Attorneys John Grossbart, Kendra Hartman, Wendy Enerson and Rebecca Hughes Parker are the recipients of Sonnenschein’s annual Rothschild Awards, which recognize partners and associates for their accomplishments on behalf of pro bono clients. The awards were established in memory of Edwin Rothschild, who was admired within the firm and in the legal community for his dedication to pro bono pursuits.
John, Kendra and Wendy received the Partner’s Award for their groundbreaking work in Ligas v. Maram, a class action challenging the State of Illinois’s institutionalization of adults with developmental disabilities. Our partners teamed with attorneys from Equip for Equality, a disability rights organization, and the ACLU on the matter.
Beginning in 2005, the team took and defended numerous depositions, successfully argued dispositive motions and engaged in contentious and difficult settlement negotiations. Prior to going to trial in federal court, the state agreed, in principle, to settlement terms providing all of the relief sought in the complaint. When approved by the court, the groundbreaking agreement will give Illinois residents with developmental disabilities the option to receive long-term care services in integrated community settings instead of large institutional settings.
Rebecca Hughes Parker received the Associate’s Award for her representation of the Real News Project, an investigative journalism Web site, in a trademark infringement suit filed by the Web site Real News. Rebecca handled all aspects of the matter, including drafting discovery requests, producing and reviewing documents and drafting third-party subpoenas, such as one to the company that hosted realnewsnetwork.com. At the jury trial, Rebecca cross-examined the defendant and presented legal arguments, along with two other Sonnenschein associates, on trademark law. The judge called the case “well-lawyered” and expressed his gratitude that Sonnenschein had taken on the matter on a pro bono basis.
Read about our past Rothschild Award Winners:
