The Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award
2026 Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award Winner
Elizabeth Platonova's pro bono work focuses on representing asylum seekers navigating complex immigration proceedings. Over the past year, she has led multiple political asylum matters, including the representation of a survivor of gang violence from El Salvador whose case spent nearly a decade in the immigration system. Faced with an accelerated hearing schedule and a rapidly changing legal landscape, Liz helped prepare the case in just days, securing a favorable asylum ruling that provided her client with long-awaited protection and stability.
Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award Winners
On behalf of the firm, the Pro Bono Committee presents an annual award to an attorney who demonstrates leadership and commitment in the area of pro bono. To date, recipients of the Richard Mintz Pro Bono Award include:
2026 | Elizabeth Platonova - Representing Asylum Seekers Navigating Complex Immigration Proceedings |
2025 | Courtney Herndon – Fighting for Access to Lifesaving HIV Medicine |
2024 | Nicholas Butto – Providing Sanctuary for Survivors |
2023 | Alyssa Scruggs – Sex trafficking advocacy and legislative efforts |
2022 | Kerime Akoglu, Amanda Asaro, Sylvia Belardo, Taylor Carman, Kaitlyn Crowe, Carly Halpin, Nicole Henry, Narges Kakalia, Keri Judd, Doris Lopez, Joe Ort, Milan Sani, Nell Shea, David Siegal, and Robyn Stewart - won asylum for a Honduran Justice of the Peace and her family, securing a relatively rare stipulation from the government based entirely on pre-hearing written filings |
2021 | Rithika Kulathila, Nick Armington, and Nadia Do Canto - establish a Massachusetts Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) sealing clinic |
2020 | Andrew DeVoogd - Amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of 40 Law & History Professors, in coordination with GLAD and Freedom for All Americans; political asylum and domestic violence work |
2019 | Mathilda McGee-Tubb - ACLU Census citizenship brief, political asylum, and domestic violence work |
2018 | Lavinia M. Weizel - sex trafficking legislation and housing advocacy |
2017 | Kerime S. Akoglu – asylum and bankruptcy work |
2016 | Maryann Civitello - Elizabeth Stone House (Boston-based domestic violence shelter) |
2015 | Katy E. Ward - pro bono clinics and model legal education classes for nonprofit leaders |
2014 | Alec Zadek - sex trafficking and domestic violence |
2013 | Ella Shenhav - immigration, domestic violence, and bankruptcy work |
2012 | Anthony Hubbard - nonprofit assistance |
2011 | Marisa Howe - political asylum |
2010 | Jeff Goldman - immigration relief for victims of the earthquake in Haiti |
2009 | Helen Guyton - domestic violence and sexual assault projects |
2008 | Narges M. Kakalia - political asylum work and reinvigoration of the New York Pro Bono Program |
2007 | Scott Moskel - Hurricane Katrina relief work |
2006 | Martha J. Koster - Hurricane Katrina assistance initiative |
2005 | Noah Shaw - Innocence Project and Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights |
2004 | Christian Hildebrand - Lawyers Committee for Human Rights |
2003 | Lisa Glahn - Family Advocacy Program |
2002 | Beth Boland and McLarey Team - protection of children from abuse |
2001 | DC Office (2001) - domestic violence and many other initiatives |
2000 | Tracy Miner (2000) - Federal Defenders Program |
1999 | Grant Sovern - Volunteer Lawyers Project |
1998 | Susan M. Finegan - Lawyers Committee for Affordable Housing and Homelessness |
1997 | M. Daria Niewenhous - Domestic Violence Project |
1996 | Tony Varona - Human Rights Campaign |
1995 | Richard Mintz and Stuart A. Offner - Vilna Center for Jewish Heritage |
1994 | Kathleen Sheehan - Lawyers Committee for Affordable Housing and Homelessness |
1993 | Paul Wilson - Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights |
1992 | Susan J. Cohen - Political Asylum Immigrant Representation Project |
1991 | Kathy Pawlowski and Navjeet Bal - Domestic Violence Project |
Other Mintz Pro Bono Awards
On a periodic basis, the Pro Bono Committee will also present additional awards and recognition to attorneys who have demonstrated exemplary commitment in the area of pro bono. These awards include: