Press Release
Washington, D.C. – Gilbert Oshinky’s commitment to providing pro bono services to individuals and non-profits in need was recently recognized at the sixth annual ‘40 at 50’: Judicial Pro Bono Recognition Breakfast hosted in late March by federal judges on the D.C. Circuit Judicial Conference Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Services. The ceremony honored firms that have had at least 40 percent of their attorneys contribute a minimum of 50 hours to pro bono work in 2008.
Among the 26 large law firms recognized in the D.C. area, Gilbert Oshinsky was one of only five firms specially acknowledged for having the most partners dedicate their time to pro bono legal services.
“We devote at least 10 percent of our firm’s hours to providing free representation to those in need,” said Scott Gilbert, firm chairman and name partner at Gilbert Oshinsky. “It’s a part of our work that is very important to us. This year, for example, we’ve already exceeded that 10 percent mark.”
In 2008, Gilbert Oshinsky handled fair housing, tenants’ rights, and asylum and immigration appeals cases, including:
- Representing the Equal Rights Center (ERC) in making multifamily apartment buildings – to the tune of 100,000 units last year– accessible to persons with disabilities. Most recently, the firm helped the ERC reach a negotiated resolution with a developer without the need for litigation, recovering damages for the organization and drafting a settlement that will ensure remediation of old apartments and construction of new apartments that will be accessible to persons with disabilities.
- Representing asylum seekers and immigrants in their appeals from decisions by the Board of Immigration of Appeals (BIA). While BIA decisions are appealable to the United States Courts of Appeals, most petitioners cannot find or afford adequate legal representation for their appeals. Gilbert Oshinsky represents a Coptic Christian from Egypt and a Chinese practitioner of Falun Gong who face severe religious persecution if they are forced to return to their home countries. The firm also represents a Mexican couple facing deportation after twenty years in United States; the couple has two young children, both of whom are American citizens, and one of whom is receiving medical care for a serious degenerative nerve condition.
- Providing legal assistance to a group of 50 veterans faced with imminent eviction. These veterans lived in a residential community that did not want to renew their leases due to upcoming renovations and attempted to evict the veterans without written eviction notices and without meeting other D.C. residential law requirements. Gilbert Oshinky negotiated housing vouchers for the veterans and helped them transition to new and group residential facilities.
The ‘40 at 50’ breakfast was held at the William B. Bryant Annex Atrium of the E. Barrett Prettyman U.S. Courthouse on March 26, 2009.
About Gilbert Oshinsky LLP
Based in Washington, DC, with offices in Los Angeles and Austin, Gilbert Oshinsky LLP is a law firm representing a wide range of clients, including corporations, partnerships, non-profit organizations and individuals in complex disputes, including high-stakes litigation, bankruptcy matters, class actions and ADRs. Best known for representing policyholder interests in insurance coverage matters, Gilbert Oshinsky LLP also has an active public interest practice that specializes in complex multi-plaintiff actions involving cutting-edge issues.