Jones Day lawyers represent individuals and nonprofit organizations in both civil and criminal litigation before a variety of administrative agencies and state and federal courts, including the federal courts of appeal and the U.S. Supreme Court. Across the Firm, our lawyers participate in various local clinics that offer free legal advice to the poor on such matters as landlord/tenant law, public benefits, immigration, probate, family law, and consumer fraud. Our lawyers have represented defendants at all levels of the criminal justice system, from wrongfully charged individuals facing their first trials to death row inmates seeking new ones. In addition, we assist nonprofit organizations with corporate-related issues such as incorporation and tax advice.
At the end of 2009, Judge Barbara Lynn of the Northern District of Texas asked Jones Day to represent an indigent plaintiff, Tommy Aycock, in an "excessive force" case against the City of Dallas under section 1983 of the Civil Rights Act. For two years, Jones Day conducted extensive discovery in the case. Then, in January of this year, Judge Lynn granted oral argument on the City's motion for summary judgment. Andrew Wirmani argued the motion, defeating summary judgment and allowing the case to proceed to trial.
On March 1, 2012, Jones Day Columbus won an appeal brought on behalf of a Michigan prisoner in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The prisoner, Floyd Perkins, is serving a life sentence for first degree murder in Michigan state prison. Since the time of his arrest, Mr. Perkins has maintained that he is actually innocent of the crime for which he was convicted.
On March 5, 2007, in connection with Mr. Aguilar-Cerda’s attempt to seek adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident, an immigration judge found Mr. Aguilar-Cerda removable from the United States for (1) procuring admission to the United States by fraud and (2) entering the United States without having been admitted. The Board of Immigration Appeals affirmed Mr. Aguilar-Cerda’s removability on the latter grounds. When Mr. Aguilar-Cerda appealed the BIA’s decision to the Seventh Circuit, the National Immigrant Justice Center referred the matter to Jones Day.
The Public International Law and Policy Group, a non-profit organization that operates as a global pro bono law firm, asked Jones Day to advise it on the issue of how to reintegrate Somali nationals convicted of piracy into society after they serve their jail sentences.
Amanda Schapel and Peter Julian (San Francisco) successfully represented a pro bono client referred to Jones Day by the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights in his affirmative application for asylum. The client, a young man from Turkey, had been abused by members of his family and community for being gay, and he risked an “honor killing” by his family if he returned to Turkey.
The Chicago Office of global law firm Jones Day has donated a $33,000 fee obtained under the Equal Access to Justice Act for handling a pro bono immigration appeal to the National Immigrant Justice Center. The case was one of dozens that the Firm has taken on at NIJC’s request. Over 50 Jones Day lawyers have been involved in this pro bono work.