervision of

associates Wendy Atrokhov and

Alexei Novozhilov, assisted FORO

with these matters.

New Jersey

Returning an Abducted Child.

In a case referred by the National

Center for Missing & Exploited

Children, Latham assisted a

Mexican woman whose six-year-

old son was abducted from her

lawful custody by the child’s father

and brought to New Jersey.

Initially, Latham filed a federal

court petition for return of the child

pursuant to international child

abduction statutes. The father,

however, again disappeared.

Through the use of a private

investigator, the team tracked the

father to Staten Island, filed a

petition in New York State Family

Court and, after a hearing,

obtained an order to have the child

and the father taken into custody

pending the outcome of a petition

to enforce our client’s foreign child

custody order. Following the order,

the father agreed to return the

child to his mother. Under the

supervision of New Jersey of

counsel Joe Hopkins, the team

included associates Eric

Westenberger and Jonathan

Peck and legal secretary Tania

Corbacho, who provided

invaluable foreign language

support.

Detained in Transit. Under the

supervision of New Jersey partner

Alan Kraus and associate Michael

Macmanus, New Jersey associate

Kellie Ortega and New York

associate Oded Mizrahi

represented a minor from the

Democratic Republic of the Congo

who was detained in Newark

International Airport en route to

join her family in Canada. Using an

age determination technique

disavowed by the majority of the

medical community, a dentist at the

airport examined our 16-year-old

client’s wrists and teeth and

determined her to be older than

18 years of age. Based upon this

incorrect age determination, our

client was held in an adult

detention center for nearly two

years while her claim for asylum

was denied. Latham appealed the

case to the US Court of Appeals for

the Third Circuit and applied on

her behalf for permanent residence

in Canada, a process rarely granted

Anti-Defamation League Presents Award to Bob Dell

On May 9, the Anti-Defamation League

(ADL) honored Latham & Watkins

Chairman and Managing Partner Bob

Dell with its Distinguished

Jurisprudence Award, given to

members of the legal community who

have exhibited humanitarian concerns

and whose actions exemplify the

ADL’s mission. Among other

accomplishments noted by the ADL,

Bob has been instrumental in the

growth and development of Latham’s

pro bono program.

Paul Dawes presents Bob Dell with theADL’s Distinguished Jurisprudence Award


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by the Canadian government.

Ultimately, her application for

permanent residence in Canada

was granted. The team then

worked with the detention center

and the Department of Justice to

arrange for our client to finally re-

join her family in Canada.

Voting Rights. Latham filed an

amicus curiae brief and

participated in oral argument in

support of a challenge to the use of

certain Direct Recording Electronic

(DRE) voting machines in New

Jersey. Because it was impossible to

perform a meaningful recount of

votes cast on the machines, the use

of such DRE machines violated the

New Jersey constitution and

election laws. New Jersey

associates Michael Macmanus and

Jason Rockwell, paralegal Suzanne

Christel and Silicon Valley

associate Lauren Walz, supervised

by Washington, D.C. partner Rick

Bress, prepared the amicus brief.

With support from partner Alan

Kraus and associate Daina Borteck,

Jason participated in oral argument

before the New Jersey Superior

Court, Appellate Division, in

support of the arguments. During

the proceedings, New Jersey

passed legislation requiring that all

DRE voting machines be retrofitted

to include a voter-verified paper

record to be used in the event of a

recount.

New York

Protecting Women from Domestic

Violence. Under the Violence

Against Women Act (VAWA),

immigrant women who are married

to US citizens or permanent

residents and who have been

subject to physical abuse or

extreme cruelty by their spouses

can petition to obtain residency

independent from their abusers,

freeing them from their

dependence on their abusive

spouses. Our New York attorneys

have established a partnership with

Sanctuary for Families, a nonprofit

organization that helps women and

children who are victims of

domestic violence, to provide legal

assistance to those seeking

independence from their abusers.

Through the VAWA program, New

York attorneys and summer

associates prepare and file VAWA

self-petitions on behalf of

immigrant women.

Associate Alison DeGregorio

joined her VAWA client, a Polish

immigrant, who spoke at a rally

on Capitol Hill in support of

immigration reforms. Summer

associate Beatriz Ivanova-Loaisiga

also attended the rally. Our client

bravely spoke about how she

finally found the courage to leave

her abusive husband and how

profoundly she misses her five-

year-old daughter, who remains in

Poland. Under the current system,

families seeking immigration relief

often remain separated for several

years before being reunited.

New York associate Alison DeGregorio, Cuc Vufrom the Service Employees International Union,client Dorota Szewczyk and summer associateBeatriz Ivanova-Loaisiga at an immigrationreform rally in Washington, D.C.

Photo

: T

racy S

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on

Latham Adoption Initiative Honored by MFY Legal Services

As part of New York State Chief Judge Judith Kaye’s “Adoption Now” initiative,

Latham’s New York attorneys work in partnership with Pfizer, Inc. and MFY Legal

Services to provide legal representation to low-income parents seeking to adopt

foster care children.

Under the coordination of partner Michele Penzer and associates Rob Lia,

Bonnie Schreiber and Jessica Woodhouse, more than 20 adoptions were

successfully handled by Latham attorneys, paralegals and summer associates in

the New York office in 2005.

In October, MFY Legal Services honored participating attorneys at its “Scales of

Justice” awards ceremony, including 68 current and former Latham attorneys, for

helping with foster care adoptions.


Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund.

Partner Blair Connelly and

associates Juan Gonzalez and

Andrew Warren represent the

Puerto Rican Legal Defense Fund

(PRLDF) in a federal court action

against the Town of Brookhaven

and Suffolk County alleging civil

rights and fair housing violations.

As part of the town’s crackdown on

undocumented day laborers who

often live in overcrowded houses,

Brookhaven used ex parte orders

from the NY State Supreme Court

to evict these primarily Latino

individuals without prior notice or

an opportunity to be heard. PRLDF

successfully obtained a preliminary

injunction against this unfair and

discriminatory practice and the

team is currently working to uphold

that injunction against various

legal challenges.

Freedom of Speech in

Cyberspace. Latham worked with

the American Civil Liberties

Union (ACLU) in a constitutional

challenge to the Child Online

Protection Act (COPA), a federal

law that criminalizes the sending

to minors, via the World Wide

Web, materials that may be

deemed “harmful” according to

vague “contemporary community

standards.” Latham has

represented the ACLU in this

matter since the late 1990s, when

the team first obtained a

preliminary injunction against the

statute on First Amendment

grounds. The US Supreme Court

upheld the preliminary injunction

in 2005. The case is now back

before the district court, and

Latham is preparing for trial on

the issue of whether COPA should

be permanently enjoined. Partner

Chris Harris leads the First

Amendment team, which has

included associates Michele Pyle,

Mark Goldberg, Joe Widman,

Katharine Marshall, Jeroen van

Kwawegen, Elan Dobbs, Addison

Golladay, Stevie Laughlin and

Ben Sahl.

Section Eight Housing. The

Riverdale and Osborne Towers

Housing Development Fund

Corporations are two not-for-profit

corporations developed in the

1960s which operate Section Eight

housing developments in Brooklyn,

New York. Partner Bob Kennedy

and associates Dennis Craythorn,

Margaret Sarratt and Jennifer

Sperling are advising Riverdale

and Osborne Towers on

reconstituting their Boards and

resolving various legal issues

designed to ensure that Riverdale

and Osborne Towers will be

preserved as affordable housing for

hundreds of low-income individuals

and families.

NYC2012 Olympic Bid. Partner

Kirk Davenport and associate

Michael Kuh headed up a team of

attorneys providing legal counsel to

New York City’s bid to host the

2012 Olympic Games. Of counsel

Jeff Tochner and associate Alison

DeGregorio took the lead

negotiating complex intellectual

property agreements related to use

of the Olympic mark and related

properties, while associate Oded

Mizrahi researched international

law issues involving International

Olympic Committee (IOC)

agreements. Tim Hia and Sharon

Lau of the Singapore office offered

guidance to the NYC2012 team as

they prepared for the New York

delegation’s trip to Singapore for

the meeting of the IOC.

New York associate Michael Kuh andNYC2012 delegate Senator HillaryRodham Clinton of New York at theNYC2012 host city announcementviewing

I am deeply grateful forLatham’s compassion,professionalism and empathy.You helped awaken a new life in me in asociety that respects me and values me asa human being.”— Asylum client from Colombia

‘‘


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South Africa. Since 1999, Latham

has represented Ubuntu Education

Fund, a nonprofit organization

dedicated to working with the

people of the Eastern Cape

Province of South Africa to develop

quality education and healthy

communities in the new South

Africa. In 2005, Latham assisted

Ubuntu in the preparation of its

first employee manual, the filing of

petitions for immigrant visas for

South African employees and the

execution of a collaboration

agreement. The Ubuntu team

includes New York partner Bill

Voge, associates Eric Newcomer,

Tim Pitrelli and Ingrid Waldman,

summer associate Donna Bunbury

and London associate Clare

Kipping, who assisted on various

UK general corporate and tax

matters.

Shelter for the Homeless. Sister

Marion Agnes Daniel, an 82-year-

old Roman Catholic nun, recently

worked with Latham attorneys to

close an unusual real estate deal.

Over the course of eight years,

Sister Marion and Nazareth

Housing worked to transform a

crumbling parish school on the

Lower East Side into a residence

for 15 homeless families. Partner

Jamie Hisiger and associate Dara

Denberg crafted the complicated

leasing agreements involved in this

transaction, which culminated with

the December 2005 dedication of

the freshly renovated “Marion

Agnes House.”

Northern Virginia

Legal Assistance to

Servicemembers. Northern

Virginia associate Greg Harris is

working with the Clinic for Legal

Assistance to Servicemembers at

George Mason University School of

Law in the representation of a US

Army sergeant who faced identity

theft and billing dispute issues

stemming from the misuse of his

cellular phone account while he

was deployed in Iraq. The billing

dispute has been resolved and the

person who improperly used the

phone services has agreed to make

restitution payments to the

sergeant and his family.

Student Radio Board. Partner

Kevin Boyle and associate Eric

Andrews represent Northern

Michigan University and its

Student Radio Board, advising

them on general FCC compliance

issues and reporting requirements

in connection with the operation of

WUPX-FM, the university’s

student-run radio station.

Orange County

Resources for Victims of Domestic

Violence. Human Options is an

Orange County-based organization

providing services to battered

women and their families through,

among other things, an emergency

shelter, transitional housing and a

community resource center. Partner

Linda Schilling, associates Michele

Johnson, Lana Morton-Owens and

Nicole Vanderlaan Smith, and

paralegal Marian Pritchard worked

with Human Options to identify the

legal needs of domestic violence

victims and to assess the volume of

such needs in Orange County.

The team simultaneously worked

with Chapman Law School in an

effort to establish a domestic

violence legal clinic. The goal of

this clinic will be to address the

legal needs identified, in part,

through dialogues with area

resources for domestic violence

victims.

Marion Agnes House for homeless families in New York City


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‘‘Because of our partnership with Latham, we were able to open our doors in 2005 and immediately begin to

provide high-quality fair housing legal services to victims of

discrimination throughout the New York metro area.”

— Diane L. Houk Executive Director, Fair Housing Justice Center

ROCK Orange County. Latham

attorneys provided corporate,

employment and contract

representation for Run for Orange

County Kids (ROCK), the

organization that sponsors and

produces the Orange County

Marathon and a related two-day

health and fitness expo. With more

than 10,000 participants, the

Orange County Marathon has been

instrumental in raising funds for 10

children’s charities. Partners Jonn

Beeson and Joseph Farrell and

paralegal Sally Burns negotiated

vendor contracts and employment

agreements for ROCK and

provided various corporate advice

and nonprofit compliance

representation.

South Coast Children’s Society.

South Coast Children’s Society

(SCCS) is a nonprofit organization

that provides care and treatment to

abused and neglected children at

several facilities throughout

Orange County. The landlord at

one of these facilities sought to

evict SCCS and terminate its long-

term leasehold interest, worth more

than $1 million, alleging that the

Office Highlights

For the past year, Latham & Watkins has worked with HELP

USA’s Fair Housing Justice Center (FHJC), in a partnership

arranged through New York Lawyers for the Public Interest,

to combat housing discrimination in the New York

metropolitan area.

The FHJC takes walk-in discrimination cases and conducts

investigations into rental practices, real estate sales, lending

and other housing-related services to identify and document

unlawful discrimination. Testing, through strategic use of

actors posing as potential renters, is conducted in response

to complaints, as well as based on systemic investigations

developed and implemented by the FHJC.

Latham attorneys represent victims of housing discrimination

referred by the FHJC and receive training, mentoring and

support from the FHJC in ongoing matters.

Under the supervision of New York partners David Brodsky

and Kurt Rogers, several Latham attorneys participate in the

battle against housing discrimination. In a recent case

handled by associates

George du Pont,

Andres Alvarez, Adam

Burk, Alexa Klein and

Margaret Sarratt,

Latham represented a

family subjected to

harassment and

discrimination by their

landlord because of the

race and ethnicity of

their houseguests,

including racial slurs, threats and physical intimidation, and

a notice terminating the tenancy. In another matter, the

team negotiated a settlement before the New York State

Commission on Human Rights on behalf of a victim of

housing discrimination based on age, sex and marital status.

As another example, associate Meaghan Chmura assisted a

family whose application for subsidized housing was denied

because of physical and mental disabilities. Having filed a

housing discrimination complaint with the US Department

of Housing and Urban Development, Latham resolved the

matter through supervised conciliation. Associates Courtney

Oliva, Margaret Sarratt and John Arden also made

important contributions to the housing discrimination project

in 2005. �

Battling Housing Discrimination

Project coordinators Kurt Rogers, AndresAlvarez, FHJC Legal Director PamelaSah, David Brodsky, FHJC ExecutiveDirector Diane Houk and John Arden

Diane Houk and associate Andres Alvarezdiscuss housing matters


lease had been assigned to SCCS

without the landlord’s prior written

consent as required by an

undisclosed lease addendum.

Orange County associates Jordan

Kushner and Matthew Cooper,

assisted by partner Joseph Farrell,

represented SCCS in the matter

and obtained a favorable

settlement just as a trial in the case

was set to begin.

Camp Okizu. Orange County

partner Paul Singarella and

associate Shanda Beltran represent

Camp Okizu, a summer camp for

children stricken with cancer, in

securing necessary permits from

the California State Water

Resources Control Board. The

proposed water permits, which

would allow the Camp to continue

diverting water from an adjacent

creek to small storage ponds for

fishing, swimming and irrigation of

its playing fields, were challenged

by local farmers and operators of a

downstream recreational reservoir.

Through years of negotiation

regarding the permit terms and

environmental review, Latham was

instrumental in resolving disputes

regarding the Camp’s water

permits, and continues to assist

with the permitting procedure.

Justice for Immigrants in the

Ibrahim Parlak is a Turkish Kurd who was tortured and

imprisoned in Turkey in the 1980s for his participation

in the Kurdish rights movement. Since the Immigration

and Naturalization Service (INS) granted Mr. Parlak

asylum in 1992, he has resided in the US, building a

successful restaurant business in Michigan. He is also

the proud father of a seven-year-old American

daughter and is beloved by his community.

Beginning in 2002, 10 years after Mr. Parlak was

granted asylum and shortly after September 11, the

newly established Department of Homeland Security

(DHS) sought to deport Mr. Parlak on the basis of the

same facts on

which the INS

had granted him

asylum in 1992.

In July 2004,

DHS arrested

Mr. Parlak,

labeled him a

terrorist and

held him without

bail based upon

his activities

prior to coming to the United States.

Post-9/11 WorldFour years after the attacks of September 11, 2001,the United States continues to grapple with legalissues related to individual rights in the context ofthe battle against terrorism. The case of IbrahimParlak exemplifies the real-life conflicts thatdevelop when individual rights clash withgovernment vigilance.

‘‘In difficult times, when great caution is necessary,mistakes can be made. But I am thankful that in America we have a justice system to

correct these mistakes. I am also thankful that I do not have to face my struggle alone.”

— Ibrahim Parlak Restaurant owner

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Top: Ibrahim Parlak reunited with his friend and daughterBottom: Ibrahim’s neighbors welcome him home


Right to a Fair Asylum Hearing.

Despite the request of a 17-year-old

immigrant for the opportunity to

obtain an attorney in connection

with his removal proceedings,

an immigration judge proceeded

without an attorney and denied

the boy’s asylum application. The

Midwest Immigrant & Human

Rights Center appealed the case to

the Board of Immigration Appeals

(BIA), which affirmed the

immigration judge’s decision in a

one-sentence order. A team of

Latham attorneys, led by Orange

County associate Chris Campbell

and including associates Lana

Morton-Owens and Sondra

Hickey, appealed the case to the

Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and

separately moved to reopen the

case with the BIA based upon

newly discovered evidence. Citing

a new psychological evaluation

concluding that our client suffers

from major depression and

psychosis, lacks the ability to focus

or concentrate and has severely

disturbed thought processes, the

team argued that our client had

been denied due process, including

in connection with his request for

representation. The BIA agreed,

holding that the immigration judge

abused her discretion in several

respects, and remanded the case

for a new merits hearing.

Chicago partner David Foster along with associates Jay

Marhoefer and Cindy Sobel took the case on a pro

bono basis, joined by other attorneys working pro bono

or on a reduced-fee basis including a former US

Attorney, a former special counsel to the FBI’s counter-

terrorism unit and leading immigration and civil rights

attorneys.

The case quickly turned into one of the most widely

followed individual rights cases in the post-9/11 world,

and sparked national debate on the enforcement of US

immigration laws in this new environment. Mr. Parlak’s

two-day deportation hearing in December 2004 received

extensive local and national media attention, including a

cover story in The New York Times Magazine and an

interview on ABC-TV’s “Nightline.” The immigration

judge eventually ruled against Mr. Parlak in his

deportation case. Latham appealed the case to the

Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), outlining dozens of

errors of fact and law in the immigration judge’s

decision. The BIA denied relief, and Latham has

appealed to the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals.

In May 2005, Latham obtained a habeas corpus order

holding that the government was violating Mr.

Parlak’s constitutional rights by detaining him without

bond while the fight against his deportation

continued. The habeas challenge emphasized that a

model immigrant like Mr. Parlak could not be

detained indefinitely while his immigration appeals

were pending, particularly when no evidence existed

that he was a threat or flight risk. In June 2005, Mr.

Parlak was finally released on bail and reunited with

his family after more than 10 months in jail. When Mr.

Parlak returned home, supporters gathered at his

restaurant to give the Kurdish immigrant a warm

welcome, greeting him with cheers, hugs and tears.

The case is currently before the Sixth Circuit, where

Mr. Parlak is appealing the deportation order and the

government is appealing Mr. Parlak’s release. On

another front, Mr. Parlak’s many supporters have

galvanized a movement, “Ibrahim for Citizen,” the

goal of which is to pass a private bill in Congress that

will confer citizenship upon Mr. Parlak. His supporters

have collected hundreds of affidavits attesting to his

qualifications to become a US citizen, and Michigan

Senator Carl Levin and Representative Fred Upton

introduced the bill in Congress, which under

administrative procedures has resulted in a stay of

Mr. Parlak’s potential deportation until at least

February 2007. �

Office Highlights

‘‘There can befew things morerewarding than

seeing a seven-year-old

girl, who has spent the last

10 months visiting her

father for only 20 minutes

each week through a

sheet of thick glass in jail, jump into

his arms and walk with him into the

light of freedom, and knowing that I

was a part of that.”

— Jay MarhoeferAssociate in the Chicago office


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Asylum for a Jehovah’s Witness.

Orange County associate Chris

Campbell, under the supervision of

former of counsel Allan Litovsky,

obtained asylum for a woman from

Armenia. Our client had suffered

life-threatening physical violence

by a paramilitary organization, was

denied police protection and even

basic medical assistance by state-

owned hospitals, was fired from her

government job and suffered

physical violence at the hands of

her husband, all because of her

religious beliefs as a Jehovah’s

Witness.

Paris

Les Braves. French sculptress

Anilore Banon was given

authorization to mount a memorial

sculpture on Omaha Beach as part

of the 60th anniversary

commemoration of the Normandy

Landing by the Committee for the

Normandy Landing (Comité du

Débarquement) as well as by

French and American authorities.

Paris partners Valérie Bouaziz

Torron and Mark Beckett and

associates Jérôme Barzun and

Julien Soisson advised Ms. Banon

on the creation of a company to

finance the project, including

assisting with company formation

and drafting and negotiating a

private donor sponsorship

agreement and intellectual

property agreements.

The stainless steel memorial

entitled Les Braves (“The Heroes”),

which stands 9 by 15 meters and

weighs 15 tons, now pays tribute to

the courage of the American forces

who landed in Normandy in 1944.

The monument is set on the beach

at a strategic point where, at high

tide, the base of the sculpture is

submerged in water, producing a

spectacular effect. Latham

continues to advise our client in

matters before the Paris

Commercial Court.

Lions Club Foundation. Paris of

counsel Cécile Amigues and

associate Jérôme Barzun represent

Lions Club Foundation, an

international nonprofit charitable

organization known for its

commitment to blindness

prevention and its actions to help

the visually impaired as well as

other forms of community

involvement. In 2005, Latham

advised the Foundation in

connection with a project to build

medically tailored homes in France

for disabled children.

San Diego

Asylum for a Somali Refugee.

San Diego associates Tom Getz and

Drew Gardiner successfully

obtained asylum for a 28-year-old

Somali refugee, whose case was

referred to the firm by Casa

Cornelia Law Center. After civil

war engulfed Somalia in 1991, our

client, a member of a minority clan,

was at the mercy of the oppressive

Habr Gedir majority clan. Our

client’s parents were brutally

murdered while fighting to protect

their home. Over the next eight

years, our client was kidnapped on

three separate occasions and forced

to work as a slave for 16-20 hours a

day under the threat of death. His

Les Braves memorial at Omaha Beach,Normandy

Latham Honored by Human Rights First

Latham & Watkins was honored by Human Rights First

(formerly the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights) as a

recipient of the Marvin Frankel Award for the firm’s

commitment to safeguarding the rights of refugees

through pro bono representation. Latham has handled 58

asylum cases referred by Human Rights First since 1991.

Right: Steve Schulman, Claudia O'Brien and RickBernthal accept the Marvin Frankel Award from HRFPresident Michael Posner and HRF Washington DirectorElisa Massimino


captors repeatedly shot, stabbed

and tortured him. In late 2004, he

escaped captivity and made his

way to the United States.

The ManKind Project. The

ManKind Project offers training for

men in developing lives of integrity,

accountability and connection to

feeling. Its goal is to challenge men

to develop their abilities as leaders,

fathers and elders in service to the

world. San Diego partner Joel

Mack and associates Agnes

Gesiko, Adam O’Farrell and Marc

Halpern assisted the ManKind

Project with a broad range of legal

issues including corporate

governance, tax, intellectual

property, contracts, insurance and

risk management, and internal

investigation support. Over the past

two years, attorneys from several

Latham offices in the United States

and Europe have assisted with this

project.

The Monarch School Project. The

Monarch School Project provides

funding for the extraordinary and

special needs of students of the

Monarch School, a public magnet

school for homeless K-12 students

located in downtown San Diego.

Although the No Child Left Behind

Act makes these types of schools

illegal, the Monarch School is one

of four exceptions to the law, all of

which are beta sites that will be

reviewed by Congress in coming

years to determine if magnet

schools for homeless children are

effective. The teachers and

administrators of the Monarch

School have found that many

homeless children will not attend

regular public schools because of

the perceived stigma of their status,

and feel more comfortable being

around others who are in similar

circumstances. Latham represents

the Monarch School Project in

connection with the acquisition of

its existing facility in downtown

San Diego to expand and enhance

the school’s capacity and the

quantity and quality of its

programs. San Diego partners

David Boatwright and Mark

Pulliam and associate Stephanie

Kuhlen represent Monarch in this

endeavor.

QuestBridge. QuestBridge is a

program that links bright,

motivated low-income students

with educational and scholarship

opportunities at top colleges. San

Diego associates Steve Chinowsky

and Tony Mauriello assisted

QuestBridge in updating its Web

site to comply with California

Internet privacy laws, including

drafting the organization’s “Terms

of Use” and “Privacy Policy.” In

addition, the team drafted non-

disclosure and business agreements

for QuestBridge.

Junior Achievement and Enterprise

Village. Junior Achievement of San

Diego is a nonprofit organization

that educates K-12 students about

American economics, free

enterprise and business. Latham

serves as counsel for Junior

Achievement in connection with its

acquisition of a new facility that

will be used as its headquarters

and will house Enterprise Village,

a virtual town in which seventh

graders from different school

districts across San Diego will come

for a day to assume town political

and business roles to gain a hands-

on understanding of how business

and politics work. San Diego

partners David Boatwright and

Chris Garrett, associate Tiffany

Barzal and Land Use Analyst Clif

Williams represent Junior

Achievement in this matter.

San Francisco

Outward Bound Corporate

Reorganization. Latham completed

an extensive corporate affiliation

transaction for Outward Bound

USA, a nonprofit educational

organization with five core

programs that build teams,

transform schools and change lives.

A team of Latham corporate

attorneys led by San Francisco

partner Brad Bugdanowitz and

including associates Errol Hunter

and Jude Egan and Project

Assistant Matt Stevenson, guided

the organization through a

transaction consisting of the

affiliation of six previously

independent chartered schools

across the United States with the

parent entity Outward Bound, Inc.

The reorganization allows the

schools to operate under a single

management structure, share

resources and administrative

services and move forward in a

more streamlined and coordinated

way. The project was overseen by

Los Angeles partner Andy

Lundberg and received assistance

from San Francisco partner James

Dutro on the structuring of the

transaction, with tax advice

provided by Chicago partner Bob

Goldman and associate Julie

Marion.


Disaster Recovery Work

Hurricane Katrina Initiatives

Latham personnel contributed in excess of $815,000 tomore than 115 organizations aiding relief efforts in thewake of Hurricane Katrina. Through a firm-wideinitiative announced soon after Katrina struck the USGulf Coast region in August 2005, the firm instituted aprogram that matched employee donations dollar-for-dollar. The firm kicked off the program with an initialpledge of $200,000, which was followed by more thanhalf a million dollars in attorney and staff donationsand matching funds. Latham personnel contributed tothe charities of their choice, resulting in support to awide variety of charitable organizations, while thefirm’s contributions supported organizations such asthe Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity.

As part of the firm’s matching contributions, Latham isfunding two Katrina-related fellowships: (1) an EqualJustice Works Disaster Relief Fellow who will be onthe ground in the Gulf Coast region for two years,providing critical legal assistance as part of the reliefeffort, and (2) a Latham & Watkins Fellow with theLawyers Committee for Civil Rights focused onhurricane relief efforts. It is hoped that these fellowswill be able to provide assistance and relief tocountless residents of the Gulf Coast region.

Support for those affected by the disaster also was given on several other fronts, including thefollowing initiatives.

The Advancement Project. Washington, D.C.associates Joel Israel, Abena Glasgow, MichaelPonzoli, Teneille Brown, Ahmad Nassar and Ron Leeassisted the Advancement Project in ensuring thatNew Orleans tenants displaced after Hurricane Katrinawill be afforded proper notice before being evicted andhaving their possessions removed by landlords. TheAdvancement Project secured a settlement with FEMAaffording tenants 45 days notice before eviction, afterlocal authorities originally had planned to give tenantsjust three days notice. Pursuant to the settlement,FEMA also is required to provide information on thewhereabouts of all evictees and courts must sendevictees notice by mail.

The Five Friends and Brothers Foundation. New Yorkassociates James Van Doren, Jude Gorman and EliHunt, under the supervision of partner David Allinson,provided general corporate advice to and assisted withthe nonprofit incorporation of The Five Friends andBrothers Foundation. The organization was formed tofund and organize relief efforts for homeless sheltersand youth homes in New Orleans, as well as fundoffices and infrastructure for smaller nonprofits in theNew Orleans area and other nonprofit and charitableinstitutions in southern Louisiana. The Foundationtargets smaller, less-well-known charitable andnonprofit organizations in the Gulf Area largelyoverlooked by relief organizations.

The past few years have seen their share of natural disasters, from theCalifornia wildfires and the South Asian tsunami to Hurricanes Katrinaand Rita on the United States Gulf Coast. These devastating events callfor compassion, charity and community support, as well as innovativesolutions to challenging legal issues.

AIDS Legal Referral Panel. In 2005,

the San Francisco office initiated a

pro bono partnership with the AIDS

Legal Referral Panel, one of the

oldest organizations in the US

dedicated to providing direct legal

services to individuals with HIV

and AIDS. Partners Chris Yates and

Bob Sims and associates Sarah Ray,

Melissa Chan, Liz Lamzaki and

Rebecca Spain successfully

resolved unlawful detainer eviction

proceedings on behalf of two

clients, and associates Sam Lutz

and Carrie Taubman, with

assistance from partner Jim Lynch,

are taking the lead on a Rent

Stabilization Board appeal referred

by the Panel.

Assisting Immigrant Women. Our

San Francisco attorneys work with

a number of immigrant women

seeking to obtain legal residency in

the US under the Violence Against

Women Act (VAWA). Partnering

with Asian Pacific Islander Legal

Outreach, our San Francisco

attorneys work with domestic

violence victims to prepare

declarations and affidavits and

assemble documentary evidence in

support of our clients’ VAWA

petitions and waiver applications.

Our attorneys have assisted women

from several nations, including

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Mental Health Issues for Young Victims. Chicago partnerJuli Marshall and associates Jennifer Reicher Jaffe, LopaPatel and Cindy Sobel, and San Francisco partner JerryPeters and associate Soleil Teubner are working with theCenter for the Advancement of Children’s Mental Healthat Columbia University, an organization committed toaccelerating the acceptance and effective use of proveninterventions that foster children’s emotional andbehavioral health. The Latham team has focused on theCenter’s involvement with children’s mental healthservices for the many young victims of Hurricane Katrina.The team is working to ensure that through mechanismsincluding Medicaid and the Individuals with DisabilitiesEducation Act, young Katrina victims receive timelyscreening and appropriate treatment for Post-TraumaticStress Disorder. The team has also undertaken to help theCenter become a tax-exempt nonprofit entity distinctfrom Columbia University.

Assisting Katrina Victims. In several offices, Lathamattorneys have reached out to victims displaced byHurricane Katrina, providing needed services andreferrals. Latham attorneys also are working with locallegal services organizations in the Gulf Coast region toidentify and address community needs.

Helping Tsunami Victims

The world’s most powerful earthquake in more than 40years struck on December 26, 2004, under the IndianOcean, triggering massive tsunamis in several countries.As the region moves forward with reconstruction andrecovery, efforts are underway to maintain donations andrelief. Latham attorneys assisted Unawatuna-Hilfe, anonprofit organization dedicated to supporting victims ofthe tsunami in Southern Sri Lanka who lost their families,their homes or the basis for their work, or otherwiseseverely suffered from the devastating tsunamis.Hamburg associate Christian Meyn and partner SvenOswald advised Unawatuna-Hilfe in establishing afoundation, provided advice on Tsunami Disaster ReliefGrants, assisted with the reorganization of its Board, andcontinue to advise on various other issues in connectionwith the operation of a nonprofit organization.

California Wildfire Assistance

Historically, it takes between three and five years torecover from a major natural disaster, and the 2003California wildfires which destroyed thousands of homesis no exception. In 2005, a team of Los Angeles attorneysled by partner Ursula Hyman continued to assist variouscommunity-based organizations on questions of lawhaving to do with redevelopment agencies, zoning,environmental clearance and insurance which impactedtheir residents. The team also helped to draft and testifyon legislation that requires the Governor’s Office ofEmergency Services to work with community-basedorganizations after a natural disaster.

In addition, Los Angeles associates Dan Beck andJenny Kleinberg, under the supervision of partnerUrusla Hyman, assisted Chabad, a Jewish communityorganization and school in San Diego that lost a schoolfacility and a cultural library in the 2003 wildfires. AfterFEMA denied funding for several portions of thecampus and for a large part of the library collection,Latham stepped in to assist with Chabad’s FEMAappeals. �

South Korea, Malaysia and the

Philippines. Among those who

have given their time to help these

women obtain legal residency are

San Francisco associates Jarod

Buna, Adrian Davis, Ellen Brown,

Erica Grossman, Tienlon Ho,

Adrienne Leder, Jeannie Lee,

Marc Lewis, Carrie Taubman,

Melanie Griswold and Hyun Jee

Son, summer associate June Yi and

paralegal Gina Tercero.

Parolee Rights and Gubernatorial

Power. Following our amicus brief

in the Rosenkrantz California

Supreme Court case, Latham

continued to work with the ACLU

of Northern California in the area

of parolee rights and gubernatorial

parole power by submitting an

amicus brief in In re Scott, on

behalf of the Voters Corrections

Reform Coalition, setting forth a

framework by which California

courts could construe and assess

gubernatorial parole decisions.

Associates Randy Kim, Sadik

Huseny and Leah Harhay, working

with summer associates Micah

Nash and Nithan Sannappa under

the supervision of former partner

Steve Treat, prepared the brief.

In October 2005, the California

Court of Appeal issued its opinion,

incorporating nearly all of the

Office Highlights


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major points raised by the amicus

brief. The court found that the

reliability and reasonableness of

the evidence proffered by the

Executive in denying parole must

be examined by the courts,

reestablishing the courts’ role in

judicial review to ensure due

process in connection with parole

determinations.

Hospice by the Bay. Hospice by

the Bay serves terminally ill

patients, including cancer and

AIDS patients. San Francisco

partners Jerry Peters and Linda

Inscoe and associates Gregory

Cochran, Betty Pang and Soleil

Teubner, with assistance from

Washington, D.C. partner Andrew

Gantt and associate Anthony

Casarona, represented the

hospice in dealing with a variety

of structural and regulatory

issues and negotiated a merger

transaction with the widely

renowned Hospice of

Marin, the second-oldest

hospice in the US.

LCCR Legal Services Clinic.

Our San Francisco attorneys

continue to regularly participate

in the Legal Services Clinic

sponsored by the Lawyers

Committee for Civil Rights. This

clinic helps low-income clients

with civil legal needs ranging

from illegal evictions and personal

injury to debt collection and

public benefit issues. The Clinic

team includes partners Charlie

Crompton and Chris Yates, and,

among others, associates Randy

Kim, Shannon Eagan, Heather

Marlow, Risha Jamison, Xochitl

Arteaga, Melanie Rowen, Jude

Egan and Tracey Orick.

WiRED and AIDS Education.

Latham scored an important victory

for WiRED International, a

nonprofit organization that uses

information technology to transfer

medical information to developing

countries. WiRED has been running

an HIV/AIDS education program in

rural Kenya, a country with a

rampant AIDS epidemic, and has

accomplished a great deal with an

unpaid staff and a modest grant

from the National Institutes of

Health (NIH). When the NIH

cancelled WiRED’s grant without

an official decision and ignored its

appeals for an explanation or

administrative process, its thriving

Kenya program was set to be

terminated. San Francisco

associates Amy Baghdadi and Jude

Egan, under the supervision of

partner Paul DeMuro, assisted

WiRED in negotiating with the

NIH, ultimately securing enough

bridge funding to keep this

important program running until

WiRED can secure alternate

funding sources.

Pescadero Conservation Alliance.

Latham represents the Pescadero

Conservation Alliance in its efforts

to create an environmental

education and ecological

restoration center in Pescadero,

California. This field research

station is designed to bring at-risk

youth from Bay Area communities

with little exposure to wilderness to

a camp located amid coastal

redwoods and rushing salmon

Latham Honored by Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights

The Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCR) presented

Latham & Watkins with its “Keta Taylor Colby Award,” which honors an attorney who provides

outstanding representation to the poor and under-represented through his or her involvement in

LCCR’s Legal Services Clinic.

Although the Keta Taylor Colby Award traditionally honors an individual attorney, this year the

LCCR staff overwhelmingly selected the entire firm to receive the award, feeling strongly that all

Latham volunteers should be recognized for their ongoing dedication to LCCR. Led by San

Francisco partner Charlie Crompton, who has been volunteering at the Clinic for 16 years, more

than 25 Latham attorneys currently provide pro bono services through LCCR, including its Legal

Services for Entrepreneurs and Asylum programs as well as the Legal Services Clinic.

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Latham has often gone aboveand beyond the call of duty in its consistent support of the Legal Services Clinic.”

— Diana TateLCCR Staff Attorney and Clinic Director

‘‘Charlie Cromptonaccepting the KetaTaylor Colby Awardon behalf of the firm


streams. The station also will host

biologists in residence conducting

research on local ecological

restoration and leading camp youth

programs. San Francisco associates

Lou Leonard and Randi Wallach,

under the supervision of partner

Rick Zbur and former of counsel

Kim McCormick, worked with

other professionals, including

biologists, engineers and

consultants, who have volunteered

their time to support this project.

The Coastal Commission is

expected to consider the field

research station’s permit request in

early 2006.

Silicon Valley

Guardianship Program. In 2005,

Latham launched a new initiative

involving guardianship cases in

partnership with the Legal Aid

Society of San Mateo County.

Latham attorneys have handled

several such cases. Associate Pete

Snow and summer associate Paul

Deeringer represented a couple

seeking legal guardianship of their

minor granddaughter. The court

granted our clients’ petition for

temporary guardianship,

preventing the minor from being

relocated without notice. Associate

Darcy Conklin and summer

associate Laura Boysen

represented a woman seeking legal

guardianship of her niece who had

been living in nearly uninhabitable

conditions with her alcoholic

parent, caring for herself and her

younger sister, both of whom have

cystic fibrosis. The San Mateo

County Superior Court granted our

client’s petition for legal

guardianship.

Abuse at the Hands of the

Presidential Guard. Associates Jill

Zimmerman and Anita Pancholi

represent a young man from the

Republic of Guinea. Due to his

father’s pro-democracy political

activities, our client suffered

repeated persecution at the hands

of the Presidential Guard. He and

his family were arrested and

beaten on several occasions before

our client, out of fear for his life,

fled Guinea and applied for asylum

in the United States. Latham

handled the asylum appeal before

the US Court of Appeals for the

Third Circuit, as well as his petition

for Special Immigrant Juvenile

Status, which was approved in

December 2005.

Big Brothers Big Sisters. Silicon

Valley partner Laura Bushnell and

associates Connie Chen and

Suzanne Tom are representing Big

Brothers Big Sisters of San

Francisco and the Peninsula in a

transaction to combine its assets

with those of the Big Brothers Big

Sisters entities in Santa Clara

County and the East Bay. Partner

Jay Pomerantz is advising on

director and officer liability issues,

while San Francisco partner Linda

Inscoe and associate Emily Dahm,

as well as Silicon Valley associate

Jay Metz and Chicago associate

Julie Marion, are advising on tax

issues.

Asylum Appeal. Silicon Valley

partner John Tang and New York

partner Blair Connelly, along with

San Francisco associate Adrian

Davis and New York associate

Michael David, are litigating the

asylum appeal of a Honduran

immigrant. Having been

abandoned as a child on the streets

of Honduras, suffered starvation

and multiple beatings, and seen his

countrymen murdered at the hands

of the police, our client fled those

atrocities and sought refuge in the

United States. Although asylum

was initially granted by the

Immigration Court, this decision

was later reversed by the Board of

Immigration Appeals (BIA). Latham

is now litigating the case before the

Latham Honored by San Mateo Legal Aid Society

The Legal Aid Society of San Mateo County named associate Darcy Conklinand Latham’s Silicon Valley office its November 2005 “Pro Bono Honorees.”

Darcy and summer associate Adrian Lu, under the

supervision of partner Jay Pomerantz, represented a

worker who was injured on the job and unable to work

for the first time in 20 years. Our client’s injury qualified

him for disability insurance benefits, but when a doctor

from the state decided that he could return to work, the

government discontinued his benefits and demanded

repayment of more than $6,000.

Entering the case at the appeal stage, Latham filed a

Petition for a Writ of Mandate, asking the San Francisco

Superior Court to direct the Board to consider a letter

from our client’s physician certifying that he was

disabled during the relevant period. The court ruled in

our client’s favor, requiring the state to set aside its administrative hearing decision

and accept the medical evidence provided by the injured worker.

Darcy Conklin

Ph

oto

: JR

K I

ma

ge

s


Off

ice

High

light

s Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals,

arguing that the BIA improperly

challenged and overruled the

immigration judge’s decision to

grant asylum.

Singapore

ForesTrade. ForesTrade is aVermont-based supplier of organicand sustainably produced tropicalspices, oils and “Fair Trade” coffee.The company works with localindigenous farmers, offering themfair prices for their products whileproviding them with economicincentives to implement sustainableand environmentally friendlyagricultural methods. Lathamassisted ForesTrade in negotiatingan export credit facility from theOverseas Private InvestmentCorporation. Partner Mark Nelsonand associate David Bills workedon loan documents for Indonesianmarket issues and coordinatedonshore documentation for theproject with local Indonesiancounsel. The deal was a valuablefirst step for ForesTrade, whichplans to enter into similar financingarrangements with otherinternational export creditagencies.

Fundación Pacita. Partner James

Redway and associate Tim Hia are

assisting with the establishment of

Fundación Pacita, which honors the

memory of Pacita Abad, a

prominent Philippine-American

artist who died of cancer at the end

of 2004. Fundación Pacita was

established to continue the artistic

legacy of Pacita Abad by

supporting the development of

dedicated painters, printmakers,

sculptors and multimedia artists

from emerging Asian countries,

and facilitating the study and

understanding of Pacita’s life

and work.

Washington, D.C.

Capital Appeal. A team ofWashington, D.C. attorneys led bypartner Abid Qureshi and formerpartner Beth Wilkinson andassociates Matthew Roskoski,Brian Stekloff, Kendall Burmanand Katharine Saundersrepresented a Virginia death rowinmate in a habeas appeal. Ourclient was convicted of murder andsentenced to death in January2001. His trial counsel conductedalmost no investigation into

potential mitigating circumstances,ignored substantial evidence thathe suffered from mentaldeficiencies and presentedessentially no case regardingmitigation. The Latham teambecame involved during thefederal habeas proceedings whenthe Commonwealth of Virginiasought to execute our clientbefore the time for filing anappeal had expired. Havingreceived an emergency stay ofexecution, the team conducted itsown investigation, pullingtogether our client’s habeasappeal in less than three months.Initial testing indicates that ourclient is mentally retarded.

Protecting Sea Lions. PartnersDavid Hayes and James Barrettand associates Sara Orr, AndreaHogan, Mollie Farrell and AhmadNassar represent the HumaneSociety of the United States (HSUS)in its challenge of the NationalMarine Fisheries Service’s issuanceof numerous research permitsauthorizing hot branding of sea lionpups, extracting teeth, samplingtissue and other intrusive activitieswithout requiring permit holders tocoordinate their research and

Latham Honored by Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless

The Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless presented

Latham with a pro bono award in recognition of the firm’s

“extraordinary efforts to make justice a reality for those strug-

gling with homelessness.”

Latham received the award based on the firm’s longstanding

support of the Legal Clinic as well as several recent matters

handled by the firm. For example, partner Ken Weinstein and

associate Leslie DuPuy represented a disabled widow with

five children facing eviction and foreclosure in a predatory

lending case, and several associates represented Legal Clinic

clients in social security disability matters.

In addition, associates Stephen Spiegelhalter and Aisha

Henry successfully represented a Legal Clinic client against a

slumlord in a three-day jury trial.

Through the Clinic,we are privileged to be ableto help people who havenowhere else to turn, andchange their lives for thebetter.” — Ken Weinstein

Partner in the Washington, D.C. office

‘‘


without verifying the effects of theresearch on the endangered Stellersea lion population. Lathamattorneys and HSUS prevailedupon the Service to conduct anEnvironmental Impact Statementfor the research program.

Asylum for an Ethiopian Woman.

Of counsel Jared Johnson,associate Stephanie Lim andparalegal Melinda Craiger, withassistance from partner Claudia O’Brien and of counsel SteveSchulman, secured asylum for anEthiopian woman who had beenarrested and tortured by authoritiesbased on her family’s politicalactivity. Her father had beenarrested and was presumed dead,and one brother was killed inprison while the other was torturedto the point of causing insanity.With the help of her Lathamattorneys, our client escaped asimilar fate and now lives safely inthe United States.

Alliance for the Terminally Ill.

A team of Washington, D.C.attorneys represents the AbigailAlliance, a nonprofit groupdevoted to gaining access todevelopmental drugs for theterminally ill. With the help of theWashington Legal Foundation, theAbigail Alliance sued the FederalDrug Administration (FDA),claiming that FDA regulationsunconstitutionally bar terminallyill patients with no approvedtreatment alternatives frompurchasing drugs approved forsubstantial human testing but notyet for full public marketing.Partner Scott Ballenger joined thecause to assist with the briefingand to present oral argumentbefore the US Court of Appealsfor the D.C. Circuit. The appealargued that terminally ill patientswith no other options have afundamental right to purchase, at

a reasonable market price, drugswhich are in the later stages ofFDA testing. The case was arguedin October 2005 and is awaiting adecision by the court. The Lathamteam also included associateAllyson McKenzie and summerassociates Derek Smith andThomas Hall on the brief, withadditional assistance fromassociates Amanda Biles andNathan Vitan in preparation fororal argument.

Asylum for a Tanzanian Boy Scout.

Our client, a Tanzanian Boy Scoutwho left an international scoutjamboree to seek refuge in the US,was finally found eligible forasylum in 2005 after four years oflitigation. The Board of ImmigrationAppeals’ (BIA) granting of asylumfollowed a sharply worded opinionby the US Court of Appeals for theThird Circuit in August, whichvacated and remanded the BIA’searlier order denying asylum.Associate Stephen Spiegelhalterargued the case before the ThirdCircuit. Associates RebeccaMalcolm, Jeremy Barber, NathanVitan, Alexi Maltas and AmandaBiles assisted in the preparation fororal argument, while partnerClaudia O’Brien, Chicago associateJay Marhoefer and Washington,D.C. paralegal Rachel Jaffecontributed to the briefs.

Asylum for a Zimbabwean Activist.

Washington, D.C. associatesJeremy Barber, Kendall Burmanand Elizabeth Kronk obtainedasylum for a Zimbabwean manwho had been tortured andimprisoned as a result of hissupport of opposition politics andtorture survivors in Zimbabwe. Fivemonths later, the team securedderivative asylum for our client’swife and two children.

Kosher Meals for a Prisoner.

In conjunction with the BecketFund for Religious Liberty, partnerAllen Gardner and associatesJoshua Chandler, Dane Holbrook,Parker Douglas, Lara Kayayan andAli Ahmad are representing aJewish prisoner incarcerated inTexas who has been denied koshermeals. Under federal law, theprison system is required to offerreasonable accommodations ofprisoners’ religious practices, andinfringements of genuine religiousliberty interests must be justified bya compelling state interest and bethe least restrictive means offurthering that interest. The team isseeking an order in federal courtdirecting the state of Texas tocomply with the Religious LandUse and Institutionalized PersonsAct by offering a kosher mealoption for Jewish inmates. �

Latham Honored byWashington Lawyers’Committee

In recognition of the work of our

Washington, D.C. attorneys in

political asylum matters, the firm

was presented with an

“Outstanding Achievement Award”

by the Washington Lawyers’

Committee for Civil Rights and

Urban Affairs.

Latham has been working with the

Washington Lawyers’ Committee

for several years through its

Immigrant and Refugee Rights

Project.


Latham attorneys achieved several trial victories for pro bono clients in awide range of matters in 2005. In various courts across the United States, before judges and juries, Latham attorneys protected the rights ofdisadvantaged parties and nonprofit community organizations withoutthe ability to pay in litigation through final verdicts. These successes reflectthe talent and skill of the participating attorneys, who through their effortsand dedication made tremendous contributions to their communities.

Defeating a Slumlord

Superior Court, District of Columbia. After three years

of litigation, Latham secured a trial victory on behalf of

our client from the Washington Legal Clinic for the

Homeless against a Washington, D.C. slumlord who

evicted our client, identified him as a snitch to

dangerous drug dealers in the building, locked him out

of his apartment, threw away his belongings and

unjustly retained his security deposit.

Led by Washington, D.C. associates Stephen

Spiegelhalter and Aisha Henry, under the

supervision of partner David Barrett, the team

conducted a three-day jury trial and won a verdict of

$11,826 in compensatory and $100,000 in punitive

damages in a case that originally began as a $900

claim in Small Claims Court. Associates Kevin

Stogner and Lara Kayayan, paralegal Stacey Barnes,

Technology in Practice Support Supervisor Jamil

Wohabe and partner De Smith rounded out

the team.

Supporting Community Housing Solutions

Superior Court, State of California. The Association for

Community Housing Solutions (TACHS) is a nonprofit

organization that develops and builds supportive

housing for mentally ill homeless people in San Diego,

including Reese Village, a 19-unit apartment complex

in east San Diego. During the course of the Reese

Village project, TACHS discovered that its civil

engineer negligently prepared the civil plans and,

through delayed attention in correcting the errors,

caused material and costly construction delays. Unable

to achieve satisfactory recovery from the engineer

short of litigation, TACHS filed a complaint for

professional negligence in early 2004.

After several months of difficult discovery, the case

went to trial before a jury in November 2005. Led by

San Diego associates Jennifer Barry and Limor Rabie

and paralegal Kristen Fechner, under the supervision

of partner Ken Fitzgerald and associate Robert Blair,

the Latham trial team presented both lay and expert

witnesses over the course of the five-day trial. In the

end, the jury returned a unanimous verdict awarding

damages to TACHS.

Protecting a Day Laborer

Municipal Court, State of New Jersey. New Jersey

associates John Falzone, Julio Gomez and Eric

Westenberger represented a day laborer in Freehold

Borough who was arrested and charged with

criminal trespass for allegedly remaining on private

property after being ordered to leave by a police

officer. The private property owner, whose land

contained a bus terminal with a small shop and an

Italian ices store, had written a letter to the borough

administrator stating that day laborers were not

permitted on his property and should be arrested as

trespassers. The team took the case to trial, and

secured our client’s acquittal.

Reese Village, a supportive housing complex for the mentallyill in San Diego

The Trials of Pro Bono


Supporting Artistic Freedom

US District Court, Southern District of New York.

Thirty days. That’s how long BB Becker’s trial team

had to conduct expert discovery and prepare for a jury

trial in the Southern District of New York. Despite the

tight schedule, the Latham team, led by associates

Daiske Yoshida and Johanna Schiavoni, alongside co-

counsel from Denver’s Faegre & Benson, won a

successful jury verdict defeating claims for trade dress

infringement, dilution and unfair competition.

Our client, Mark “BB” Becker, sole owner and

designer of BB Becker’s jewelry, developed an idea to

engrave silver jewelry with spiritual quotations after

attending an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting where he

recited the “Serenity Prayer.” Today, BB Becker’s

collection includes jewelry with various quotations

including the Serenity Prayer, the Navajo Prayer and

quotes from the Talmud and other sources. Our client’s

designs were challenged by a San Francisco designer

of silver jewelry hand-engraved with quotations from

literary sources such as Rilke, Whitman and Lao Tzu,

who alleged that Becker could not have developed the

idea to engrave quotations on silver jewelry, and that

his jewelry designs were therefore a copy of hers. After

a contentious six-day jury trial, the jury unanimously

found for our client, in favor of fair competition and

free artistic expression.

Other members of the Latham defense team included

New York associates Sharon Ceresnie and Cindy

Caillavet, summer associate JoAnna McFadden and

paralegals Ivanna Ursino and Kristina Thornton.

Technology in Practice specialists Kaina Sainvil and

Plinio Almeida provided technical support in

connection with the trial.

Securing Access for the Junior Blind

Superior Court, State of California. Latham obtained

an important court victory for the Foundation for the

Junior Blind in a lawsuit concerning the Junior Blind’s

Camp Bloomfield, the largest and most comprehensive

camp in the US for children and teens who are blind or

visually impaired and their families. Located in the

mountains of Malibu, California, the camp provides

programs and services to develop critical life skills,

self-esteem and independence for blind children

through education, recreation, training and

rehabilitation.

Led by partners George Mihlsten and Francis Park,

Latham has been assisting the Junior Blind with

necessary permits and approvals to update the camp,

which is landlocked with sole entry via an access road

running through a neighboring property. When the

neighboring property owner refused to allow the

Junior Blind to make necessary fire and safety

improvements to the access road, and further

challenged access to the camp by blocking the

roadway and harassing camp guests and visitors, the

Junior Blind was forced to pursue legal action to

confirm its rights to the roadway.

A Latham team including Los Angeles partners Steve

Atlee and Jim Arnone, associates Scott Pearson, Jenny

Kleinberg, Andrew Kirsh and Bonnie Moore and

paralegal Susan Lawrence represented the Junior

Blind in a two-year-long litigation to confirm easement

rights to the access road. The lawsuit culminated in a

six-day trial in Los Angeles Superior Court in April

2005. In its decision, the court confirmed that the

Junior Blind has its full easement rights to use the road

and denied the neighbor’s claim to any right to enter

Camp Bloomfield. �

Our client’s courage and

our team’s dedication never wavered,

despite the pressures of

the accelerated trial schedule.

I couldn’t ask for more than

being part of a first-rate law firm

that puts its full support behind

its pro bono clients and its

associates.”

— Johanna SchiavoniAssociate in the San Diego office

‘‘

‘‘I’d be out of business if not for my pro bono attorneys.”

— Mark “BB” Becker Artist, small business owner

Jewelry with spiritual quotations designed by BB Becker


Equal Justice Works

Latham’s sponsorship gave methe opportunity to create an innovativeadvocacy program for low-income pregnantand parenting teens, and has created asustainable project that will continue toprovide services to this growing and under-represented population.”— Diego Cartagena

Equal Justice Works Fellow 2003-2005

“


Monica Ramirez

Equal Justice Works Fellow 2005-2007Monica recently beganher fellowship at theImmigrants’ RightsProject of the NationalAmerican Civil LibertiesUnion in Oakland,California. She worksprimarily on issuesaffecting immigrant daylaborers, a controversialand vulnerablepopulation that suffersexploitation,discrimination and abuse at the hands ofemployers, lawenforcement and even private individuals. Monica hasbeen working to address these issues on a systemicbasis through community outreach, education,advocacy and strategic litigation.

In particular, Monica has begun conducting know-your-rights workshops at Bay Area day-labor centers toeducate workers about their employment andconstitutional rights. She is also active in working withlocal community groups, other nonprofit organizationsand the National Day Laborer Organizing Network indeveloping advocacy and litigation tools to challengethe selective enforcement of municipal and state lawsagainst day laborers around the country. Monicaalready has been involved in two specific litigationchallenges to local anti-solicitation ordinances inCalifornia that effectively ban day laborers fromexercising their First Amendment rights to solicit workin public spaces. In addition, Monica has begunworking with groups around the United States toaddress the rise in anti-immigrant sentiment andpolicies targeting day laborers nationwide.

Before starting her fellowship, Monica clerked forJudge Warren J. Ferguson of the US Ninth CircuitCourt of Appeals. She received her A.B., magna cumlaude, from Harvard University in 2001 and her J.D.from Stanford Law School in 2004.

Summer Stech

Equal Justice Works Fellow 2006-2008Summer was recentlyselected as our 2006-2008fellow. Starting in the fall of2006, Summer will workwith the Legal Aid Societyof San Diego in connectionwith the Children andYouth Advocacy Project,focusing on outreach andassistance to families inunder-served communitieswho have children withdevelopmental disabilities.

Summer will provideadvocacy and legalrepresentation in the special education processincluding in connection with Individual Education Planmeetings, mediations and related due processhearings. In addition, Summer will help providetransition education programs to youth between theages of 18 and 22 with disabilities, such as informationabout rights and obligations in a contract, renting anapartment, custody and child support and other legalissues relevant to this population. Summer will be theonly attorney in San Diego County focusing solely onthe legal needs of developmentally disabled childrenand youth.

Summer is well-suited for this fellowship, havingworked as a special education teacher in the SanDiego Unified School District prior to attending lawschool, and having worked with persons withdisabilities as a clerk with Protection and AdvocacyInc. in San Diego and Disability Rights Advocates inOakland, California. She has also worked as a legalintern for both the Special Education Legal Clinicand the Children’s Advocacy Institute at theUniversity of San Diego School of Law. Summerreceived her undergraduate degree in specialeducation from Boston University in 2000, andexpects her J.D. from the University of San DiegoSchool of Law in May 2006. �

Latham has a tradition of sponsoring public interest fellows through EqualJustice Works (formerly NAPIL), which runs the largest post-graduate legalfellowship program in the United States. Equal Justice Works places recent lawschool graduates in two-year assignments at public interest organizations wherethey implement innovative projects addressing pressing community needs.

In 2005, our 2003-2005 fellows, Diego Cartagena and Reena Ganju, completedtheir fellowships at the Los Angeles Center for Law & Justice and Sanctuary forFamilies Center for Battered Women’s Legal Services in New York, respectively.Our 2005-2007 fellow, Monica Ramirez, began her fellowship described below,and we recently selected our 2006-2008 fellow, Summer Stech.

Monica Ramirez Summer Stech

Equal Justice Works

Photo

: Tom

Sid

ock

Latham & Watkins Pro Bono Committee

The Pro Bono Committee is made up of individuals spanning Latham’s offices aroundthe globe, including partners, of counsel, associates and staff.

James V. Kearney, Committee ChairNew York+1-212-906-1200

Amos E. Hartston, Pro Bono CounselLos Angeles+1-213-485-1234

BrusselsMelissa Cacciotti+32-2-788-6000

ChicagoMary Rose AlexanderNicholas B. GorgaBradley E. Kotler+1-312-876-7700

FrankfurtFinn H.O. Zeidler+49-69-6062-6000

HamburgStefan Widder+49-40-4140-30

LondonPhilip Watkins+44-20-7710-1000

Los AngelesSteven D. AtleeSusan S. Azad+1-213-485-1234

MoscowWendy J. Atrokhov+7-501-785-1234

New JerseyDaniel F. Mulvihill+1-973-639-1234

New YorkManfred GabrielMark H. GoldbergNoreen A. Kelly-NajahGeorge Royle+1-212-906-1200

Orange CountyMichele D. Johnson+1-714-540-1235

ParisMark D. Beckett+33-1-4062-2000

San DiegoSteven T. Chinowsky+1-858-523-5400Brook B. Roberts+1-619-236-1234

San FranciscoXochitl ArteagaCharles S. Crompton, IIISadik H. Huseny +1-415-391-0600

Silicon ValleyDarcy L. ConklinJay L. Pomerantz+1-650-328-4600

SingaporeTimothy Y. Hia+65-6536-1161

TokyoHisao Hirose+81-3-6212-7800

Washington, D.C.Joel IsraelSara K. OrrKenneth W. Weinstein+1-202-637-2200

Committee Members


© C

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Information in this document is subject to change without notice. All brand names are trademarks of their respective owners. Latham & Watkins operates as a limited liability partnership worldwide with an affiliate in the United Kingdom and Italy, where the practice is conducted through an affiliated multinational partnership. © Copyright 2006 Latham & Watkins. All Rights Reserved.

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