MoForever Alumni News - Summer 2020

21 | MoForever Summer 2020 volunteer due to court closures and other delays in their regular work. In April 2020, Laurie received 10 times more pro bono offers than usual. One of the first came from MoFo pro bono counsel Rachel Williams after she heard Laurie’s plea on a Disaster Legal Services Zoom call. “Over a holiday weekend, MoFo’s Penny Preovolos and Jovanna Bubar answered a research question that was instrumental days later in our advocacy for tenants,” Laurie says. Laurie wasn’t surprised by MoFo’s immediate offer to help. She knows firsthand how dedicated MoFo is to pro bono work. It was what attracted her to the firm to begin with. Drawn by MoFo’s Dedication to Pro Bono Work Laurie read about the famed MoFo trial attorney, Jim Brosnahan, in law school. Jim had devoted months to a pro bono federal jury trial defending church workers who had aided Central American refugees and been charged with “alien smuggling.” “I was impressed that a top law firm partner would spend so much time and effort to represent these church workers pro bono—especially during the Reagan presidency when it was not politically advantageous,” Laurie says. Though she always intended to do public interest work, Laurie knew that starting her career at a premier law firm would teach her important litigation skills (and help pay off her student debt). Laurie says, “I worked with smart, skilled lawyers at MoFo such as Doug Hendricks, Harold McElhinny, Linda Shostak, and Sam Miller. They all taught me how to write well, think creatively, act ethically, and give the best possible client service.” While Laurie worked mostly for then-partner (now firm counsel) Doug Hendricks, whom she describes as “a wonderful lawyer” and “a great combination of humble but very smart,” one of her favorite memories involves working with partner Jim Garrett on American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh , 760 F. Supp 796 (N.D. Cal. 1991). The MoFo Fighting Spirit In American Baptist Churches v. Thornburgh , a group of religious and legal assistance organizations took on the U.S. Department of State and Immigration and Naturalization Service in a suit alleging unlawful practices used against Salvadoran and Guatemalan refugees in their applications for political asylum. After years of litigation, when the State Dept. had practically worn plaintiffs’ counsel down, MoFo entered the case pro bono and immediately propounded a mountain of discovery. The State Dept. quickly offered to settle, agreeing to “IT STRUCK ME HOW TRULY AWESOME OUR LEGAL SYSTEM IS WHEN IT WORKS. ALL THE MIGHT OF THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH (THEN INS) HAD TO BEND TO THE ORDER OF A JUDGE, OPEN THE JAIL DOOR, AND PROVIDE SAFE HAVEN TO THIS REFUGEE.”