Arnold & Porter Receives KIND’s 2016 ‘Vision Award’ for Innovative Pro Bono Program

Washington, DC, May 2, 2016 -- Kids In Need of Defense (KIND) recently honored Arnold & Porter LLP with its 2016 Vision Award for the firm’s help in implementing an innovative pro bono support initiative launched in late 2014 for children seeking protection through a U.S.-backed in-country refugee-processing program. Particularly of concern were the formidable challenges such vulnerable children face when trying to navigate a well-intentioned, yet complex legal system alone. Since then, the partnership between KIND and Arnold & Porter has recruited more than a dozen law firms in Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala to provide pro bono legal representation to numerous interested and underrepresented children. The firm’s Ronald Schechter serves on KIND’s board of directors, and Samuel Witten serves on its Advisory Board. Arnold & Porter’s legal team included attorneys Raul R. Herrera, Sam Witten and foreign attorney Natalia Giraldo-Carrillo.