New Developments at HB

READ THE WINTER/SPRING 2021 NEWSLETTER

Firm News 

2020 saw the firm achieve increased recognition in a number of respected industry rankings. Here’s a summary:

2021 Best Lawyers in America©: 

• 170 Attorneys named, plus 12 Lawyers of the Year, 27 first-timers (+27, +4 and +16 respectively over 2020)

• PLUS, 55 of our young attorneys named to inaugural Best Lawyers in America© “Ones to Watch”

2021 Best Law Firms:

• Husch Blackwell recognized as a National Tier 1 firm in 10 practice areas (+2 over 2020)

2020 Benchmark Litigation:

• 32 total attorneys recognized

• Husch Blackwell earned “Highly Recommended” rating in Wisconsin and Missouri and the “Recommended” rating in Nebraska

• Our Labor & Employment practice earned a “Highly Recommended” rating in Missouri and a “Recommended” rating in Colorado and Wisconsin

• Husch Blackwell was named Benchmark Litigation’s 2020 “Law Firm of the Year” in Nebraska

2020 Chambers USA:

• 42 Attorneys recognized (13 first-timers), with 10 practices ranked

2020 Super Lawyers:

• 111 Husch Blackwell attorneys from across the firm’s footprint named to 10 local editions of Super Lawyers/Rising Stars

Pro Bono News

2020 was challenging for many, and Husch Blackwell attorneys contributed pro bono legal services to help meet the critical needs of individuals, nonprofits and organizations by providing access to justice across the firm’s footprint. Last year, the firm donated 22,457 pro bono hours totaling $8.7 million.

Our pro bono work spans multiple areas, including children’s initiatives, community development, civil rights and working with victims of human trafficking. We are proud to share the following pro bono stories and highlights of how our lawyers and staff ensure that those who cannot afford legal counsel get the assistance they need.  

Attorneys in our Milwaukee and Madison offices filed an amicus brief before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of numerous Wisconsin-based advocacy organizations committed to the well-being of LGBT+ individuals. In June, the Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision held that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation and transgender status. Husch Blackwell’s brief emphasized many of the statutory-interpretation issues that the majority of the court ultimately found persuasive in its ruling.

Our Madison attorneys secured a victory in Federal District Court on behalf of a transgender female inmate protecting her constitutional right to necessary medical care while incarcerated. This case presented unprecedented legal issues, requiring expert reports and testimony, as well as a trip to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals before trial even began. The bench trial in this case commenced on March 16, 2020, the same day the firm switched to work from home due to the pandemic. The trial began in person with social distancing, encountered delays, then switched to virtual Zoom presentation for the final witness and closing arguments. Nearly nine months after the trial, the judge issued a ruling finding that our client had been denied her 8th Amendment right to receive necessary medical care due to the deliberate indifference of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.  

The firm continues to see the fruits of its labor for its work with the MacArthur Justice Center to win an overhaul of Missouri’s parole process for inmates sentenced to life in prison for crimes they committed as juveniles. St. Louis attorneys represented Ralph McElroy at his parole hearing, and in September he was released from prison, on parole, after over 33 years.  

In November, the firm welcomed Quinncy McNeal as Pro Bono Counsel for Communities for Change. Quinncy focuses on the establishment and support of minority-owned businesses by seeking creative solutions to foster their greater economic success, and hopefully, making a difference that compounds over time.

Husch Blackwell is proud to recognize the extraordinary contributions of our attorneys and staff throughout 2020 with over 520 of our attorneys and timekeepers participating in pro bono from all Strategic Business Units and Practice Specialty Centers!

In 2020, Husch Blackwell attorneys and offices honored for their pro bono services included:

•  Husch Blackwell Pro Bono Impact Award – Awarded during National Pro Bono week to Joseph Diedrich and Angela Harden of Madison and Milwaukee, respectively, in recognition of the leadership, values, collaborative approach, enthusiasm and compassion they have brought to the pro bono program.

•  Legal Aid of Nebraska’s Equal Justice Award – Awarded to our Omaha office in recognition of the firm’s contributions to building a fairer and better legal profession and, through its many efforts and initiatives, being a model of private law firm commitment to equal justice for all in Nebraska.

•  Missouri Bar Pro Bono Publico Award – Awarded to Christopher Weiss of Springfield for his work on Hague Convention cases referred to the firm by the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children. These families were reunited thanks in large part to Chris’s dedication and hard work.

•  Missouri Lawyers Weekly Legal Champions Award – Awarded to Jordan Ault, Denyse Jones, Matt Knepper, Theresa Mullineaux and Sarah Zimmerman of Jefferson City and St. Louis for their work with the MacArthur Justice Foundation to challenge Missouri’s parole policies and practices on behalf of a class of Missouri youthful offenders who received mandatory sentences of life without parole.

•  Bailey Award – Awarded to the Hon. Matt Schelp (former HB Partner in St. Louis, currently a judge for the U.S. District Court, Eastern District of Missouri). This award honored and recognized Matt’s exemplary advocacy on behalf of veterans. 

•  Denver Bar Associate, Pro Bono Star 2020 – Awarded to Sonia Ramirez Anderson of Denver for her commitment to representing nonprofits and indigent clients, helping them navigate a variety of legal issues.

•  ABA’s Pro Bono Leader – Husch Blackwell was recognized as ABA Free Legal Answers Leader for a second straight year.

•  Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame – Recognizes attorneys who perform 40 or more hours of pro bono work in a year for their generous commitment of time, professional skill and legal knowledge. Husch Blackwell had 70 attorneys included on the 2019 Missouri Bar Pro Bono Wall of Fame.

•  The District of Columbia Courts’ Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll – Recognizes attorneys who have provided 50 hours or more of pro bono work to DC residents. The following Husch Blackwell attorneys were included in the 2019 Capital Pro Bono Honor Roll: Singleton McAllister, Avidan Meyerstein, and Steven Neeley.

We are incredibly proud of our 2020 pro bono achievements!

Diversity

Husch Blackwell’s work to meet all of the Corporate Equality Index’s ranking criteria once again resulted in the firm’s 100 percent ranking and designation as a Best Place to Work for LGBTQ Equality in 2020. HB earned a perfect score for the fifth year in a row.

Be sure to visit the firm’s diversity page on our public website. You’ll find interesting facts, such as 55 percent of HB’s associates are women and how we’ve been voted as a Best Law Firm for Women three times by Working Mother magazine. We’re proud of these accomplishments!