PBAR 2013

Doing Good, Hour by Hour 2013 PRO BONO ANNUAL REVIEW

1 Letter from the Chair
2 Message from the Pro Bono Committee Chair
3 Report from the Public Service Counsel
4 2013 Office Overviews
12 Working Across Borders
15 Protecting Human Rights
19 Serving the Underserved
28 Encouraging Entrepreneurialism
32 Assisting Nonprofits
34 Supporting Our Communities
42 Congratulating Our Equal Justice Works Fellows
43 Pro Bono Challenge
45 Pro Bono Committee

Letter from the Chair
Dear Clients & Friends of the Firm:
I am proud to present our 2013 Pro Bono Annual Review.
At Latham & Watkins, we recognize that we are fortunate to
have both the ability and the duty to help ensure that the doors
of justice are open to all. By offering pro bono legal services to
low-income individuals and nonprofit organizations without the
means to pay, we take an active role in our communities and
make public interest issues integral to our practice of law.
Our firm’s commitment to pro bono is best reflected in the
dedication, compassion, and diligence our lawyers bring to
each of the hundreds of pro bono matters we take on every
year. Our program spans the globe, involving our offices in
the United States, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and
touches upon nearly every area of public interest law, including
veterans’ rights, asylum and immigration, domestic violence,
Holocaust reparations, anti-human trafficking, prisoners’ rights,
microfinance and entrepreneurialism, children, and civil rights.
This year’s review offers highlights from our pro bono program,
a glimpse into some of the ways in which our dedicated lawyers
and professional staff have meaningfully improved the lives
of people in need. In 2013 alone, we provided almost 191,000
hours of pro bono legal services, valued at approximately
$102.5 million. We are particularly proud of the growth of our
program in jurisdictions without a long tradition of pro bono,
including parts of Europe, Asia, and the Middle East.
The legal services needs of the world’s most vulnerable individuals
are staggering. In the pages that follow, you will read about some
of our many efforts to address those needs. Please join me in
recognizing the firm’s pro bono and community service initiatives.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Dell
Chair and Managing Partner
1

Message from the
Pro Bono Committee Chair
“Latham Watkins is one of the largest providers of
pro bono legal services in the world, with a pro bono
program that spans nearly all areas of public interest
law. Day after day, matter after matter, our lawyers
and professional staff put their talents and skills to
the highest use, ensuring that everyone, regardless
of means or circumstance, has access to justice.
The enthusiasm and commitment to public service
throughout the entire firm are evident in our collective
efforts and accomplishments, all of which are a
great source of pride for everyone at the firm.”
—Abid R. Qureshi, Pro Bono Committee Chair
780
1,770
1,743
135
308
2013 Highlights
Total value of services:
$102,547,287
New matters opened in 2013
Matters to which time was logged
in 2013
Attorneys participating in pro bono
Participating summer associates
Participating paralegals, trainees,
and professional staff
Total pro bono hours:
190,972
2

Report from the
Public Service Counsel
From the scale and geographic reach of our pro bono program to the
tireless efforts and advocacy of our lawyers and staff in support of our
pro bono clients, some of our brightest moments occur every day on
the pro bono front.
We experienced several significant victories and milestones in 2013,
including the commuting of a death sentence, our contribution to a
landmark report on child marriage, amicus support in US Supreme Court
matters addressing important issues of the day, continued work on one
of the largest human trafficking cases in US history, and the launching
of a new collaboration across our German offices in support of
social entrepreneurship.
While we take on large-scale projects that seek systemic change, most
of our pro bono efforts are devoted to the direct representation of indigent
individuals and families who are otherwise denied access to justice.
Our lawyers and professional staff approach each new matter thoughtfully
and diligently, with enthusiasm, devotion, and grace. Their commitment
reflects our firm’s values and a sincere appreciation for the opportunity
to engage in this way.
Also striking this year has been the sustained growth of our global efforts.
Although pro bono opportunities continue to proliferate in Europe,
Asia, and the Middle East, expanding our activity has required the
ingenuity and resourcefulness of our Pro Bono Committee members
based in these regions. Through their efforts, we are among the most
active pro bono contributors in every market where the firm operates,
working on important cross-border collaborations, as well as on behalf
of local charities and nonprofit organizations. In 2013, our Paris, Middle
East, and Hong Kong pro bono programs were awarded local honors.
Latham Watkins was also recognized by the Thomson Reuters
Foundation as the Legal Team of the Year—International Law Firm
for our global pro bono efforts.
While our pro bono program is vast and varied, its cohesiveness is
grounded in the enthusiasm, compassion, and professional excellence
our lawyers and professional staff bring to each matter. It is a great
pleasure to share with you some highlights from around the world
in this 2013 Pro Bono Annual Review.
Wendy Atrokhov
Public Service Counsel
3

ASIA
Hong Kong
The concept of pro bono legal services is nascent but rapidly
expanding in Hong Kong. Coordinated by local Pro Bono
Committee member Eleanor Lam, lawyers from our Hong
Kong office enthusiastically support the firm’s pro bono
initiatives. Areas of pro bono involvement include an active
practice representing individuals before the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees and working with the Hong
Kong Refugee Advice Center, as well as advising nonprofit
organizations seeking to obtain charitable organization
and tax-exempt status in Hong Kong. Some of our newest
pro bono clients include Asia Community Ventures, which
supports impact investing and social entrepreneurship
in Hong Kong and Asia; PILnet HK, which focuses on
developing, supporting, and strengthening the rule of law
around the world through a variety of programs; and the
Hong Kong Panda Foundation, which promotes panda
conservation and aims to raise standards and develop
additional infrastructure related to education in rural areas
of China’s Sichuan Province. The Law Society of Hong
Kong recently honored Latham with its Distinguished Pro
Bono Law Firm Award, in honor of outstanding contributions
in the provision of pro bono counsel and community service.
To learn more about our pro bono work and community
service initiatives in Hong Kong, see pages 16, 18, 25, 28,
29, and 41.
2013 Office Overviews
Singapore
Over the last several years, our lawyers in Singapore have
established a varied pro bono program. Latham is one of
the most active participants in several initiatives by the Law
Society of Singapore’s Pro Bono Services Office (PBSO),
including its Prison Interview Programme and Pro Bono
Research Initiative. We also represent various not-for-profit,
social enterprise, and charitable organizations. For example,
we recently assisted a nongovernmental organization
based in the United States as it sought to understand the
requirements of applying for special status so that it may
receive tax-deductible donations from donors in Singapore.
We also produced a legal guide for the PBSO for
international not-for-profit organizations looking to establish
a presence in Singapore and contributed to a legal toolkit
that will provide an easily accessible, readable overview
of the laws that social entrepreneurs need to be aware
of when establishing a social enterprise in Singapore. In
March 2013, our Singapore office sponsored a pro bono
networking event attended by more than 70 lawyers and
members of not-for-profit organizations, and our local Pro
Bono Committee member, Maree Myerscough, gave an
address that discussed Latham’s pro bono activities and
encouraged other firms in their pro bono efforts. To learn
more about our pro bono work and community service
initiatives in Singapore, see pages 18, 24, 28, 31, 32, 38,
and 39.
Tokyo
Under the direction of local Pro Bono Committee member
Clifton Strickler, our lawyers in Tokyo have advised
various nonprofit organizations with respect to their
operations in Japan. In particular, our Tokyo team advised
the anti-trafficking organization Not For Sale in structuring
and incorporating its operations in Japan; performed
legal research for the anti-trafficking organization Polaris
Project on legal developments in Japan relating to human
trafficking; assisted Ashoka Japan, a global nonprofit that
invests in social entrepreneurs, with various corporate
matters; and worked with ShuR, an organization founded
by Japan’s first Ashoka Fellow that creates solutions for
the hearing impaired. Our lawyers and personnel are also
very active in the community, serving as selection panelists
for Ashoka Japan’s Youth Venture Program, among other
endeavors. To learn more about our pro bono work and
community service initiatives in Tokyo, see pages 16, 18,
31, 34, and 35.
Lawyers and staff in our Hong Kong office celebrate the firm’s annual Pro Bono Week.
4

Eastern Europe. In addition, our Hamburg lawyers advised
Transparency International, an organization that works to
end corruption and promote transparency in government,
business, civil society, and the daily lives of people around
the world.
This year, our German offices worked together to commence
a partnership with startsocial, an organization that facilitates
the transfer of knowledge from business executives to
social entrepreneurs. This partnership has enabled Latham
lawyers across Germany to address the legal needs of more
than a dozen social start-ups. To learn more about our pro
bono work and community service initiatives in Germany,
see pages 12, 13, 15, 20, 29, and 41.
Italy
Our Milan and Rome offices have developed an active
pro bono practice over the past five years. Our work
primarily centers around the provision of legal assistance to
nongovernmental organizations, foundations, associations,
and nonprofit organizations. We represent, among
others, AGIRE (Agenzia Italiana Risposta Emergenze),
a network of 10 Italian nongovernmental organizations
that collaborate in times of crisis to ensure an effective
response and to mobilize funding; AVSI Foundation, a not-
for-profit, nongovernmental organization based in Milan
Latham’s delegation to the 2013 European Pro Bono Forum in Warsaw included
(from left to right) London associate Matt Schneider, Madrid associate Ignacio
Domínguez, Frankfurt counsel Mathias Fischer, Moscow associate Olga
Ponomarenko, Paris partner François Mary, Public Service Counsel Wendy
Atrokhov, Hamburg partner Jörn Kowalewski, Hong Kong counsel Eleanor Lam,
London partner Andy Kolacki, and Paris associate Laure Valance.
Brussels
In Brussels, our lawyers participate in pro bono matters
spanning numerous areas of European Union law and
international law, coordinated by local Pro Bono Committee
members Howard Rosenblatt and Styliani Sarma. We
counsel many nongovernmental organizations, such as
Save the Children, which promotes and defends children’s
rights, and Red Acoge, which assists immigrants. This
year, our Brussels office also advised UnLtd Spain,
an organization that supports social entrepreneurs, by
assessing the regulatory framework for social enterprises
in the European Union and by drafting a memo to lobby
the Spanish government to develop favorable legislation
relating to social entrepreneurialism. We also advised the
Humane Society, the largest animal protection organization
in the United States, on legal issues regarding a possible
moratorium by the European Commission on the sale of
horse meat from North America and any country that does
not comply with EU regulations. To learn more about our pro
bono work and community service initiatives in Brussels,
see pages 12, 28, 34, and 35.
Germany
Under the leadership of local Pro Bono Committee
members Mathias Fischer in Frankfurt, Jörn Kowalewski
in Hamburg, and Volkmar Bruckner in Munich, our offices
in Germany have developed one of the leading pro bono
practices in the country. Mathias is a co-founder and
member of the board of Pro Bono Deutschland e.V., an
association that aims to promote the culture of pro bono and
its regulatory framework in Germany.
Our Frankfurt office has long worked in support of inclusive
education for children with disabilities, including the
development of legislation to ensure the state of North
Rhine-Westphalia’s compliance with international human
rights obligations in this regard. Our Munich office works
with Deutsche Welthungerhilfe e.V., an organization
committed to combatting hunger and poverty around the
world, and the Multiple Sclerosis International Federation.
In Hamburg, our lawyers have participated extensively in
our Holocaust reparations program, as well as in counseling
charitable organizations focused on the education and
support of children. Highlights of this work include providing
ongoing legal advice to a children’s hospital as it expands,
counseling a charitable association dedicated to assisting
parents of newborns, and providing pro bono assistance
to an organization that aids children abducted from
EUROPE
5

that supports social development in developing countries,
with more than 100 projects currently underway in Africa,
Latin America and the Caribbean, Eastern Europe, the
Middle East, and Asia; and Prometeo (Programa Médico de
Trasplante de Órganos), a nongovernmental organization
that helps patients recover after transplants via a team of
psychologists, volunteers, and staff. Our lawyers in Italy also
contributed to the International Models Project on Women’s
Rights, an innovative project initiated by the American Bar
Association in 2008 to establish a global collaborative
research database on de jure and de facto women’s rights.
Local Pro Bono Committee member Marco Leonardi works
closely with lawyers and staff in our Milan and Rome offices
to expand our pro bono practice in Italy. To learn more about
our pro bono work and community service initiatives in Italy,
see pages 12, 13, 34, and 35.
London
Our London office maintains a robust pro bono practice,
working closely with local and international charities, human
rights organizations, and public interest organizations.
Key partners include TrustLaw, the pro bono arm of the
Thomson Reuters Foundation; LawWorks, a charity that
provides free legal help to those who cannot afford to
pay; A4ID, which fights global poverty; and PILnet, which
focuses on developing, supporting, and strengthening the
rule of law around the world through a variety of programs.
The office also works closely with prominent UK charities,
including Cancer Research UK and Christian Aid, as well
as with the firm’s institutional pro bono clients, such as
Ashoka, a global nonprofit organization that invests in
social entrepreneurs, and BLUE Marine Foundation, which
promotes the protection of the world’s oceans. These
efforts are coordinated through local Pro Bono Committee
members Andy Kolacki, Matthew Schneider, and
Andrew Boyd. To learn more about our pro bono work and
community service initiatives in London, see pages 12, 13,
15, 16, 28, 29, 32, 33, 35, 39, 40, and 41.
Moscow
Under the direction of local Pro Bono Committee member
Olga Ponomarenko, our Moscow office continues to
develop an active pro bono practice, providing support to
charities, nonprofits, and nongovernmental organizations,
which are relatively new to Russia. The laws regulating these
entities abound with gaps and ambiguity, and are routinely
amended. As a result, much of our work in Moscow centers
around providing legal assistance to entities seeking to
register or re-register in Russia as charities, nonprofits, or
nongovernmental organizations, or in support of their day-
to-day activities and special projects. In addition, we work
with individuals seeking to set up new charities related to
various causes, including orphans, abandoned newborns,
disadvantaged youth and families, and the arts, as well as
on multijurisdictional comparative research projects with
other Latham offices around the world. Our Moscow lawyers
have also provided training to law students in support of
their efforts to launch legal clinic programs. To learn more
about our pro bono work and community service initiatives
in Moscow, see pages 13 and 29.
Paris
InParis,ourofficehasbeenactivelyinvolvedinprobonowork
for many years, coordinated by local Pro Bono Committee
members François Mary and Laure Valance. We act on
behalf of national and international charities, nonprofits,
and nongovernmental organizations. Key partners include
microfinance organization ADIE (l’association pour le
droit à l’initiative économique), TrustLaw, PILnet, and the
International Senior Lawyers Project.
“Latham Watkins led an extremely
well-received seminar for area nonprofits
on key intellectual property law issues
relating to social media. Your presentation
stood out for its clarity, and we truly
appreciated your team’s open, friendly
manner, which encouraged the participants
to engage. We are deeply grateful for
your generous help.”
—Machiko Sano Hewitt, Legal Referral Director,
Lawyers Clearinghouse
6

THE MIDDLE EAST
Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh
Lawyers from our Abu Dhabi, Doha, Dubai, and Riyadh
offices, led by local Pro Bono Committee member Mohsin
Iqbal, continued to strengthen relationships with existing pro
bono clients in the region, including Grameen-Jameel Pan-
Arab Microfinance Limited and Balthazar Capital, an Arab
world-focused microfinance institution, this year. Latham’s
Middle East lawyers are also assisting FINCA International,
a global charitable microfinance organization, in connection
with potentially establishing a base of operations in the
United Arab Emirates to serve as a hub for FINCA’s Middle
East and South Asia microfinance activities.
We continued to participate in the Dubai International
Financial Centre Courts’ Pro Bono Programme, which
helps individuals who cannot afford legal representation
or assistance as they appear before the courts. We
have also worked closely with other Latham offices to
strengthen existing firm relationships with pro bono clients,
such as Ashoka, a global nonprofit that invests in social
entrepreneurs, for whom Middle East lawyers conducted
research on employment laws potentially affecting Ashoka’s
expansion in the Middle East.
Our offices in the Middle East were named the Pro Bono
Law Firm of the Year at International Financial Law Review’s
2013 Middle East awards ceremony. We were honored in
part for our collaboration with the Royal Bank of Scotland
and Equality Now to research and analyze legislation
implemented to combat the demand for prostitution and
the associated issue of human trafficking, specifically sex
trafficking, in multiple jurisdictions across the MENA region.
The project involved an analysis of applicable legislation
in Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal,
Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Bahrain, Jordan,
Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates
with a view to identifying gaps in the applicable legislative
framework. To learn more about our pro bono work and
community service initiatives in the Middle East, see pages
14, 15, 29, 30, 31, 37, 40, and 41.
In 2013, we assisted the renowned French explorer Jean-
Louis Étienne with his new scientific expedition in Antarctica
and began advising the Edmond de Rothschild Foundations
on their Scale Up Program, designed to respond to the
challenges that social entrepreneurs face in growing their
businesses. We furthered our relationship with Droits
d’Urgence, through which 20 Latham lawyers manage
and participate in a bimonthly legal clinic that provides
assistance to low-income individuals. We continued to work
closely with Ashoka France, offering pro bono assistance to
five new Ashoka Fellows in addition to the several fellows
we already assist, and we were recognized with a Pro Bono
Trophy from the Paris Bar endowment fund. To learn more
in Paris, see pages 12, 13, 15, 24, 28, 31, 33, 37, and 39.
Spain
Led by Pro Bono Committee member Ignacio Domínguez,
our Madrid and Barcelona offices expanded their pro
bono activities in 2013. New and existing clients—such
as Save the Children, Oxfam International, and Doctors
Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières—have relied
on our Spanish lawyers to provide legal support on several
multijurisdictional projects. In addition, our offices in Spain
continue to develop their expertise in the field of social
entrepreneurship through projects involving Impact Hub
Madrid, which empowers participants to develop ideas that
lead to sustainable impact, and UnLtd Spain, which trains,
advises, and encourages social entrepreneurs. To learn
more about our pro bono work and community service
initiatives in Spain, see pages 12, 15, 28, 34, and 35.
Madrid associates Ignacio Domínguez (second from right) and Ana Gonzalez
(far left) and paralegal Natalia Cabeza (far right) meet with executives from Save
the Children, including director general Alberto Soteres (third from right) and staff
members Áurea Ferreres (second from left) and Almudena Escorial (third from left).
7

Chicago
This year, our lawyers in Chicago offered pro bono counsel
in such areas as immigration and asylum, prisoners’ rights,
guardian ad litem, representation of nonprofit organizations,
and representation of victims of domestic violence,
coordinated through local Pro Bono Committee members
Mike Faris, Zak Judd, Margrethe Kearney, and Katie
Walton. The Chicago office provides free legal services to
and runs long-standing programs with a variety of public
interest and nonprofit organizations, including the National
Immigrant Justice Center; Cook County Domestic Violence
Court; A Better Chicago, a local venture philanthropy fund;
Restoring the Path, which gives kids support and skills to
help them avoid gangs and improve their communities; and
the REACH Institute, which provides training and therapies
to institutions and individuals in order to assist the 10
million kids in the United States who have behavioral and
emotional challenges. To learn more about our pro bono
work and community service initiatives in Chicago, see
pages 22, 23, 26, 32, 38, and 39.
Houston
Our Houston office continues to expand its involvement and
participation in pro bono and community service matters, led
by local Pro Bono Committee members Rebecca Brandt,
Divakar Gupta, and Elizabeth More. In 2013, several
of our Houston lawyers represented clients in submitting
Violence Against Women Act petitions and advised
wounded veterans applying for Combat-Related
Special Compensation. The Houston office also
collaborated with Latham offices across the globe on
pro bono cross-border benchmarking and comparative
research projects. Examples include researching child
protection and welfare issues in the United States for
Save the Children and researching legal and regulatory
issues affecting social enterprises in the United States
for UnLtd Spain, which trains, advises, and encourages
social entrepreneurs. For the third year, we also welcomed
several students from Cristo Rey Jesuit, a local high school
that offers a rigorous college preparatory education for
students from economically disadvantaged families, as part
of a work-study program to empower youths to reach their
full potential. To learn more about our pro bono work and
community service initiatives in Houston, see pages 12, 24,
28, 32, 37, 39, 40, and 41.
Boston
Since opening in March 2011, our Boston office has engaged
on an array of pro bono matters, ranging from advocating for
the civil rights of juveniles to advising local and international
charitable organizations on corporate law and licensing.
For example, in 2013, lawyers in our Boston office filed
an amicus brief in a case currently pending before the
Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts seeking to have
mandatory life sentences for juvenile offenders declared
unconstitutional under Massachusetts law. Latham’s
Boston-based corporate lawyers also began working with
Accion, a longtime Latham pro bono client, advising on
a variety of international microfinancing transactions in
eastern Africa, as well as with Third Sector New England,
an organization that provides management and leadership
resources to nonprofits. We continue to work with Year Up,
which provides professional development to young adults,
advising the organization on corporate governance matters.
In addition, our Boston office has teamed up with several
local pro bono legal services organizations, including
Lawyers Clearinghouse, the Boston Bar Association, and
Volunteer Lawyers for the Arts, to build and strengthen
relationships within the Boston community. These efforts
were coordinated by local Pro Bono Committee members
Kenneth Parsigian and Alexander Lazar. To learn more
in Boston, see pages 28, 32, 33, and 39.
THE UNITED STATES
Matters undertaken for veterans and
veterans’ organizations in the US
Matters undertaken on behalf of
victims of domestic violence in the US
Matters undertaken for victims of
human trafficking and anti-trafficking
organizations in the US
Matters undertaken for children and
children’s organizations in the US
Matters undertaken on behalf of
asylum seekers in the US
90
264
71
129
143
8

New York
In New York, our office has established a large practice
across the public interest spectrum, undertaking significant
work in such areas as First Amendment law, death penalty
litigation, human rights and asylum matters, civil rights,
microfinance, company formation, and domestic violence.
Under the leadership of local Pro Bono Committee members
Tony Del Pino, John Giouroukakis, Kevin McDonough,
Jennifer Greenberg, Daniel Adams, and Joanne Lee, our
New York lawyers participate in pro bono matters spanning
almost every area of public interest law. While our lawyers
are encouraged to bring in appropriate pro bono matters
of interest to them, the office also runs several successful
“in-house” programs in coordination with various New York-
based public interest organizations and courts, including
our Violence Against Women Act and U visa programs
with Sanctuary for Families to assist immigrant victims of
domestic violence, our Special Immigrant Juvenile Status
and Dream Act programs with the Legal Aid Society of
New York, our Holocaust reparations program, and our
Krimstock automobile seizure program.
Our transactional lawyers have represented small
businesses through NYC Business Solutions (a division
of the NYC Department of Small Businesses), provided
guidance at the inaugural NYC Small Business Legal
Academy, supported start-ups in cooperation with Start
Small Think Big, engaged in microfinance work through
longtime partner Accion, helped combat human trafficking
with Not For Sale, and continued to offer legal support
to Ashoka, a global nonprofit organization that invests in
social entrepreneurs. Our litigators have battled housing
discrimination alongside the Fair Housing Justice Center,
defended residents of the Bronx facing family, housing, and
criminal matters with the Bronx Defenders, fought human
trafficking on behalf of Indian laborers, supported families
displaced by Superstorm Sandy, and opposed animal
cruelty on behalf of the Humane Society, the largest animal
protection organization in the United States. To learn more
in New York, see pages 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 20, 21, 22, 23,
24, 25, 27, 30, 33, 36, 38, 39, and 41.
Los Angeles
Under the leadership and guidance of local Pro Bono
Committee members Manny Abascal, Kim Posin, Michael
Lundberg, Monica Klosterman, and Josh Mausner, as
well as our many pro bono community partners, our Los
Angeles lawyers worked on a variety of pro bono matters
in 2013. The office remains deeply involved in protecting
the rights of children and those who have been denied
equal access to justice. In fact, thanks to the efforts of our
lawyers and staff this year, more than 30 foster children
were adopted into loving homes and several foster families
were granted legal guardianship over the children they care
for, while several other children received green cards or
special juvenile immigrant status to permit them to remain
in the United States. Other children were given access to
the services necessary to address their physical or mental
disabilities that were previously denied.
Further pro bono highlights in 2013 for the Los Angeles
office that embody the diversity of our work include securing
dismissal of a litigation matter filed against Public Counsel,
the largest pro bono law firm in the United States; assisting
a homeless veteran in his struggle to retain his housing and
fight identity theft; obtaining restraining orders for several
clients suffering from domestic violence; and helping many
clients achieve asylum to protect them against persecution
suffered in their home countries. This year, we also advised
the Rape Foundation, which, among other activities,
operates the only emergency room in the entire United
States dedicated exclusively to rape victims, and provides
prevention and education programs to reduce incidents
of sexual violence and abuse. To learn more about our
pro bono work and community service initiatives in Los
Angeles, see pages 13, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 24, 29, 33, 34,
36, 37, and 41.
Members of our Pro Bono Committee in Los Angeles include (from left to right)
associate Josh Mausner, partner Manny Abascal, associate Monica Klosterman,
partner Kim Posin, associate Michael Lundberg, and manager of attorney
recruitment and development Jamie Frick.
9

San Diego
We continue to work closely with such San Diego-area
referral organizations as Casa Cornelia Law Center, the
American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project,
and the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program. Through
these partnerships, our San Diego lawyers have successfully
represented indigent clients seeking asylum, withholding
of removal, and relief under the Violence Against Women
Act, and successfully engaged in pro bono appellate work
before the Ninth Circuit and the Board of Immigration
Appeals. Our lawyers have also assisted dozens of
motivated young people brought to the United States as
children, in determining their eligibility for relief under the
federal government’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals
program. In addition to immigration matters, and under the
leadership of local Pro Bono Committee members John
Wehrli, Valerie Torres, and Jennifer Casler-Goncalves,
our San Diego office has provided a wide spectrum of
pro bono legal services, including advocating for victims
of domestic violence in restraining order proceedings and
participating in new partnerships with the Legal Aid Society
of San Diego and the National Veterans Legal Services
Program, through which our lawyers provide mediation
services to young people in juvenile detention and counsel
disabled veterans applying for Combat-Related Special
Compensation, respectively.
Our San Diego office also continues to work closely with
the California Innocence Project in reviewing capital appeals
for the wrongfully convicted. We took the lead in preparing
a model clemency petition and assisting with individual
clemency petitions for several wrongfully convicted inmates
with compelling claims for relief. Twelve clemency petitions
were ultimately hand-delivered to the governor of California
this year.
As in the past, in 2013, our lawyers continued to
advise Ashoka, a global nonprofit that invests in social
entrepreneurs; Big Brothers Big Sisters, a youth mentoring
organization; Human Options, a multiservice agency
dedicated to helping battered women and children escape
domestic violence; United Through Reading, a nonprofit
organization that uses reading aloud to help separated
military families; the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights
Under Law on civil rights litigation; and other organizations
on corporate governance, real estate, insurance coverage,
and intellectual property matters. To learn more about our
pro bono work and community service initiatives in San
Diego, see pages 22, 24, 29, 37, and 41.
Orange County
The pro bono program in our Orange County office
primarily focuses on providing assistance to domestic
violence victims and immigrants who have been the victims
of serious crimes. We have long-standing relationships
with several local domestic violence shelters, including
Human Options, Interval House, and Laura’s House.
Another major part of our Orange County pro bono work
involves immigration and asylum matters, and for years
the office has played a leading role in the community
by taking on immigration matters and human trafficking
cases. In 2013, we began working with California Rural
Legal Assistance, which offers legal services to more
than 27,000 low-income farmworkers, individuals with
disabilities, immigrants, members of the LGBT community,
and families in rural areas.
Under the leadership of local Pro Bono Committee
members Paul Konovalov, Dina Randazzo, and Rob
Dickson, our lawyers in Orange County work closely with
the Public Law Center to provide counsel in many areas,
including assisting nonprofit organizations with corporate
formation and governance, as well as representing
individuals and organizations in employment discrimination
and wrongful termination cases, landlord-tenant matters,
conservatorship cases, guardianship matters, veterans’
benefits matters, and land use and environmental issues.
To learn more about our pro bono work and community
service initiatives in Orange County, see pages 17, 18, 23,
29, 32, 35, 36, 37, and 41.
Silicon Valley partner Terry Kearney (left) discusses pro bono matters with associates
Allison Davidson (center) and Yina Dong (right) at one of the monthly Silicon Valley
Pro Bono Committee meetings.
10

San Francisco
In San Francisco, our office maintains a vibrant pro bono
program, led by local Pro Bono Committee members Sadik
Huseny, Kathy Lee, Chris Carlberg, and Andrea Cheuk.
We have long-standing relationships with several Bay
Area public interest organizations, including Asian Pacific
Islander Legal Outreach, Legal Services for Children, Legal
Services for Entrepreneurs, the AIDS Legal Referral Panel,
the East Bay Community Law Center’s Neighborhood
Justice Clinic and Debt Collection Defense Clinic, and the
Justice Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San
Francisco. We also regularly participate in the Second
Chance Legal Clinic, held monthly by the San Francisco
Bay Area chapter of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil
Rights. The clinic helps clients who are struggling to find
jobs or housing due to, among other things, their arrest and
conviction records.
In 2013, we began working with Swords to Plowshares,
which provides services and care to more than 2,000 US
veterans in and around San Francisco, and we took on
several matters advocating for veterans who are seeking
service-related disability benefits and discharge status
upgrades. We continued to build on our strong partnership
with Not For Sale, an organization devoted to ending
human trafficking and slavery, and we have an active civil
litigation matter representing a victim of human trafficking.
Additionally, a San Francisco-based team has partnered
with the American Civil Liberties Union to represent a
plaintiff in a civil rights matter before a federal court in
Utah. The office also has a robust immigration pro bono
practice, representing clients on such matters as asylum
applications, U visa and T visa applications, and Violence
Against Women Act petitions. To learn more about our
pro bono work and community service initiatives in San
Francisco, see pages 16, 17, 18, 21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 32, 33,
37, 38, 39, and 41.
Silicon Valley
Local Pro Bono Committee members Terry Kearney,
Allison Davidson, and Yina Dong oversee the pro
bono program in our Silicon Valley office, which includes
U visa, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, Violence
Against Women Act, asylum, guardianship, civil rights,
and corporate transactional matters. We work closely with
local organizations, such as Community Legal Services in
East Palo Alto, Law Foundation of Silicon Valley, Legal Aid
Society of San Mateo, and Next Door Solutions to Domestic
Violence, to assist individuals, including immigrant victims
of domestic violence and undocumented young people,
with applying for immigration relief and work authorization
in the United States.
Our lawyers participate in guardianship and housing clinics,
and our transactional lawyers assist such community
and public service organizations as California Parenting
Institute, which supports Sonoma County-area families,
Mississippi Center for Justice, an organization devoted
to advancing economic and racial justice, and the anti-
trafficking organization Not For Sale. This year, our Silicon
Valley office forged new partnerships with Rural Justice
Collaborative, which provides legal services to underserved
rural or isolated communities in the San Francisco Bay
Area, and Swords to Plowshares, which provides services
and care to more than 2,000 US veterans in and around
San Francisco. To learn more about our pro bono work and
community service initiatives in Silicon Valley, see pages
16, 17, 18, 23, 25, 32, and 39.
Washington, D.C.
Our Washington, D.C. office works with many local referral
organizations, including the Children’s Law Center, the
Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia, and the
Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and
Urban Affairs, as well as national referral organizations,
including the Humane Society, the largest animal protection
organization in the United States; the National Law Center
on Homelessness and Poverty; and Polaris Project, which
seeks to end modern-day slavery. Led by local Pro Bono
Committee members Elizabeth McCrillis, Kevin Metz,
Matt Murchison, Christine Rolph, Rami Turayhi, and
CJ Bickley, lawyers in our Washington, D.C. office assist
asylum seekers, advise small businesses, and resolve
complex guardianship and child custody issues, among
other pro bono work.
In recent years, our litigators have filed amicus curiae
briefs in high-profile US Supreme Court cases and worked
to secure tenants’ rights and benefits for veterans. Our
transactional lawyers have advised nonprofit organizations
on many matters, such as board formation and governance
standards for citywide charter schools, financial regulations
affecting nonprofit operations, compliance standards, and
advisory work with respect to other nonprofit corporate
governance issues. To learn more about our pro bono work
and community service initiatives in Washington, D.C., see
pages 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30, 32,
36, 37, 38, 39, 40, and 41. n
11

Expanding CARE’s Reach
CARE is a humanitarian organization that fights global
poverty worldwide and provides emergency relief,
especially in war-torn areas, conflict zones, and regions
impacted by natural disasters. When these crises happen
in places subject to US trade and economic sanctions, or in
areas controlled by groups subject to sanctions, providing
aid requires navigating complex regulations and issues.
Since 2011, a team of Latham Watkins lawyers led by
Washington, D.C. partners Bill McGlone and Les Carnegie
have worked alongside CARE’s in-house counsel to help
make sure CARE can get aid to those who need it.
During the recent famine in Somalia, CARE came to Latham
for advice. Large parts of the country are controlled by Al-
Shabaab, which is identified as a specially designated global
terrorist group and sanctioned by the US government. By
virtue of this designation, no US organization is allowed to
deal in any way with Al-Shabaab. CARE was concerned
that it was going to have to deal with the group in some
way in order to get aid into
the area, and desired legal
protection if it had to do so.
It took months to secure
the appropriate guidance
and clearance from the
US State and Treasury
Departments, but CARE
was eventually able to help
Somalis in need.
CARE also turned to Latham
for counsel regarding its
relief operations in Sudan.
In this instance, Latham
helped CARE bring in the
hardware and software
required to manage its
operations there, such as supply chain management
software to track the grains and goods being brought into the
country. Much of this hardware and software is subject to US
sanctions administered by the US Treasury Department’s
Office of Foreign Assets Control and the US Commerce
Department’s Bureau of Industry and Security. Export or
re-export of US-regulated products to countries that are
embargoed, like Sudan, can be particularly challenging
and subject to tight restrictions, and Latham’s work often
requires interfacing with various US government agencies.
Advocating for Children
A team of Latham lawyers from around the globe jointly
advised Save the Children, a leading global advocate
for children’s rights worldwide, as it lobbies the Spanish
Parliament and seeks to improve the Spanish legal
framework regarding child abuse and violence, with the
ultimate aim of developing comprehensive legislation
that offers all forms of legal protection to children. The
Latham team—including Madrid partner Antonio Morales,
associates Ignacio Domínguez and Ana Gonzalez, and
paralegal Natalia Cabeza; Brussels associates Robert
Hardy and Claire-Marie Carrega; London partners
Sean Finn and Ayesha Waheed, associates Alexander
Cosgrove, Felipe Alviar-Baquero, and Adeola Adeyemi,
trainee solicitor Augustus Robinson, and paralegal
David Hallett; Milan counsel Marco Leonardi, associate
Isabella Porchia, and trainees Sara Pedrotti and Erika
Brini Raimondi; Munich partner Volkmar Bruckner,
associates Fabian Jürgens, Philipp Giessen, and
Sebastian Pauls, and referendar Barbara Stodal; Paris
partner Etienne Gentil and associate Guénaëlle
Taroni; and Houston counsel Rebecca Brandt
and associate Ryan Lynch—collaborated on a
benchmarking study examining the regulatory
regimes implemented in other countries in the
European Union and the United States to address
the problem of violence against children.
Protecting Education Integrity
The Centre for International Law and Justice
(CILJ),aUkrainiannongovernmentalorganization,
asked Latham to analyze several questions in
connection with the protection and guarantee
of scientific freedom, the level of integration of
the European Educational Area (including the
requirements agreed to as part of the so-called
Bologna Process), and the regulation of post-
graduate education in the legal systems of France,
Germany, Italy, and the United Kingdom. Our analysis also
dealt with the question of how judgments of the European
Court of Human Rights (ECHR) are implemented into these
legal systems.
The cross-border benchmarking and analysis provided
by Latham, which CILJ intends to translate and publish,
will enable CILJ to contribute to discussions regarding
the reform of Ukraine’s higher education system and the
preparation of related legislation, as well as Ukraine’s plan
to improve the enforcement of ECHR judgments.
“When you can offer the firm’s
expertise in export controls
and economic sanctions
to a terrific humanitarian
organization like CARE, you
really do feel like you are
making a difference.”
—Les Carnegie, Washington, D.C. partner
Latham Watkins is a “one-firm” firm. As is the case with our commercial work, our lawyers and
professional staff share knowledge, expertise, and resources about pro bono matters across
departments and offices. This cross-border, team-oriented approach helps us effectively
and efficiently represent our pro bono clients and achieve the greatest impact.
Working Across Borders
12

Among the Latham lawyers participating in this project
were Frankfurt partner Roland Maass and associates
Daniel Schlösser and Olexiy Oleshchuk; Paris partners
Valérie Bouaziz Torron and François Mary and associates
Anne Laredo, Viktoriya Bukina, and Timothée Brunello;
Milan associates Cesare Milani, Daniele Migliarucci,
and Andrea Taurozzi and trainees Anna Garon and
Marta Pradella; and London associates Felipe Alviar-
Baquero, James Parry, Michael Huertas, and Richard
Kitchen, trainee solicitor Joanna Gorska, and paralegal
David Hallett.
Pursuing Strategic Litigation
Thanks to a referral from PILnet, which focuses on
developing, supporting, and strengthening the rule of law
around the world through a variety of programs, lawyers in
our Paris, Moscow, Milan, and Frankfurt offices worked with
an Armenian nongovernmental organization to research
strategic public interest litigation in their respective
jurisdictions. This research has helped inform Helsinki
Citizens’Assembly (hCA) as it advocates for new legislation
that would support and facilitate strategic litigation. It also
formed the core of an analysis that was sent to theArmenian
Ministry of Justice. Currently hCA is drafting an amendment
concerning the rights of persons with disabilities.
Strengthening Women’s Rights
This year, Latham assisted the Thomson Reuters
Foundation and the World Bank with a research project
designed to better understand the ability of women to
access resources—in particular, legal and cultural barriers
to securing land rights—in several countries around the
world: Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Kenya, Nigeria,
North Sudan, and Zambia.
The firm acted as lead counsel, coordinating research
conducted by local lawyers that analyzed laws, regulations,
and institutions that affect women’s access to resources,
including women’s ability to earn and control income and
to own, use, and dispose of assets, such as land. Local
counsel prepared brief reports that looked beyond the
law and into what happens in practice—considering, for
example, whether social, cultural, or religious barriers
exist that prevent women from recognizing their enshrined
rights. Each report also addressed whether the country’s
constitution includes nondiscrimination clauses and whether
women and men have the same statutory rights in relation
to marriage, divorce, inheritance, property ownership, and
labor laws. As coordinating counsel, Latham assisted with
the preparation of a summary paper that was delivered at
the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2013. This project
was nominated for the Collaboration Award at the 2013
TrustLaw Connect Awards.
In addition, Moscow partner Mikhail Turetsky, associate
Olga Ponomarenko, and trainees Ksenia Koroleva
and Svetlana Emelyanova worked with Milan partner
Maria Christina Storchi, associates Isabella Porchia
and Cesare Milani, and trainee Anna Garon, and
London associates Phillip Stoup, Amy Taylor, and Tyler
Waltman, and trainee solicitor Elizabeth Purcell on a
comparative analysis of de jure and de facto women’s
rights in Russia, Italy, and the United Kingdom as part
of the International Models Project on Women’s Rights.
Begun in 2008, this American Bar Association-sponsored
project seeks to gather and share information about the
status and opportunities of women in different countries, in
order to empower citizens and strengthen enforcement and
reform efforts.
Helping Holocaust Survivors
Latham Watkins has a long-standing partnership with
Bet Tzedek Legal Services and the Holocaust Survivors
Justice Network, assisting Holocaust survivors in securing
reparations and pension payments from the German
government for work performed in Nazi-controlled ghettos
during World War II. Under the German Ghetto Work
Payment (GGWP) program, eligible applicants receive a
one-time payment of €2,000 in recognition of work performed
in Nazi-occupied ghettos. Under a second program known
by its German acronym ZRBG, eligible applicants receive
monthly pension payments for the remainder of their lives,
as well as a lump-sum payment to account for back pay
while an application is pending.
Since the inception of the programs, Latham lawyers have
represented hundreds of clients and secured more than
€1.7 million in lump-sum payments, with thousands more in
ongoing monthly payments for the remainder of our clients’
lives. While no amount of money can compensate our
clients for the horrors they endured, the funds our lawyers
help secure provide meaningful support for survivors,
most of whom are in their 80s or older and living below the
poverty line.
In 2013, lawyers from our Los Angeles, New York,
Washington, D.C., Frankfurt, and Hamburg offices
participated in our Holocaust reparations program,
coordinated by retired partner Bruce Prager (who has
also served as co-chair of the Holocaust Survivors Justice
Network), Los Angeles associate Josh Mausner, and New
York attorney support coordinator Anna Bravo. Our offices
continue outreach to new clients, and we have a significant
number of cases still pending. n
“Advising Holocaust survivors has been
the best professional experience I’ve had
at any job. To see these people who have
survived unthinkable tragedy have such a
positive outlook on life is inspiring. We’re
happy to be able to provide a degree of
assistance and security for our clients
and their families.”
—Josh Mausner, Los Angeles associate
13

Firm Named Legal Team of the Year
Latham Watkins was recognized as Legal
Team of the Year—International Law Firm by
the Thomson Reuters Foundation at the 2013
TrustLaw Connect Awards. The award honors
the firm’s “outstanding commitment [to] and
enthusiasm [for] pro bono . . . as well as [its]
hard work . . . supporting pro bono clients over
the last year on projects undertaken through
TrustLaw Connect.” In the past two years,
Latham has taken on close to 40 matters
referred by TrustLaw. This partnership has
enabled broader engagement of our lawyers
around the world by matching supply of and
demand for pro bono services globally.
Latham Named to
2013 Pro Bono Hot List
The National Law Journal named Latham
Watkins to its 2013 Pro Bono Hot List, in
recognition of the firm’s work with the anti-
slavery organization Not For Sale (NFS). The
list identifies, in part, “firms that are deploying
highly sophisticated corporate and intellectual
property skills to do good on a global level.”
Latham has worked with NFS to develop
economic solutions to human trafficking,
including structuring a unique social
enterprise called REBBL Tea, a beverage
company that debuted in fall 2012. Profits
from REBBL Tea (for “Roots, Extracts, Berries,
Bark, and Leaves”) go toward stabilizing
and revitalizing a region in the Peruvian
Amazon that is vulnerable to forced labor and
human trafficking.
ThomsonReutersFoundation/RyanRunstadler
Latham Wins Pro Bono Law Firm of the Year
At its 2013 Middle East awards ceremony in October,
International Financial Law Review honored Latham as its Pro
Bono Law Firm of the Year, in part for the firm’s collaboration
with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Equality Now to research
and analyze legislation implemented to combat the demand
for prostitution and the associated issue of human trafficking,
specifically sex trafficking, in multiple jurisdictions across the
MENA region, including Benin, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Mali,
Nigeria, Senegal, Egypt, Israel, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco,
Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United
Arab Emirates, with a view to identifying gaps in the applicable
legislative framework.
Firm Honored with 2013 Partner in Justice Award
In May 2013, Latham received the 2013 Partner in Justice
Award from the Center for Justice and Accountability, in
recognition of our demonstrated commitment to civil rights,
including serving as pro bono co-counsel on Ahmed v.
Magan. After speaking out against the Somali government
in 1988, Abukar Hassan Ahmed, a law professor and human
rights activist, was detained for three months and tortured
by the Somali National Security Service (NSS) Department
of Investigation. In November 2012, more than 20 years
later, a federal judge found Colonel Abdi Abden Magan, the
former NSS investigations chief, liable for Ahmed’s arbitrary
detention, torture, and cruel and inhumane treatment and
punishment. Following a damages hearing, in October
2013, the District Court entered judgment in the amount of
$15 million—awarding our client $5 million in compensatory
damages and $10 million in punitive damages. The decision
sends the message that those who violate international law
will be held accountable. Washington, D.C. partner Rick
Bress, associate Katya Cronin, and paralegal Uchenna
Anikwe, and New York senior paralegal Amy Chambers
and legal secretaries Micheline Large and Jacqui Foresta
worked on the case.
Latham Receives Best International Firm for
Pro Bono Award
At the Euromoney Women in Business Law Awards in June
2013, the firm was recognized as the best international firm for
pro bono. In addition to commending the more than 176,000
hours of pro bono legal services provided by our lawyers
in 2012, the award ceremony noted that Latham provided
11,000 hours of pro bono support to over 200 victims of
domestic violence last year.
Firm Receives 2013 Safe Haven Award
In recognition of our work advising LGBT and HIV-positive
immigrants and asylum seekers, Latham received a 2013
Safe Haven Award from Immigration Equality and the
Immigration Equality Action Fund. For more than 15 years, we
have worked with Immigration Equality to help their clients,
such as a gay, HIV-positive man from Peru and a transgender
woman from El Salvador, secure asylum in the United States.
Chair of the Pro Bono Committee at Latham Watkins and Washington, D.C.
partner Abid Qureshi (right) receives the Legal Team of the Year—International
Law Firm award from Monique Villa (left), CEO of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
14

Prosecuting Traffickers
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Gulf Coast marine
fabrication company Signal International used labor
recruiters to bring hundreds of Indian welders and pipefitters
to the United States, promising that it would assist the
workers in applying for and obtaining green cards. Instead,
Signal sought temporary worker visas that rendered the
workers ineligible for permanent residency for as long as
they worked for Signal. Signal’s agents collected up to
$25,000 from each worker based on these false promises.
Signal then housed the workers in a guarded compound
containing squalid, overcrowded trailers with inadequate
restroom facilities, served them rotten food, failed to provide
adequate medical care, and subjected the workers to
random searches, discriminatory treatment, and dangerous
working conditions. When workers complained, Signal
threatened them and their families with arrest, deportation,
and physical violence. Many of the workers eventually fled
the camp and sought protection from US authorities.
After class certification was denied in a putative class
action on behalf of all the Indian workers, Latham filed a
civil complaint in the Southern District of Mississippi against
Signal and its agents on behalf of 47 plaintiffs, asserting
violations of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the Civil
Rights Act, and Mississippi state common law. Several other
law firms have joined the cause and filed similar complaints
on behalf of other plaintiffs. The Latham team includes
New York partners Miles Ruthberg, Benton Campbell,
and Christopher Harris; associates H. Gregory Baker,
Jennifer Greenberg, Daniel Adams, Elizabeth Rowland,
and Aaron Safane; and paralegal Marcelino Melendez, Jr.
Advocating Against Child Marriage
Equality Now is an international human rights organization
dedicated to the civil, political, economic, and social rights
of girls and women. One of its many initiatives includes
advocating for the eradication of child marriage, through
constitutional and legal means. Assisted by local counsel
and experts, Latham Watkins conducted research
and prepared a report on the laws and legal landscape
relating to child marriage in 18 jurisdictions: Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Cambodia, Chad, Eritrea, Guatemala, India,
Mauritania, Morocco, Pakistan, Panama, Papua New
Guinea, Saudi Arabia, Swaziland, Tajikistan, Thailand,
Uganda, and Yemen. Our research report is intended to
support Equality Now’s presentation to the United Nations
High Commissioner for Refugees, in response to its request
for information on child marriage. The firm’s research will
also play a central role in the publication of the first-ever
compendium on the laws related to child marriage.
Supervised by New York partner Courtenay Myers Lima
and counsel Ellen Creede, the Latham team included New
York and Doha associate Mohammed Al-Khater; New
York associates Dylan Conn, Sadie Diaz, Gitanjali Pinto
Faleiro, Demetra Karamanos, Ali Koenig, Gail Neely,
Jennifer Saionz, and Federico Soddu; New York attorney
Marta Talarek; London associate Elizabeth Stuart; Los
Angeles associate Amber Haywood; and Munich associate
Anne Löhner.
Aiding Syrian Asylum Seekers
A team of lawyers in our Madrid and Paris offices
collaborated on a study carried out by the European
Council on Refugees and Exiles comparing country
practices within Europe regarding the situation of Syrians
claiming asylum. This study helps lawyers better represent
clients and provide recommendations to the European
Union on how to improve the situation of Syrian refugees
in its territory. Latham examined asylum claims in Spain
and France from Syrian nationals, assessed protection
needs (both at the initial administrative level and upon
appeal), studied the treatment of non-Syrian refugees
fleeing Syria and seeking refuge in Spain or France,
analyzed statistical data, and investigated issues regarding
returns and family reunification.
Protecting Human Rights
Over the decades, lawyers throughout our firm have represented hundreds of asylum seekers fleeing
persecution in their homelands based on their political views, religion, ethnicity, gender, or sexual
orientation. In recent years, our pro bono work in the area of human rights has grown to encompass
human trafficking, one of the world’s most rapidly growing criminal enterprises. Today, there are
more than 30 million slaves in the world, more than at any other point in human history. Latham
is committed to fighting human trafficking and modern-day slavery in all their manifestations.
A small sampling of our matters and partnerships follows.
New York associate Dave McElhoe accepts a 2013 Safe Haven Award from
Immigration Equality in recognition of our work advising LGBT and HIV-positive
immigrants and asylum seekers.
15

from sources of sustainable produce vetted by NFS.
HEMA is a Dutch retail chain with more than 650 locations
in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany. Following the
successful launch and sale of the soups, we worked with
NFS on a similar project to introduce a line of coffee products
into HEMA stores, with the majority of the coffee beans
being sourced from core NFS-cleared suppliers. Latham
assisted NFS by drafting and negotiating agreements and
advising on brand protection and commercial aspects of
the relationships, as part of NFS’s overall strategy to work
with grassroots suppliers and retailers to ensure a supply
chain that is free of human trafficking violations and to
broadcast NFS’s message more widely. NFS expects to
continue to expand the range of products and the number
of commercial outlets for these products over time.
A Latham team out of New York, including partners Ray
Lin, Steve Betensky, and Bradd Williamson and
associates Hayley Gladstone, Abby Russell, Kevin Kay,
Keith Cantrelle, Patrick Mitchell, and John Holman,
also continued efforts to assist the founders of NFS with
the launch and operation of REBBL, a bottled-tea company
formed to fight poverty by creating jobs in at-risk Amazonian
communities. REBBL’s tea, which first hit US stores in late
2012, is produced with ingredients grown in the Amazonian
jungles of Peru and harvested by indigenous Peruvians at
risk of being lured by human trafficking rings. REBBL also
is party to a licensing agreement with NFS that provides
NFS with a portion of revenue generated by REBBL’s
sales. This year, Latham assisted NFS and REBBL with
matters involving venture financing, intellectual property,
employment contracts, and supplier contracts.
Tokyo partner Joe Bevash, Hong Kong partner Bryant
Edwards, and London partner Bill Voge travelled to
Chiang Rai in northern Thailand to introduce the Thai law
firm of Chandler Thong-ek to representatives of Not for
Sale in Thailand who run a home for children. The Thai
operations of Not for Sale are directed by Kru Nam, who
has been fighting human trafficking in Thailand for more
than a decade. At the time of Latham’s visit, Kru Nam
had approximately 180 children enrolled at the home.
Latham and Chandler lawyers worked together on the final
steps needed to create a nonprofit entity in Thailand to
accommodate the growth of Not for Sale’s operations there.
Ensuring Justice for a Victim of Trafficking
Lawyers in our San Francisco and Silicon Valley offices
successfully reached a civil settlement for our client,
a victim of human trafficking. Latham attorneys filed a
complaint in the Northern District of California alleging
that the defendants, an Italian consular employee and his
wife, trafficked our client into the United States from South
America with a false promise of a lucrative job, forced her to
work long hours with virtually nonexistent pay, and subjected
her to intimidation, assault, and involuntary servitude. The
complaint included claims for human trafficking under the
Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act, wage
and hour violations, and various torts. Latham also assisted
in the related criminal investigation, which resulted in a
guilty plea to visa fraud by the defendants and restitution to
our client. Our client is ecstatic with the settlement result,
and looks forward to pursuing her dream of being a nurse.
Kru Nam (left), director of Not For Sale Thailand, speaks with David Batstone (right),
co-founder and president of Not For Sale, about the children she has rescued from
the streets of Thailand and their vulnerability to falling prey to traffickers. The top
photo features some of the children of Not For Sale Thailand under Kru Nam’s care.
Working with Not For Sale
Operating in more than a dozen countries, Not For Sale
(NFS) seeks to end human trafficking and slavery through
“open source activism”—educating, training, and mobilizing
“smart activists” to combat the slave trade in their own
communities. Our relationship with NFS is led by London
partner Bill Voge, San Francisco Office Managing Partner
Karen Silverman, and San Francisco associate Andrea
Cheuk, and involves lawyers across Latham offices in the
United States, Europe, and Asia. Since January 2011, we
have participated in several NFS initiatives and donated
more than $2 million in pro bono hours in support of NFS’s
mission to end slavery in our lifetime.
Latham works directly with Not for Sale to advance its
mission of combating human trafficking through establishing
social enterprises. This year, more than 75 lawyers and
staff across 12 Latham offices in the United States, Europe,
and Asia provided support on 15 matters for NFS. Several
of these projects involve new ventures being developed
and incubated by NFS to bring commerce and economic
opportunity to communities vulnerable to human trafficking
and to support businesses and industries seeking to ensure
their use of slave-free supply chains.
Silicon Valley associates Kate Hillier, Heather Bromfield,
and Corinna Liebowitz worked with NFS in support of its
effort to develop a line of soups that are now available at
HEMA stores, in collaboration with Kleinste Soepfabriek, a
small soup manufacturer, which sources all its ingredients
NotForSale
16

Rafiq
Rafiq, a homosexual man from Lebanon who is
living with HIV, suffered beatings and other forms
of verbal, physical, and sexual abuse in Lebanon
and other Middle Eastern countries from those
who sought to “cure him of his gayness,” including
his own family members. He was also told he
would be killed to “cleanse the family name.”
Lawyers in our San Francisco office established
Rafiq’s well-founded fear of future persecution,
and he was granted asylum in the United States
this year. Rafiq was recently asked to appear
before select members of the US Congress and
their staffs to speak about his experiences.
Rosa
In February 2008, our Los Angeles office took
on a matter referred to us by the National Center
for Refugee and Immigrant Children. Rosa, a
citizen of Guatemala, was in removal proceedings
when Latham stepped in and filed for asylum,
withholding of removal, and relief under the
Convention Against Torture (CAT) on her behalf.
Rosa had been targeted and tortured by human
traffickers while en route from Guatemala to the
United States. Even after she was able to escape,
the traffickers threatened her family in Guatemala.
In June 2013, an immigration judge found that our
client was entitled to relief under CAT.
Felipe, Ricardo, and Florencia
Lawyers in our Silicon Valley office are preparing
Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) self-
petitions on behalf of three undocumented minor
children—Felipe, Ricardo, and Florencia—after
their mother was shot and stabbed multiple times,
allegedly by her boyfriend, who subsequently fled
to Mexico to avoid arrest and prosecution. When
partner Robert Phillips and associates Katie
Boolukos, Allison Davidson, and Stephanie
Wells learned about this case, the children had
been taken into foster care and were at risk of
being sent to Mexico to live with their estranged
father. We offered to evaluate our clients’ potential
immigration options and are now pursuing SIJS,
which, if successful, will provide Felipe, Ricardo,
and Florencia with legal permanent residence in
the United States.
Cristina
In 2010, Cristina, a Filipina national, left her
family to travel to Dubai to work as a nanny.
When Cristina arrived in Dubai, the family
confiscated her passport, would not pay her
previously agreed upon wages, and threatened
to have her arrested if she tried to leave. The
family brought Cristina to Orange County to care
for their children while they were on vacation—
and it was then that Cristina managed to escape.
Eventually, she was referred to Public Law
Center (PLC), which provides legal services
to victims of human trafficking through its work
with the Orange County Human Trafficking Task
Force, and PLC referred the case to Latham.
Orange County associates Sarah Diamond
and Shadi Ghaffarzadeh and recently retired
partner Jon Anderson successfully petitioned
the US government for a T visa for Cristina and
derivative applications for Cristina’s husband and
five children. Cristina now resides legally in the
United States and awaits reunification with her
family, whom she has not seen for more than
two years.
Our client and her sons celebrate being reunited in the United States after
receiving U visas with their Latham team, including San Francisco legal
secretary Sergio Almaguer (far left) and Silicon Valley associates Heather
Bromfield (second from left) and Yina Dong (far right).
*All client names are pseudonyms
Our Clients’ Powerful Stories*
Around the world, Latham Watkins safeguards the rights of immigrants and refugees through direct
legal services and advocacy. For example, lawyers in Orange County, with the assistance of colleagues
in Washington, D.C., successfully argued before the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal and the immigration
court to win asylum and freedom for a Nigerian citizen, a Christian, and a member of the Igbo tribe, who
fled his homeland after suffering from ethno-religious persecution and had been detained by the US
government for over four years. Another client, an HIV-positive man from the Middle East, was asked to
speak about his experiences before members of the US Congress just two weeks after Latham secured
his asylum. Read on for more of our clients’ powerful stories.
17

Preserving Victims’ Rights
Working in conjunction with the Thai Community
Development Center, lawyers in our Orange County
office have helped a number of Thai nationals who were
essentially enslaved on farms throughout the United States
achieve temporary legal status under the Trafficking Victims
Protection Act of 2000. Over the past few years, these
clients have worked hard to rebuild their lives—including
paying off the massive debts they were fraudulently induced
to incur as part of the trafficking scheme that brought
them to the US—and to become productive members of
their communities, while simultaneously assisting the US
Department of Justice in the investigation and prosecution
of their traffickers.
In 2013, Orange County associates Dave Troutman, Dina
Randazzo, Kristin Murphy, and Drew Capurro, under
the supervision of partner Chris Norton, helped a number
of these trafficking victims achieve a very significant
milestone: the adjustment of their immigration statuses
to that of lawful permanent resident. The Latham team
helped five Thai clients navigate the complicated process
of gathering documentary evidence, conducting interviews
and preparing declarations from character witnesses,
completing the necessary paperwork, and submitting
persuasive application packets detailing the reasons why
each applicant warranted an adjustment of immigration
status. As a result of such efforts, these clients and some
of their immediate family are now free to pursue work,
education, and other activities without fear of deportation,
retribution, or re-victimization from their traffickers abroad.
Shielding an Outspoken Critic
In conjunction with Human Rights First, New York associates
Jennifer Greenberg, Daniel Adams, and Kate Whipple
and partner Benton Campbell represented the former chief
of general staff of the Albanian military in his application for
political asylum. The client sought asylum for himself and
his family to escape persecution by high-ranking members
of Albania’s government due to his well-publicized stance
against corruption. In retaliation, our client was convicted in
absentia of dereliction of duty in a highly politicized trial, and
faced threats to his life and the lives of his family members.
These threats further intensified after WikiLeaks published
a confidential US State Department cable exposing
conversations between the client and US officials. Latham
became involved in the case after the client and his family
arrived in the United States on humanitarian parole visas.
In September 2012, Latham filed an affirmative asylum
application on behalf of the client and derivative applications
for his family members, a brief, and voluminous evidence
in support of the asylum application, worked with the US
State Department to coordinate its support of the client’s
application with the Department of Homeland Security,
and helped the client and his family secure employment
authorization renewals while the asylum application was
pending. Asylum was granted in October 2013.
Supporting Polaris Project
Latham Watkins has enjoyed a strong partnership with
Polaris Project, a Washington, D.C.-based not-for-profit
organization dedicated to eradicating human trafficking and
to helping its victims and survivors using comprehensive,
community-based approaches. Among Polaris’s many
initiatives is the National Human Trafficking Resource
Center and Hotline, a toll-free hotline that victims of human
trafficking and their family members, witnesses, tipsters,
and others can call to report instances of human trafficking,
give information to investigators, or request assistance. This
year, our Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Beijing offices
conducted research on human trafficking, employment, and
labor laws in Japan and Singapore to assist Polaris as it
seeks to expand this hotline.
Polaris also works with industry, government, and law
enforcement to identify and advocate for the improvement
of state and federal legislation relating to anti-trafficking
laws and victim assistance programs. Lawyers in our
Washington, D.C. office have helped Polaris with a number
of pro bono projects, including seeking immigration relief
and pursuing civil litigation on behalf of trafficking victims,
reviewing and developing its confidentiality policies and
hotline procedures, updating the Polaris State Ratings
Map (which ranks US states based on the strength of their
anti-trafficking legislation and programs), assisting with
intellectual property concerns, and developing consulting
contracts. We also undertook a significant project to create
and populate a state-by-state human trafficking database
that lists all the publicly available state prosecutorial actions
involving allegations of human trafficking or related crimes
over the past five years.
Securing Asylum in Hong Kong
Our Hong Kong office maintains an active pro bono asylum
practice. We work closely with the Hong Kong Refugee
Advice Centre, a nongovernmental organization that
offers legal aid to refugees seeking protection from the Office
of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees.
For example, this year, our lawyers assessed the merits
of a Central African Republic asylum seeker, a member
of the Kwa Na Kwa party who had been abducted,
imprisoned, and tortured; evaluated the risk of persecution
faced by Yemeni asylum seekers; and analyzed political
developments in, as well as cases involving similarly
situated asylum seekers from, Togo. n
Lawyers from our San Francisco, Silicon Valley, New York, and Washington, D.C. offices
celebrate at the annual Not For Sale Gala, which raised almost $500,000 for the anti-human
trafficking organization this year.
NotForSale
18

CHILDREN
Helping Baby Veronica
In June 2013, the US Supreme Court decided a custody
dispute styled Adoptive Couple v. Baby Girl et al., more
commonly known as the Baby Veronica case. Washington,
D.C. partner Lori Alvino McGill led the team that
represented Baby Veronica’s birth mother in the Supreme
Court, and later represented her adoptive parents on
remand. The team also included partner Greg Garre,
associate Katya Cronin, and paralegals Olga Baeza and
Rachel Jaffe.
The case involves the federal Indian Child Welfare Act
(ICWA) of 1978, which the US Congress passed in response
to concern about child welfare practices that had resulted
in the separation of large numbers of Native American
children from their families and tribes through adoption or
foster care placement. Baby Veronica is classified as an
Indian child under ICWA because her biological father is
approximately 2 percent Native American and is a member
of the Cherokee Nation.
While Veronica’s birth mother was still pregnant, the
biological father told her, via text messages, that he wanted
to terminate all his parental rights. Already a single mother
of two children, Veronica’s birth mother hand-picked
adoptive parents for her baby. Veronica was raised by her
adoptive parents from birth until, at the age of two, a South
Carolina family court held that ICWA required Veronica to
be immediately transferred to her biological father. The
Supreme Court of South Carolina affirmed that result “with
a heavy heart,” in a 3-2 decision, believing that federal law
required that result.
Latham filed a brief on behalf of Veronica’s birth mother,
urging the US Supreme Court to grant review of the case.
The Court granted review in January 2013 and heard oral
argument in April. In June, in a 5-4 decision, the Court
reversed the South Carolina Supreme Court and ruled in
favor of our client and the adoptive parents, holding that
ICWA did not give Veronica’s biological father a right to
interfere with the adoption. The case then returned to the
South Carolina Supreme Court on an expedited basis, and
the Latham team filed another brief in the South Carolina
Supreme Court. In July, the South Carolina state courts
finalized the adoption and ordered a transition plan that
focused on reuniting Veronica with her adoptive parents in a
way that was sensitive to her best interests. What followed
in the ensuing seven weeks captured national headlines as
the biological father, assisted by Cherokee Nation officials,
moved Veronica to an undisclosed location on tribal trust
lands and refused to return her.
The Latham team led the post-adoption effort to reunite
Veronica with her adoptive parents. The team secured
favorable rulings in Oklahoma courts in three counties
and the support of the governors of South Carolina and
Oklahoma. The biological father and the tribe then sought
and obtained an emergency stay from the Oklahoma
Supreme Court, and the court ordered briefing over the
weekend and set argument for the next business day. Lori
Alvino McGill argued the case, and also represented the
adoptive parents in a court-ordered week-long mediation
while the stay was in effect. In late September, the
Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled in favor of our clients,
issuing a published decision lifting the stay. Oklahoma
law enforcement officials facilitated the peaceful return of
Veronica to her adoptive parents that same day.
Standing Up for a Minor
Latham Watkins was approached by the country of Mexico,
via Human Rights Watch, to submit an amicus brief on
Mexico’s behalf to the California Supreme Court in People
v. Gutierrez, a case involving a Mexican juvenile contesting,
on constitutional grounds, his criminal sentence of life
without the possibility of parole. Submitted in September
2013, our amicus brief addressed the interplay between
the constitutionality of the juvenile defendant’s sentence of
life without parole and Mexico’s right, under international
law, to have its consular officers assist the juvenile through
the sentencing process. Los Angeles associate Anthony
Bruno authored the brief, with assistance from associates
TJ Finley and Leigh Richart and legal secretary Johana
Gomez. The case is currently pending.
Central to Latham Watkins’ pro bono program is the belief that justice should be accessible to all.
Our direct advocacy on behalf of the underserved includes representing parents and guardians in
adoption and custody matters, ensuring that veterans of the US Armed Forces receive the benefits
to which they are entitled in recognition of their service and sacrifice, and assisting in prisoner
civil rights matters. Read on for highlights from our varied work in this area.
Serving the Underserved
19

Maintaining a Family
A litigation team from our Washington, D.C. office, including
associates Sarah Gragert, Elizabeth Richards, Katya
Cronin, and Natalie Rao, paralegal June Elliot, and partner
Kevin Metz, secured a significant victory for a foster father
seeking to adopt his foster son. Removed from his home
when he was three years old due to allegations of child
abuse, the child had been living with our client since 2009.
Over the years, our client formed a strong bond with the
child and decided that he wanted to adopt him and provide
him with a stable and loving home. Although the birth mother
consented to the adoption, the birth father contested it,
despite having no interest in parenting the child, primarily
because he disagreed with our client’s sexual orientation.
The team argued in a trial before the D.C. Family Court that
the birth father’s consent was not required for the adoption
because he had abandoned the child under the law and that
the court should waive the birth father’s consent because
he was withholding it contrary to the child’s best interests.
The team called numerous witnesses who demonstrated the
child’s significant improvement in behavior and emotional
stability while in our client’s care and testified to the extensive
bond between the child and the client. The magistrate judge
granted our client a complete victory.
Furthering Inclusive Education
For more than six years, lawyers in our Frankfurt office have
been working on a project promoting inclusive education in
Germany. With our longtime pro bono client Gemeinsam
leben – gemeinsam lernen, a nonprofit organization
supporting parents of children with disabilities, we drafted
a comprehensive bill to ensure that the United Nations
Convention on the Rights of Persons is implemented in
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany’s most populous state.
The proposed bill is intended to bring the state law into full
compliance with international requirements for inclusive
education and was presented at a press conference in
Düsseldorf. It received considerable attention in the media,
from parents of children with disabilities, and from the state
government, and has put inclusive education on the political
agenda in this part of Germany. Frankfurt partner Marcus
Funke leads the team, which includes associates Kristin
Ziegeler, Jan Schubert, Oliver Krauss, Andreas Feith,
and Lisa Sönnichsen.
Evaluating NYC’s Public Schools
A team of New York-based lawyers is currently working
with New York Appleseed to produce a report regarding
resource distribution in New York City’s public schools.
Latham collected data from elementary schools across the
city concerning poverty levels, demographics, and a range
of other variables reflecting resource distribution. Latham
Watkins is now collaborating with Edgeworth Economics
to identify trends and analyze relationships among these
variables. Following the data analysis, we will draft a report
summarizing the findings, and New York Appleseed will use
the report to heighten awareness about and advocate for
equality across schools in New York City.
Forging an Alliance
Our Los Angeles office has taken on a significant number
of cases through the Alliance for Children’s Rights, acting
on behalf of low-income families in guardianship matters;
unaccompanied, abused, abandoned, or neglected minors
seeking Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS); and
foster children who are eligible to receive special education
services and monetary benefits. Since 2007, we have
donated more than 20,000 hours of pro bono services to this
organization in support of its adoption, special education,
benefits, and guardianship/SIJS cases.
Advising Charter Board Partners
In Washington, D.C., almost 40 percent of the school-
age population attend one of the city’s 120 independently
run charter schools. While the schools’ founders have
a great deal of educational expertise, they often lack the
business experience required to effectively manage large
institutions with multimillion-dollar budgets. A principal at
the Carlyle Group had the idea to match individuals with
such skills to charter school boards that can best utilize their
expertise, and Charter Board Partners (CBP) was formed
in September 2010.
In 2013, CBP launched its inaugural “Fellows” program
whereby a select group of young professionals, including
Washington, D.C. associates Christopher Cronin,
Deeptha Mathavan, Cory Tull, and Rami Turayhi, under
the supervision of partner David Dantzic, were assigned
to various charter school boards throughout the district.
Our associates have assisted their respective boards by
engaging in a variety of legal tasks, including drafting and
negotiating charter agreements with the D.C. Public Charter
School Board, drafting and editing bylaws, negotiating
financing or lease terms, and assisting with school
reorganizations and expansions.
Frankfurt partner Marcus Funke (left) and associate Jan Schubert (center) hold a press
conference with Bernd Kochanek (right), chairman of Gemeinsam leben – gemeinsam lernen
Nordrhein-Westfalen, to announce draft legislation for inclusive education in Germany.
20

US VETERANS
Supporting the National Veterans
Legal Services Program
This year, Latham Watkins continued its collaboration
with the Lawyers Serving Warriors program of the National
Veterans Legal Services Program (NVLSP). Since 1980, this
independent nonprofit organization has worked to ensure
that 25 million veterans and active duty personnel, as well
as their families, receive the benefits they have earned
through their service to the United States.
Through its Lawyers Serving Warriors
program, NVLSP matches veterans with
active duty benefits claims directly with
volunteer lawyers. Across all of our US
offices, Latham partners, associates, and
staff are assisting approximately 70 veterans
with applications for Combat-Related Special
Compensation (CRSC), a benefit available
to veterans who served in Operation Iraqi
Freedom or Operation Enduring Freedom
and have been medically retired for combat-
related disabilities, including post-traumatic
stress disorder. CRSC can provide hundreds
of dollars per month in additional tax-free compensation to
eligible veterans. As government lawyers are not available
to assist disabled veterans in completing and supporting
CRSC applications, our lawyers play an important role
in helping eligible veterans navigate the claims process
and procure these benefits.
Proving a Case of Wrong Identity
Our client is a homeless veteran with severe disabilities.
His struggles with homelessness ended, however,
when he was issued a housing voucher through the VA
Supportive Housing (VASH) program. Thereafter, the Los
Angeles County Housing Authority threatened to revoke
his VASH voucher on the basis that he underreported
income from jobs he had previously held in Indiana. Under
the supervision of Los Angeles partner Jim Barrall, Los
Angeles associate Kate Rykken, San Francisco associate
Julie Crisp, and legal secretary Jenea Rivas worked with
lawyers at Inner City Law Center to prove that our client’s
identity had been stolen several years ago and used
to obtain employment in several different states, and that
our client had been accurately reporting his income.
Ultimately, the Housing Authority agreed and did not revoke
our client’s VASH voucher, enabling our client to retain his
housing arrangement.
ANIMALS
Criminalizing Cruelty to Animals
New York associate Sam de Villiers and Washington, D.C.
partner Scott Ballenger represented the Humane Society of
the United States as amicus in support of federal prosecutors
in a Fifth Circuit appeal defending the constitutionality of a
federal statute banning the sale of “crush” videos over the
internet. Crush videos feature scantily clad women crushing
small animals to death with their feet, either barefoot or in
high heels, and are marketed to individuals with a sexual
fetish for this behavior. Although the brutality to animals
depicted in crush videos is illegal in every state, it is almost
impossible to prosecute the actual creation of crush videos
because the videos are made in secret and often do not
show the face of the perpetrator, diminishing the possibility
of identification. Even when a suspect can be identified,
it is often impossible to prove where and when the
videos were made in order to
establish jurisdiction and that
the crime occurred within the
relevant statute of limitations.
The US Congress therefore
concluded that the only effective
way to prevent the crimes
depicted in the videos is to
target their sale in interstate
commerce. In 2010, the US
Supreme Court struck down
the original version of the
statute as invalid under the First
Amendment, finding the statute’s
language overbroad because it could be read to suppress
speech unrelated to crush videos, such as depictions
of lawful hunting or the humane slaughter of livestock.
Congress then amended the statute in an effort to
address the Court’s concerns by specifically limiting
its application to crush videos.
The revised statute was subjected to judicial scrutiny for the
first time this year in US v. Richards, in which two purveyors
of animal crush videos were charged with violating the statute
in a Texas federal court. This court struck down the amended
statute as unconstitutional on the basis that crush videos
do not fit into any of the historical categories exempting
certain types of speech from First Amendment concerns.
The Latham team is challenging this holding on appeal
on behalf of the Humane Society. The case is ongoing.
THE INDIGENT
Ensuring Due Process
Through our New York office’s Krimstock automobile
seizure program, Latham provides pro bono representation
in administrative due process hearings for low-income
individuals whose vehicles have been seized by the police.
For many clients, their vehicle is their most valuable
possession and is critical to their livelihoods. In one standout
victory for a client whose due process rights were ignored
and violated, associates Michael Raine and Kevin Weber
expertly argued and persuaded the administrative law judge
to find that illegible evidence was insufficient to establish
that the dual notice requirement was provided to the client,
which led to the release of the client’s vehicle. Moreover,
the judge went on to provide dicta on the rarely addressed
issue of discovery suggesting that attempts to introduce
new evidence on the day of the hearing should be deemed
inadmissible. This case is especially significant for the impact
it will have regarding evidentiary burdens that will affect all
future Krimstock cases and settlement negotiations.
“We greatly appreciate all the
work that Latham Watkins
does to help serve homeless
and low-income veterans.”
—David Smith, Equal Justice Works
AmeriCorps Legal Fellow,
Inner City Law Center
21

Developed by partner Chris Plaut in conjunction with the
New York City Office of Administrative Trials Hearings
(OATH), the Krimstock program is supervised and
coordinated by partner Benton Campbell and associates
Shervin Rezaie, Federico Soddu, and Alex Ziccardi.
Defending Homeowners
Our San Diego office is litigating in California Superior
Court on behalf of 16 plaintiffs harmed by a loan
modification and foreclosure avoidance scam perpetrated
by several defendants. Latham seeks to hold the scammers
accountable and prevent them from engaging in continued
targeting of vulnerable homeowners. Many of the plaintiffs
were the victims of foreclosure due in part to the defendants’
actions. After filing the complaint last year, the Latham
team, including associates Amy Hargreaves, Patrick
Justman, Andrew Yancey, Katherine McGrath, David
Greer, Amanda Betsch, and Kasey Branam, supervised
by partner Kathy Lauer and assisted by paralegal Karin
Sanders, obtained a permanent injunction and monetary
judgment against the lead defendant. Discovery is
continuing against the remaining defendant.
Fighting for Promised Benefits
New York associates Betsy Marks, Tom Giblin, and Sam
de Villiers, along with partner Noreen Kelly-Dynega,
worked with the Legal Aid Society of New York to challenge
the New York Human Resources Administration’s (HRA)
new sponsor liability policy. This policy seeks to collect
repayment of government assistance from alien sponsors
living near the poverty line. The case, Pelegrin v. New
York Human Resources Administration et al., is a putative
class action brought on behalf of our client and all others
similarly situated.
Our Chicago office hosted a third anniversary celebration of the Domestic Violence Division Pro Bono
Project, a collaboration among the Cook County Circuit Court, the Domestic Violence Legal Clinic,
a corporation, and 19 law firms, including Latham Watkins. The pro bono project aims to improve
legal representation in domestic violence cases. Among the attendees were (from left to right) Chicago
associate Margrethe Kearney, Judge Kate Moreland, Chicago partner Michael Faris, Judge Sebastian
Patti, Judge Ursula Walowski, Judge Patrice Ball-Reed, and Judge Thomas Clancy.
HRA’s pursuit of our client demonstrates the troubling issues
raised by its unilateral adoption of the sponsor liability policy.
Our client is an unemployed, single mother of three. When
she sponsored her mother’s immigration to the United
States in 2007, she had a long-term, stable job. She lost
her job in July 2011 and, with her three children, has since
subsisted on unemployment benefits until their expiration in
January 2013. Despite her current financial difficulties, HRA
is now demanding more than $16,000 from her, purportedly
on account of benefits provided to her mother. Our client was
told she was not eligible for any income-based exemption
from the policy, nor has she been able to challenge the
decision not to exempt her or to defend herself at all against
HRA’s demands—in part because HRA unilaterally adopted
the policy without publishing its terms in compliance with
the notice-and-comment procedures in New York City’s
Administrative Procedure Act. Indeed, HRA has never
published the terms of the policy or made its implementing
rules available to the public in any manner. This lack
of information has left our client and others struggling
against unknown rules. Latham’s petition contends
that HRA’s promulgation of the policy is arbitrary and
capricious and violates both the Administrative Procedure
Act and federal law. Our team was recently honored by
the Legal Society of New York for its work on this matter.
VICTIMS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE
Obtaining Orders of Protection
Our Chicago office, working closely with conflict specialists
and support staff throughout the firm, developed a domestic
violence clinic that was eventually adopted by the Domestic
Violence Division of Cook County Courts as its model for a
court-organized clinic. The clinic grew out of a partnership
between Latham Watkins and the City
of Chicago Mayor’s Office on Domestic
Violence. The goal was to devise a program
that would enable lawyers from private firms to
get involved in domestic violence cases on a
pro bono basis at the earliest possible stage—
when the victim is filing for an emergency
order of protection. Our clinic structure
allows lawyers to appear in court within
hours of taking on a case, bringing speed
and efficiency to domestic violence victims
seeking emergency orders of protection as
well as long-term protection. Today, more than
a dozen area law firms also participate. Led by
Chicago associate Margrethe Kearney and
partner Mike Faris, with help from paralegal
Lindsay Cutler, Latham lawyers participating
in this clinic go to the Cook County Domestic
Violence Courthouse and offer both on-the-
spot assistance to victims who have shown up
pro se to seek emergency orders of protection
and follow-up representation to those seeking
to obtain plenary orders of protection against
their abusers. Over the years, more than
150 Latham partners, counsel, associates,
and paralegals from all practice areas
in the Chicago office have represented
more than 100 domestic violence victims.
22

*All client names are pseudonyms
Our Clients’ Powerful Stories*
Jaleh
An Orange County-based team represented
Jaleh in her domestic violence restraining order
matter against her husband. Jaleh escaped from
four decades of extreme physical and sexual
abuse suffered in both Iran and the United
States at the hands of her husband and, with
the help of her adult daughters, moved into a
comprehensive domestic violence agency. This
case was particularly difficult given the duration
of abuse, as well as the deep language and
cultural barriers involved. Jaleh was awarded
the maximum five-year restraining order.
Hoa
Hoa, a 40-year-old woman from Vietnam, was
a victim of tremendous physical, financial, and
emotional abuse perpetrated by her husband.
During their marriage, Hoa’s husband beat
her regularly to prevent her from, among other
activities, working, learning English, calling
her family in Vietnam, and making any friends
in the United States. On numerous occasions,
he threatened to deport her if she did not obey
him and his mother. An Orange County team
successfully represented Hoa in connection with
a petition for legal status under the Violence
Against Women Act, and Hoa now has a
permanent resident card.
Dominga
Our client, Dominga, had suffered persistent
physical and emotional abuse, sexual assaults,
and death threats at the hands of her domestic
partner, a former guerilla fighter, in El Salvador.
Lawyers and staff in our Silicon Valley office
helped secure asylum for Dominga. Since then,
they have helped bring her children to the United
States from El Salvador (through derivative
asylum applications). Most recently, we also
helped Dominga obtain her green card.
Amelia
A team of lawyers in our Chicago office helped
Amelia obtain emergency and plenary orders of
protection against her stepfather. The stepfather
pointed a gun and threatened to kill Amelia while
she was holding her four-month-old son. After
the Latham team obtained the emergency order
of protection, the stepfather moved to dismiss
or transfer the plenary order of protection
proceedings because of pending criminal
charges from the same incident. The Latham
team defeated the motion to keep the civil
proceedings in the domestic violence division,
and ultimately negotiated an agreed order with
opposing counsel that provided all the protection
that Amelia sought in her petition.
Marisol
Marisol, a mother of three from Ecuador,
endured over two years of severe abuse from her
husband, including beatings, near-strangulation,
and threats to her life. In December 2011,
Marisol sought the help of Sanctuary for
Families, a nonprofit organization that provides
legal assistance and other services to victims of
domestic violence and sex trafficking and their
children, who referred her to Latham. Because
Marisol had obtained conditional residence
based on her husband’s status as a United
States citizen in 2010, she was not eligible for
legal permanent residence unless her husband
applied for permanent residence on her behalf.
A New York team petitioned the US Citizenship
and Immigration Services to waive the joint-
filing requirement so that Marisol would not be
dependent on her abuser for her immigration
status, and Marisol was granted permanent
residence in February 2013.
In 2013, Latham Watkins provided direct pro bono representation to domestic violence victims across
almost all of our US offices. Our work included helping clients obtain emergency and permanent
restraining orders against their abusers, as well as assisting immigrant women who are victims
of abuse. The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) allows immigrant women who are married to
US citizens or permanent residents and have been victims of abuse to petition for US residency
without their spousal abusers. In addition, under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection
Act (VTVPA), noncitizen victims of certain violent crimes, including rape, incest, felonious assault,
domestic violence, trafficking, and kidnapping, who assist law enforcement authorities with their
investigations, can petition for a U visa. This year, our lawyers worked on more than 100 VAWA and
U visa cases, enabling many of these victims of criminal acts to obtain lawful immigration status in the
United States. Read on for some of our clients’ stories.
23

PBAR 2013

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