| "Social Justice" is our own construct. While this work could be listed with a number of our other projects, we consider this to be our "cutting edge" work. It can involve appellate or trial-level work. Examples of this work would be the amicus briefs we filed in the U.S. Supreme Court in the so-called Guantanamo Bay cases. It involved our representation of a Burmese political refugee. We placed our Washington, D.C. partner, Richard Ben-Veniste's membership on the 9/11 Commission in this category also.
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 | Mayer Brown Wins Veterans Benefits Appeal for PTSD Disability Benefits
The Board of Veterans’ Appeals has reversed a decision by the VA Regional Office and awarded disability benefits to our client, Mr. H. Mr. H., a former US Marine, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a result of racially motivated attacks against him while at the Marine training unit at Camp LeJeune, North Carolina. Read >>
| | | Mayer Brown Coordinates Amicus Effort, and Files Amicus Brief, in U.S. Supreme Court Case Ruling in Favor of Guantánamo Detainees
On June 12, 2008, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a landmark decision in favor of the petitioners in Boumediene v. Bush, (06-1195), finding that the detainees held at Guantánamo Bay Naval Base have a right to challenge their detention in U.S. courts. The Supreme Court struck down the provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that stripped the federal courts of jurisdiction to hear habeas corpus petitions filed by Guantánamo detainees, holding that these provisions violate the Suspension Clause of the U.S. Constitution. "The laws and Constitution are designed to survive, and remain in force, in extraordinary times," Justice Kennedy wrote for the majority. Read >>
| | | Innocence Project Honors Mayer Brown
Mayer Brown and best-selling author John Grisham were co-honorees at the Innocence Project's second annual Celebration of Freedom & Justice benefit on May 7, 2008. The Innocence Project assists prisoners who could be proven innocent through DNA testing. For the past five years, Mayer Brown has worked on eight cases with the Innocence Project and monitored Congressional activity on issues important to the project's goals. The firm also co-sponsors the Mayer Brown Eyewitness Fellow to manage a new initiative dedicated to developing and promoting methods for improving eyewitness identification procedures. Read >>
| | | Mayer Brown Launches Veterans Assistance Projects in New York and Washington DC
Mayer Brown, in conjunction with the City Bar Justice Center and nine prominent New York law firms, has launched a veterans assistance project in New York. Through the project, which will involve monthly clinics, attorneys will provide pro bono legal services to veterans in connection with the filing of claims for disability benefits. While the impetus for establishing the project was the growing medical and psychological needs of veterans returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the clinics will be open to veterans of all wars. Read >>
| | | Mayer Brown Lawyers Win Social Security Disability Benefits for Pro Bono Client
On October 15, 2007, the Social Security Administration issued a fully favorable ruling for our pro bono client, granting him over three years of retroactive disability benefits. Read >>
| | | Mayer Brown Wins Reinstatement Of Foundation's Charitable Status
Under the guidance of Paul DiSangro and Shirish Gupta of the Palo Alto office, Mayer Brown has successfully convinced the IRS to reinstate the South Asian Bar Association of Northern California Foundation's status as a public charity, rather than as a private foundation. Read >>
| | | Boumediene/Al Odah Supreme Court Case: Brief Resource Center
On June 29, 2007, the Supreme Court granted certiorari in Boumediene v. Bush and Al Odah v. United States. The consolidated cases address, among other issues, whether the provisions of the Military Commissions Act of 2006 that bar Guantanamo detainees from pursuing habeas corpus petitions violate the Suspension Clause of the U.S. Constitution, and whether the detainees are entitled to pursue habeas claims in federal court. To access the brief resource center, click here. Read >>
| | | Mayer, Brown Associate Secures Social Security Disability Benefits For Pro Bono Client
On July 9, 2007, the Social Security Administration granted our pro bono client supplemental security income and retroactive disability benefits. Read >>
| | | Mayer Brown Lawyers Win Social Security Disability Appeal
In a case assigned by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Rick McCombs and Therese King won an appeal on behalf of an indigent, disabled woman seeking Social Security disability benefits. The woman, a life-long resident of Chicago, sustained severe back and knee injuries in a car accident while driving a van for her employer. Until the accident, the woman had worked steadily at physically-taxing jobs, such as mail delivery services, and had led an active life. After the accident, despite months of physical therapy, she was largely home-bound, unable to drive, stand or walk for prolonged periods of time. With no means of financial support, she relied largely on her family's kindness to survive. Read >>
| | | NLADA Honors Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw For Guantanamo Work
20 June 2007 - Mayer, Brown, Rowe & Maw is a co-recipient of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association's 2007 Beacon of Justice Award. The award honors the firm's work on behalf of Guantanamo detainees. Read >>
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