North American Pro Bono Award Winners
DLA Piper recognizes seven individuals for their commitment to Pro Bono Service.
DLA Piper’s lawyers and staff are committed to promoting access to justice by providing their time, talent and energy to those who cannot afford to hire a lawyer. Recognizing the significant contributions and tremendous impact of this work, DLA Piper is pleased to announce the seven recipients of the firm’s 2021 North American Pro Bono Awards.
The winners, who exemplify the firm's commitment to giving back to its communities, were selected by DLA Piper's North American Pro Bono Committee. The committee considered each nominee's overall pro bono accomplishments, the difficulty of the matters handled, the courage involved in taking the assignment and the positive impact of his or her work.
Kelvin Booker - Paralegal Maryland
“My pro bono work focused on assisting veterans seeking discharge upgrades. Helping veterans access the benefits they have earned can be life changing, and having the opportunity to give back to those who served is incredibly rewarding.”
Julie Gryce - Of Counsel, San Diego
Julie Gryce, a San Diego-based of counsel, has helped victims of domestic violence obtain restraining orders and other support for themselves and their children. She also works on family law matters with the DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF), which is dedicated to providing affordable legal services for those with modest incomes. Gryce recently took on a leadership role at DCALF, through which she will mentor a team of junior lawyers handling active divorce and custody matters. With a team of DLA Piper lawyers and co-counsel, she has also played a critical role pursuing impact litigation in federal court on behalf of a class of relative foster families and children to obtain foster care maintenance payments. She argued the preliminary injunction hearing before a US District Court and is currently assisting with the appeal.
Rachel Horton - Associate, Philadelphia
Rachel Horton, a Philadelphia-based associate, litigates pro bono appeals in a variety of areas. When DLA Piper represented Pennsylvania counties to defend the integrity of their election results in the wake of the 2020 presidential election, Rachel was instrumental in preparing a persuasive response brief after opposing counsel filed an expedited appeal. The majority of her pro bono caseload consists of court-appointed appeals from the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, where twice in the past year she has presented oral argument. In a recent appeal, she is representing an immigrant who had been litigating pro se for years. The case involves complex legal issues in an evolving area of the law, and the court’s decision could significantly impact criminal prosecutions and immigration matters throughout the circuit.
Dennis Kiker - Senior Attorney, Phoenix
Dennis Kiker, a senior attorney in Phoenix, represented two inmates during the pandemic and successfully secured the early release of a 61-year-old cancer victim who was subsequently able to meet his only grandson for the first time. He is also part of a team working with co-counsel on an important prisoner rights case. After initially joining the team to take point on eDiscovery issues, Kiker quickly took on a leadership role, through which he has provided strategic guidance, helped draft motions, coached associates preparing to take fact and expert depositions and defended one of the plaintiffs’ own experts. He also actively supported both the Census Protection and Election Protection Hotlines, responding to questions and inquiries about the census and voting issues.
