News & Knowledge

The Capital Area Bar Association (CABA) recently held their annual Evening Honoring the Judiciary at the Country Club of Jackson. The dinner not only hosts a keynote speaker but also serves as an opportunity for CABA and Jackson Young Lawyers (JYL) to present their annual awards for outstanding service, pro bono and professionalism. Forman Watkins is extremely proud to have one of its very own presented with the 2017 JYL Pro Bono Service Award, congratulations to Partner Vernon McFarland for this wonderful recognition. Vernon serves on the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee where he shows daily commitment to the growth and expansion of Pro Bono efforts in the Firm and our local communities.

Click the image below to review the firm’s 2017 Pro Bono and Civic Engagement Annual Report and special thanks to our 2017/2018 Committee members: Alison O’Neal McMinn, Mimi Arthur, Courtney Hunt, Erin Latuso, Vernon McFarland, and Mitch McGuffey.

As a follow up from our April 2017 post regarding a pro bono asylum case, Louisiana Super Lawyers magazine published a story in the January 2018 issue featuring Michelle Roy’s work on this case. April 2017: Tim Gray and Michelle Roy of our New Orleans office represented a client, a minor, who fled from Guatemala to the United States with her family in 2015 to escape gang violence and political persecution. The firm sought permanent status for this client as a “Special Juvenile Immigrant” and as a member of a persecuted class entitled to asylum. The firm accepted this pro bono representation through a program sponsored by the Catholic Charities which matches volunteer lawyers with undocumented juvenile children in Louisiana. The firm continues to represent other undocumented minors through this program. We are honored for the featured publication on Michelle’s dedication to this case, you can read the full issue by clicking here. Or read her article here:  

Forman Watkins attorneys and summer clerks recently conducted our second pro se law clinic at the Eudora Welty Library through our partnership with the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP). The July clinic allowed our team of 10 attorneys and 5 law clerks to assist with 26 individual matters, providing legal advice to those who qualified for legal assistance through MVLP. In 2017 alone, Forman Watkins attorneys have assisted with 48 individual matters through our partnership with MVLP.

Tim Gray and Michelle Roy of our New Orleans office represent a client, a minor, who fled from Guatemala to the United States with her family in 2015 to escape gang violence and political persecution. The firm sought permanent status for this client as a “Special Juvenile Immigrant” and as a member of a persecuted class entitled to asylum. The firm accepted this pro bono representation through a program sponsored by the Catholic Charities which matches volunteer lawyers with undocumented juvenile children in Louisiana. The firm continues to represent other undocumented minors through this program.

Forman Watkins & Krutz LLP is proud to announce the launch of its Pro Bono Initiative. The Firm believes that pro bono service is an important and essential element of every attorney’s professional responsibility; further, we believe that attorneys possess unique skills and abilities to serve the disadvantaged and promote the public interest.