CHICAGO and SALT LAKE CITY – May 5, 2023 – Greenberg Traurig, LLP received two awards for pro bono service for separate efforts taken on by attorneys in its Chicago and Salt Lake City offices.
The firm received the Award for Excellence in Pro Bono and Public Interest Service from the Judges of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois and the Chicago Chapter of the Federal Bar Association for its work representing a group of transgender women challenging the constitutionality of certain restrictions contained in the Illinois Name Change Statute as applied to them.
In coordination with a coalition that included lawyers from the Transformative Justice Law Project of Illinois and others, the firm took on the litigation in Reyna Angelina Ortiz, et al. v. Kimberly M. Foxx, et al. as part of a larger legislative strategy to effect a change in the law. After nearly four years, the lawsuit was dismissed as moot because amendments to the bill were passed by the state legislature and signed into law by the Illinois governor in February 2023.
The Chicago team included Shareholders Martin S. Kedziora and Gregory E. Ostfeld, and Associates Brian D. Straw and Alexandra Block.
The Utah State Bar presented Greenberg Traurig with its 2023 Pro Bono Publico Law Firm of the Year award. Through a program sponsored by the Utah State Bar, the Greenberg Traurig team volunteered to represent indigent tenants who were being evicted by their landlords in Salt Lake County monthly. The work included helping tenants navigate the legal system, understand their rights, and negotiate settlements tailored to each tenant’s individual circumstances, oftentimes including negotiating to help them avoid homelessness. The team also represented the tenants at their immediate occupancy hearing, put the settlements on the record, argued in defense of the tenant, or participated in evidentiary hearings.
The Salt Lake City team included Shareholder Lauren E. H. DiFrancesco, and Associates Alexander Baker and Carson Heninger
About Greenberg Traurig’s Pro Bono Program: Greenberg Traurig lawyers across the firm’s offices provide pro bono legal services to the indigent and working poor, as well as to numerous civic and charitable organizations dedicated to assisting them. The firm focuses its resources on specialized and interrelated issues including civil rights and affirmative action, anti-human trafficking, family law matters, children’s rights, criminal appeals, immigration and political asylum, housing, and homelessness.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Chicago Office: Greenberg Traurig's Chicago office strives to be as dynamic and diverse as the city it calls home. Since its inception in 1999, it has grown from three attorneys to nearly 200 today. Attorneys in Greenberg Traurig’s Chicago office represent a wide range of clients, from Fortune 500 companies to innovative start-ups, and practice in nearly every major practice area and industry. Offering local knowledge and broad experience, Greenberg Traurig’s Chicago lawyers work with their colleagues in Greenberg Traurig’s other offices in the United States and abroad to help clients achieve their objectives locally, nationally, and globally.
About Greenberg Traurig’s Salt Lake City Office: Greenberg Traurig’s Salt Lake City team works with regional and national companies ranging from startups to Fortune 500 corporations, across multiple industries. The team offers clients a wealth of local experience, backed by Greenberg Traurig’s global platform and network of resources. The firm’s Salt Lake City attorneys are consistently ranked as leaders in their fields by publications such as The Best Lawyers in America®, Chambers USA, Utah Business Magazine, and Utah Law Review.
About Greenberg Traurig: Greenberg Traurig, LLP has more than 2650 attorneys in 45 locations in the United States, Europe and the Middle East, Latin America, and Asia. The firm is a 2022 BTI “Highly Recommended Law Firm” for superior client service and is consistently among the top firms on the Am Law Global 100 and NLJ 250. Greenberg Traurig is Mansfield Rule 5.0 Certified Plus by The Diversity Lab. The firm is recognized for powering its U.S. offices with 100% renewable energy as certified by the Center for Resource Solutions Green-e® Energy program and is a member of the U.S. EPA’s Green Power Partnership Program. The firm is known for its philanthropic giving, innovation, diversity, and pro bono. Web: www.gtlaw.com.