mintz
pro bono portfolio
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2023
© 2024 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. P.C.
Collaborating to Improve
Lives and Communities
Pro bono service is at the heart of Mintz's culture and identity. Together, we provide individuals with life-changing assistance and support the nonprofit organizations that care for our communities.
Learn More
Even with breakthrough medication that transformed the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from a near-certain fatal disease to a manageable but chronic illness, many with HIV still endure debilitating effects. Even with early diagnosis and managed care, HIV raises the risk of heart attack, certain cancers, pulmonary disease, and other critical ailments, further complicating the condition.
Fighting for Access
to Lifesaving HIV Medicine
The Mintz attorneys brought to bear tremendous depth of experience in litigation and insights that helped us prepare a persuasive and emotional brief. Our goal was to get the judges to care about ending the HIV epidemic, and we couldn’t have made such powerful arguments without Mintz’s commitment and knowledge. We are so appreciative of their dedication and skills.
Senior Director of Litigation and HIV Law,
ben klein
learn more about this Important work
View the 2022
Pro Bono Portfolio
Working with Mintz attorneys Drew DeVoogd, Kate Stewart, and Courtney Herndon, GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) decided to file an amicus brief to challenge the court’s decisions. In just six weeks, a legal team was assembled to prepare a powerful and extensively researched brief. Detailed information on the medical and societal impact of HIV and the prevalence of HIV-related illness and death in the United States, along with research by experts from Harvard and Yale, allowed the briefing team to argue that if the lower court decision is allowed to stand, approximately 20,000 additional Americans will contract HIV within the next five years, costing the US health care system roughly $8 billion dollars. These staggering negative outcomes, the brief argued, could be prevented by reversing the lower court.
GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders (GLAD)
Pro Bono Team
rachel wang
Project Analyst
Project Analysts
courtney herndon
Kate f. stewart
Andrew H. DeVoogd
Attorneys
Member and a Lead Attorney
Of Counsel and a Lead Attorney
Associate and a Lead Attorney
katharine k. foote
Associate and a Lead Attorney
susan m. finegan
Pro Bono Committee Chair
brooke siegal
Summer Associate in 2023
Shaina sikka
Former Project Analyst
For nearly three decades, the disease was a death sentence, impacting the most vulnerable communities most severely. Finally, in 2012, the FDA approved HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill that, when properly used, reduces the viral load of HIV nearly to zero. Almost a decade later, in June 2020, insurers were required to cover the costly PrEP without a co-pay obligation for patients, increasing access to the lifesaving medication dramatically.
Shortly after the mandate was implemented, a group of Christian business owners and individuals sued the government, challenging the requirement for complete insurance coverage of PrEP in a Texas federal district court on alleged religious grounds. After the court struck down part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement for no-cost coverage of PrEP in March of 2023, the government appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which stayed the implementation of the lower court’s order during the appeal.
In late June 2023, GLAD filed the brief on behalf of the HIV Medicine Association and the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors . When the Fifth Circuit ultimately rules on whether patients must pay for PrEP treatments, the ruling could have ramifications on a broad range of other preventative services requirements under the Affordable Care Act. The Mintz legal team continues to follow and contribute to this important case.
GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders)
HIV Medicine Association
National Alliance of State and
Territorial AIDS Directors
The GLAD and Mintz team put together a truly compelling picture of the tragic history of the HIV pandemic, as well as the dramatic real-life repercussions, in terms of human life and dollars, of allowing the lower court’s decision to stand. Every time I have the honor of working on a case like this, I am reminded of the practical and life-changing impact of our work as attorneys.
Associate
courtney
herndon
Volunteer Spotlight
© 2024 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
View the 2022
Pro Bono Portfolio
Collaborating to Improve Lives and Communities
Pro bono service is at the heart of Mintz's culture and identity. Together, we provide individuals with life-changing assistance and support the nonprofit organizations that care for our communities.
Learn More
In Maryland, there is a legal requirement for individuals seeking a name change to publish their new name in both a local print newspaper and on the internet for online circulation. However, a new law, which came into effect in October 2021, grants the courts the authority to waive this publication requirement upon the petitioner’s request.
In one specific case handled by MVLS, the client filed a petition to waive this requirement, driven by a strong desire to protect her safety and privacy. MVLS, with guidance from DC Office Managing Member Michelle Lipkowitz, reached out to Mintz attorneys Hilary Rosenthal and Trust Kupupika. Both were eager to help. With knowledge of the name change process, Hilary skillfully articulated the potential risks associated with publication, leading the court to grant the waiver and ensure the client’s security. Apart from her key role in facilitating this collaboration, Michelle serves on the MVLS advisory board.
Soon after, the name change petition was granted, and their client’s new name became a reality. Though it seemed like a straightforward endeavor, the case held profound significance for their client. For Hilary, this case is a poignant reminder of the profound impact a name can have on an individual.
In the pursuit of a name change, individuals navigate a legal process that underscores the profound impact making this change can have on one’s life, empowering them to fully embrace their identity. Reasons for name changes vary, including gender affirmation and the correction of legal discrepancies on vital documents such as a driver’s license, learner’s permit, and baptismal certificate.
The Maryland Volunteer Lawyers Service (MVLS), a nonprofit statewide legal services provider dedicated to assisting Marylanders facing financial hardships with accessible civil legal services, actively assists individuals seeking name changes. In one instance, a minor gained access to essential rights, like driving, through a corrected name, while another case involved a mother ensuring her toddler could be baptized under the correct name. Individuals affected by human trafficking also seek name changes for protection, highlighting the powerful role of this legal process in personal affirmation and security.
learn more about this Important work
Since its launch nearly six years ago, the clinic has helped older adults whose lives had been deeply affected by the lack of identity documents that didn’t match their gender, including many who were informally or marginally employed. Along with adults, the clinic assists minors applying with and without the support of both parents. And through its virtual model, the clinic is also able to assist California residents who live outside of the San Diego area. To date, with the help of attorneys, including Mintz’s Lorena Niebla, Valerie Phan, and Pooja Pujara, the student-run clinic has served about 1,100 individuals.
When the University of San Diego School of Law’s Transgender Name and Gender-Marker Change Clinic opened its doors in 2018, “Bill,” a longtime San Diego advocate for transgender and LGBTQ+ issues, was among the early group of people who asked for help with legally changing their gender. Since he was by then in his late sixties, he had lived and thrived as his true gender for many years, but he viewed officially changing the gender he had been assigned at birth as a significant and meaningful milestone.
Pro Bono Team
Supporting a Gender and Name Change Clinic to Advance LGBTQ+ Rights
2023
Shortly after the mandate was implemented, a group of Christian business owners and individuals sued the government, challenging the requirement for complete insurance coverage of PrEP in a Texas federal district court on alleged religious grounds. After the court struck down part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requirement for no-cost coverage of PrEP in March of 2023, the government appealed to the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which stayed the implementation of the lower court’s order during the appeal.
Working with Mintz attorneys Drew DeVoogd, Kate Stewart, and Courtney Herndon, GLAD (GLBTQ Legal Advocates & Defenders) decided to file an amicus brief to challenge the court’s decisions. In just six weeks, a legal team was assembled to prepare a powerful and extensively researched brief. Detailed information on the medical and societal impact of HIV and the prevalence of HIV-related illness and death in the United States, along with research by experts from Harvard and Yale, allowed the briefing team to argue that if the lower court decision is allowed to stand, approximately 20,000 additional Americans will contract HIV within the next five years, costing the US health care system roughly $8 billion dollars. These staggering negative outcomes, the brief argued, could be prevented by reversing the lower court.
Advocates & Defenders)
HIV Medicine Association
mintz
pro bono portfolio
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