Barry A. Kamar
Paul, Weiss Associate, Litigation
University of Texas School of Law, 2006
"When you handle a pro bono case, you become personally vested in the client's plight. It's the kind of personal fulfillment that drove many of us to law school in the first place. But in addition to feeling like you've done something eminently worthwhile, you also acquire lawyering skills that you might not find elsewhere at such an early stage in your career.
One of the most rewarding experiences of my career so far was a pro bono representation. I was one of two junior associates that tried a case on behalf of a nail salon worker. In almost 17 years of working for the defendants, she had never been paid overtime and was fired after asking for scheduled lunch breaks. We took her case to trial in federal court. At the time, I was barely a year out of law school.
The firm was exceptionally supportive of our efforts – a senior partner provided mentoring whenever we asked for it and we had the firm's entire resources at our disposal. Nonetheless, the case was ours to win or lose. Hearing the unanimous verdict in favor of my client being read aloud in the courtroom remains the highpoint of my legal career.
Now I serve as the firm's liaison to the Legal Aid Society, helping match my fellow associates with meaningful and challenging pro bono work. The firm has similar relationships with many other public interest organizations throughout the City. It's all part of Paul, Weiss's genuine commitment to pro bono, and I'm proud to be involved in that ongoing tradition."
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Pro Bono
At Paul, Weiss we view pro bono work as a duty and an honor, and also a sound investment in our future as lawyers and citizens. We believe that pro bono work is essential to the development of our lawyers as well as our community. Our long-standing involvement with a broad range of pro bono matters reflects a diversity of concerns that attracts talented lawyers who possess exceptional energy, integrity and dedication. This commitment to public service is exemplified by the many Paul, Weiss lawyers who have gone on to pursue careers in public service both during and after their tenure here.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
Associate Opportunities:
- We expect lawyers — from the most junior to the most senior — to be involved with at least one pro bono matter at all times.
- Time spent working on pro bono matters is valued equally with time spent on billable matters. In 2005 alone, our lawyers, summer associates and paralegals devoted a total of 55,000 hours to pro bono work.
- Pro bono work gives associates the opportunity to handle cases and matters on their own with the help of a partner who provides guidance and advice.
Our Pro Bono Tradition: Paul, Weiss has helped establish law and public policy concerning, among other areas, civil rights — including helping Thurgood Marshall prepare and argue Brown v. Board of Education in the 1950s — women’s rights, rights of asylum and prisoner's rights and treatment of the homeless. The firm also organized the foundation that facilitated and supervised the first-ever free election in South Africa.
Future Opportunities: Pro bono work provides our associates with the best training to prepare for a possible future in public service. Many Paul, Weiss alumni have gone on to pursue careers in such organizations as the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc., Legal Aid Society, American Civil Liberties Union, New York Lawyers for the Public Interest and the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Rights Project.
Headline Matters
- Achieving a major victory in the case of Johnny Paul Penry, a 41-year-old man with the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, who has been on death row in Texas for 25 years. In October 2005 after Mr. Penry’s third trial ended in a death verdict, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals overturned Mr. Penry’s sentence and remanded the case for a new punishment trial — a rare victory in a capital murder case.
- Representing a group of health care providers who were targeted by anti-abortion zealots. In 2005 the Ninth Circuit rejected the defendants’ attempt to relitigate the en banc Ninth Circuit decision upholding the judgment and injunction we obtained. This decision protected our clients from threatening conduct on the Internet and affirmed our clients’ right to compensation and punitive damages for defendants’ threats. The case remains the only civil jury verdict under the federal statute protecting reproductive health care workers.
- Achieving a landmark victory in our defense of Santa Fe’s Living Wage Ordinance in 2005. The ordinance rectifies a grossly inadequate $5.15 U.S. and New Mexico minimum hourly wage by raising it to $9.50 this year and, subject to further approval by the City Council, to $10.50 in 2008, and increasing it by the consumer price index thereafter. The New Mexico Court of Appeals affirmed an earlier trial court ruling upholding the ordinance, which resulted in decent wages for thousands of low-income families.
- Initiating habeas proceedings on behalf of 11 Saudi Arabian detainees being held by the U.S. military in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Last year we presented the court with allegations from our clients demonstrating a range of abuses and inadequate medical care. In the first ruling of its kind, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia ordered the Bush administration to inform defense lawyers about the condition of detainees at the Guantánamo military base. This victory will allow detainees’ lawyers to have greater access to their clients and their clients’ medical records.
- Serving as lead counsel in a case challenging New York state’s failure to provide marriage rights to same-sex couples. In 2005 we filed an appeal of a 2004 New York trial court decision that ruled that the exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage did not violate New York’s constitution. We argued the appeal in October 2005, urging the panel to reject what would amount to a “separate but equal” standard for same-sex couples. The intermediate appellate court ruled in favor of defining marriage as a union between a woman and a man in early 2006; we filed an appeal in New York Court of Appeals, which was denied this summer.
Industry Recognition: Paul, Weiss has been recognized by many nonprofit organizations for its outstanding pro bono contributions, including the Legal Aid Society, Sanctuary for Families, Human Rights First, Volunteers for Legal Services, Women’s Prison Association and MFY Legal Services, Inc.
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