SOCIAL IMPACT
Jenner & Block embraces our responsibility to serve those in need, better our communities, and protect our future. This section shares stories of our service as the need for pro bono representation in the pursuit of social, racial, and economic justice is greater now than ever before.
"Rachel and her team were a godsend," said Paul Zimmerman, General Counsel of Management Sciences for Health, which has worked in Afghanistan for decades. "We were faced with an urgent, high stakes problem, and the quality, timeliness, and effectiveness of the assistance we received were superb."
“Jenner was incredibly responsive, helpful and most importantly pragmatic in addressing an extremely complex operating environment. Jenner brought not only prior expertise including from within government to advise, but also had contacts at various agencies that helped to inform our approach. Jenner lawyers also were willing to engage directly with the client (not just in-house attorneys) and attend public meetings – demonstrating a deeper commitment and connection to our work and informing advice based on more intimate knowledge of the client.”
— Eric Johnson, General Counsel of CARE USA
Helping NGOs Provide Assistance in Afghanistan
When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in mid-August on 2021, Jenner & Block provided guidance to non-governmental organizations about how US sanctions could affect their ability to work in Afghanistan under the Taliban, which the US government has designated as a terrorist group. We helped the NGOs identify which of their humanitarian assistance programs were not prohibited by counterterrorism laws, allowing those programs to continue, and also identify other programs for which additional US government guidance or authorization was necessary.
The firm’s efforts also included conducting outreach to the US government on behalf of various organizations, helping to explain how the situation in Afghanistan affected their employees, their operations, and the programs they implement. Among other outreach, the team drafted and submitted requests for authorization to carry out programming in Taliban-controlled areas and spoke with State Department and Treasury Department representatives.
On September 24, the US Department of the Treasury issued two initial general licenses to support the continued flow of humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan and other activities that support basic human needs there. Treasury then issued a more expansive authorization for NGO work on December 22. As a result, NGOs were able to carry out their work to help the people of Afghanistan without running afoul of US sanctions laws. The Jenner & Block team continued working with organizations in Afghanistan and elsewhere to help provide lifesaving assistance consistent with US sanctions requirements.
The team is led by Partner Rachel Alpert and includes Associates Umer Chaudhry, Emily Merrifield, and Garrett Salzman.
Partner Gail Morse, Department Counsel Allison Glover, and Work Equity Lawyer Anthony Nguyen discuss their work on the Name Change Project.
Name Change Project: Partnering with TLDEF
Jenner & Block partners with the Transgender Legal Defense & Education Fund and its Name Change Project, which provides pro bono legal name change services to low-income transgender, gender non-conforming, and non-binary people.
The firm also utilizes relationships with clients such as JPMorgan Chase and Abbott Laboratories to extend advocacy to a broader range of individuals. To date, our efforts have resulted in 11 successful name changes, with many more to come.
Several Jenner & Block lawyers have dedicated their time and efforts to this necessary cause. The core team includes Partner Gail Morse, Department Counsel Allison Glover, and Work Equity Lawyer Anthony Nguyen. Hear what they have to say about the experience in this video.
Urging US Supreme Court to Strike Down Mississippi’s Abortion Ban
When the US Supreme Court heard arguments in a contentious Mississippi abortion rights case on December 1, 2021, an amicus brief authored by a Jenner & Block team was among those weighing in on the matter.
In Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the Court is considering a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The firm’s brief urges the Court to affirm a lower court’s decision and strike down the law.
The brief was written pro bono on behalf of reproductive justice advocates and organizers. It focuses on the impact that Mississippi’s law would have on people of color as well as disabled, low-income, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ people living in Mississippi and Louisiana.
“Amici have a unique window into the challenges people face when seeking to access abortion, and the additional barriers Mississippi’s 15-week ban will impose on marginalized people. They write to highlight the devastating consequences that will ensue if this Court eliminates the right to abortion,” reads the brief.
Partner Tassity S. Johnson and Associate Victoria Hall-Palerm wrote the brief. Partner Jessica Ring Amunson assisted.
Opposing Efforts to Block Obama Presidential Center Construction
The firm has been actively engaged in supporting 16 iconic Chicagoland museums and cultural institutions that oppose efforts to block construction of the Obama Presidential Center in Jackson Park. Since 2018, a team has authored a series of amicus briefs, pro bono, in a dispute over what is planned to be a “world-class museum and public gathering space” celebrating former President Obama and the First Lady. In 2021, the litigation continued.
As an amicus brief submitted in July argues: “The Chicagoland Museums believe the Obama Presidential Center will be a cultural and economic treasure for Chicago that will benefit the public by bringing new amenities and positive development to the surrounding community, boosting the local economy, and serving as a magnet for visitors to the City and the region. It will serve as an enduring and powerful symbol of the promise of America and the American Dream. In other words, the public interest strongly favors allowing construction to move forward without any further delays.”
The brief highlights the area’s long and rich history of featuring these world-class institutions: “Museums provide major educational and economic benefits and advance the public’s interest in knowledge and understanding. The Chicagoland Museums offer benefits to the public, the City, and the Chicago Park District—and offer benefits to each other when they are clustered together. Each museum is truly a treasure and Chicagoland, its residents, and visitors are fortunate to have them.”
Shortly after that brief was submitted, Judge John Robert Blakey issued a one-page opinion denying the request for a permanent injunction, writing that the plaintiffs “have not met the standard for injunctive relief on their federal claims.”
But the plaintiffs appealed to the Seventh Circuit. In addition to appealing Judge Blakely’s order, they requested an emergency stay pending resolution of the appeal. Such a stay would have temporarily halted groundbreaking on the Obama Presidential center. On August 13, 2021, the Jenner & Block team filed an amicus brief to the Seventh Circuit in opposition to the stay. The Seventh Circuit denied the motion for emergency stay the next day.
Although the center broke ground on August 16, 2021, opponents continued seeking a preliminary injunction. On October 27, 2021, the Jenner & Block team filed yet another amicus brief in the Seventh Circuit, this one supporting Blakely’s order denying the preliminary injunction. The case was argued on November 30, 2021; a decision is pending.
The Chicagoland museums and cultural institutions that joined the brief include the following: Adler Planetarium, The Art Institute of Chicago, Bronzeville Children’s Museum, Chicago Academy of Sciences/Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum, Chicago Architecture Center, Chicago History Museum, DuSable Museum of African American History, Field Museum of Natural History, Illinois Holocaust Museum & Education Center, Lincoln Park Zoo, Millennium Park Foundation, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Science and Industry, National Museum of Mexican Art, The National Museum of Puerto Rican Arts & Culture, and Shedd Aquarium.
The briefs have been signed by Co-Managing Partner Randy Mehrberg, joined by Partners Daniel J. Weiss and Gabriel K. Gillett and Associate Elena M. Olivieri.
Promoting Migrant Workers’ Rights
Our London office has a long-standing partnership with Lawyers Without Borders, an organization that works to advance the rule of law and support justice systems around the world. We are currently helping to promote the rights of Indian workers migrating to Jordan, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates in a project being implemented by Verité in partnership with Lawyers Without Borders and Free the Slaves. Our work has involved extensive research into the labor laws and issues in the countries receiving migrant workers and the hurdles that migrant workers face when their rights have been breached. Our work also includes analysis of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on migrant workers. Partners Christine Braamskamp, Robert Dalling, Paul Feldberg, Special Counsel Lucy Blake, Associates Michaela Croft, Nazifa Chowdhury, Sol Gelsomino, Karam Jardaneh, and Paralegals Thomas Mason and Neha Patel are working on the project.
Securing Settlement Agreement with NYCHA to Prevent Wrongful Evictions
In August of 2021, Jenner & Block, in partnership with Legal Services NYC (LSNYC), announced a settlement agreement with the New York City Housing Authority (NYCHA) requiring the public housing agency to reform its rent adjustment system to prevent wrongful evictions and benefiting more than 400,000 NYCHA residents.
The agreement ensures that thousands of NYCHA tenants will have their rents reduced if their incomes were to decline – a process required by federal law that has become more urgent during the pandemic. The settlement also enhances protections for low-income residents by requiring that NYCHA may not prosecute nonpayment or chronic rent delinquency cases until they first resolve interim rent reduction requests or rent grievances.
The settlement comes after a group of twelve families, who have lived in public housing anywhere between five and 50 years, sued NYCHA in federal court alleging illegal rent overcharges above 30% of income and eviction proceedings for unlawful amounts of rent.
As noted by Luis A. Henriquez Carrero, Director of Litigation at Manhattan Legal Services, in a press release announcing the settlement: "Our clients made their stories public to push NYCHA to fix a long-broken rent reduction system, which will benefit more than 400,000 public housing residents.”
The Jenner & Block team included Special Counsel David Sussman, Associates Susanna Evarts and Olivia Hoffman, Law Clerk Keturah James, and former partner Andrew Weissmann.
Supporting Outreach Services on Chicago’s West Side
Breakthrough is a non-profit organization that provides outreach services in underserved communities on Chicago’s West Side, partnering with those affected by poverty to build connections, develop skills, and open doors of opportunity. Partner Terry Truax is a long-time supporter of Breakthrough and a member of its board. As co-chair of its All In Campaign, Terry is helping Breakthrough plan and execute its partnership with the East Garfield Park neighborhood.