Nebraska Appleseed, a leading nonprofit organization that fights for justice and opportunity for all Nebraskan, has named RBGG and DLA Piper as recipients of this year’s “Seeds of Justice” award which honors outstanding legal contributions to public interest law and/or pro bono contributions by private lawyers and law firms advancing the public interest.
According to Nebraska Appleseed, “Prior to filing suit in the Sabata litigation Nebraska state prisons were in a state of chaos that endangered the health, safety, and lives of prisoners and staff on a daily basis. For over twenty years, Nebraska prisons have been overcrowded, under-resourced, and understaffed. Individuals incarcerated in Nebraska were, and are, consistently deprived of adequate health care, including medical, dental, and mental health care, and denied accommodations for their disabilities. DLA Piper and Rosen Bien Galvan & Grunfeld LLP collectively contributed many thousands of hours of their legal expertise pro bono to attempt to address the myriad of systemic issues within NDCS. This effort is the largest pro bono contribution to a case by private firms that Nebraska Appleseed has been a part of litigating in the history of our organization over the course of four years. The level of commitment, professionalism, and dedication by both law firms in addressing these issues embodies the very purpose and spirit of the Seeds of Justice Award.”
Read more about RBGG’s work here and watch the award video which features a clip by RBGG’s Ernest Galvan. The RBGG team included Galvan, Kara Janssen, Ben Bien-Kahn, Michael Bien, and legal assistant Linda Woo.