29 News & Noteworthy Additional Pro Bono Highlights from 2011 Acton Conservation Trust The Acton ConservationTrust is a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization devoted to the preservation of open space in Acton, Massachusetts. Real Estate attorneys Jonathan Cosco and Jennifer Kiely worked with Acton Conservation Trust to acquire rights to a small but strategically important parcel of land adjacent to the Acton Arboretum. The parcel is intended to be transferred at a future date to the town of Acton using Community Preservation Act funds. The firm also advised the nonprofit on the acquisition of a conservation restriction on a separate parcel in Acton that will be maintained in an undeveloped state for agricultural and conservation purposes. Anti-Defamation League In 2011, the Anti-Defamation League requested Mintz Levin’s assistance in drafting an amicus brief calling on the US Supreme Court to support the right of American citizens born in Jerusalem to have their place of birth listed as “Israel” on both their birth certificates and US passports. Attorneys Michael Gardener, Jeff Robbins, and Ari Stern prepared the brief, arguing that the law in question was both appropriate for court resolution and constitutional. The Anti-Defamation League and 11 other prominent American- Jewish organizations subsequently filed the brief in support of the petitioner’s position in Zivotofsky v. Clinton. In March 2012, the Supreme Court adopted the brief’s argument and reversed a court of appeals dismissal of the pertinent lawsuit. In its ruling, the Court directed a lower court to review the Zivotofskys’ claim on the merits, rejecting the argument that the issue at stake was a “political question” inappropriate for court resolution. Boys & Girls Club of Middlesex County The Boys & Girls Club of Middlesex County is an organization whose mission is to inspire and enable all young people to become productive, responsible, and caring citizens. Mintz Levin attorneys Jennifer Kiely, Ken Gantz, Colin Van Dyke, Dean Atkins, and Eric Freeman and Legal Specialist Courtney Krupinsky assisted the Boys & Girls Club with the negotiation of a purchase and sale agreement to sell its headquarters building, reviewed the related environmental issues, and helped with closing the transaction. Proceeds from the sale are to be used to explore many new opportunities to strengthen and advance the organization’s mission. Brennan Center for Justice The Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law is a nonpartisan public policy and law institute that focuses on the fundamental issues of democracy and justice. Mintz Levin attorney Josh Zakim and Law Clerk Esther Chan, under the supervision of Jerry Gotkin, researched campaign finance laws in the states of Wisconsin and Washington as part of a larger project to help the Brennan Center develop a better understanding of current campaign finance regulatory schemes throughout the nation. Josh and Esther developed a concise summary of the laws with charts describing the authority, staffing, enforcement powers, and other pertinent information for the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board and the Washington Public Disclosure Commission, those states’respective campaign finance oversight bodies. Cancellation of Removal: Eva’s Case “Eva” is an undocumented immigrant from Guatemala who has lived in the United States with her family for about 13 years. She and her husband, “David,” a lawful permanent resident, are the parents of a seven-year-old child,“Marc,”who suffers from a rare but serious multisystem genetic disorder. Marc’s condition has caused him to develop a large inoperable tumor on his hip, which has resulted in a significant differential in the length of his legs and requires him to use a wheelchair.