41 The Mintz team has helped the organization address governance concerns; structure and negotiate strategic initiatives, including facilitating its expansion into new geographic markets; restruc- ture its business model with its affliates for the provision of Schwartz Rounds®, sessions that give health care providers regularly scheduled opportunities to discuss the social and emotional challenges they face every day; draft and review contracts; and handle intellectual property, trademark, and government relations issues. US DISTRICT COURT PRO BONO PROJECT/BOSTON Throughout the years, through the US District Court Pro Bono project, the Court has referred low income self-represented litigants to Mintz for representation. One such client was a Kenyan man who had come to the United States on a student visa to attend private high school and then college. While the client was home in Kenya on break, his child and a close friend were murdered in post-election violence; on another trip home to Kenya, the client was arrested and tortured by the government for his anti-violence advocacy. He returned to the United States, finished his degree, and worked in Worcester. In December 2016, the petitioner was arrested by ICE. While the petitioner was in detention, a Boston immigration judge ruled in his favor, saying he couldn’t be removed from the United States given what he had experienced in his home country. The government appealed that decision, but negligently filed paperwork indicating that the client had been released while the appeal was pending (despite the fact that the client, in fact, was still in jail) so the appeal was not put on a fast track. The client languished in ICE detention, and filed a habeas petition on his own until Mintz was appointed by the court. After briefing and oral argument on a habeas petition, the court released the client under supervised release, a rare outcome. The Mintz team was headed by Mathilda McGee-Tub and Erica Coray, with Andy Nathanson and Sue Finegan, all of whom were supported by many other Mintz staff, including attorneys Lavinia Weizel, Eoin Beirne, Rebecca Zeidel, and Matt Levitt; former attorneys Peter McCarthy and Mike Ticcioni; and former project analyst Joanne Dynak. VOLUNTEER LAWYERS PROJECT: APPELLATE PRO BONO PROJECT The Appellate Pro Bono Project is a statewide pro bono appeals project that provides legal consultation or legal representation to qualifying self-represented litigants seeking assistance with civil appeals. It was conceived of and developed in collaboration between the Supreme Judicial Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Access to Justice Commission, the Volunteer Lawyers Project, and Mintz, with the assistance and support of other Boston law firms. At a free clinic held every Wednesday, trained volunteer attorneys are available for on-the-spot consultations with qualifying litigants, whose cases involve a broad range of civil matters. During these consultations, the attorneys answer questions and offer guidance on next steps. They may help litigants decide whether it makes sense to appeal a decision, provide guidance on appellate issues and procedures, and review appellate briefs or other filings. In addition, volunteer attorneys in a merits review panel assess whether the clinic cases should be referred to participating law firms for individual appellate representation. Since the clinic’s inception, 16 litigants have received full representation. The program has steadily built momentum, and many of the top law firms in Boston, along with legal services organizations from across the state, have stepped forward to provide support. Since its inception in May 2015, the civil appeals pro bono program has served 485 individuals with the help of 23 different law firms and in-house legal departments. In collaboration with the Volunteer Lawyers Project and attorneys from Goodwin, Mintz attorneys Brian Dunphy and Sue Finegan administer the program along with project analysts Mattie Haag and Morgan Sandhu. Former Mintz project analyst Sarah Engell also worked on the project in 2017. Numerous Mintz attorneys and summer associates have also contributed as volunteer attorneys. (continued)