Merchant & Gould’s Pro Bono Committee is delighted to announce the 2018 Pro Bono Award winners. This year, we have chosen to recognize three different individuals from our Minneapolis and Denver offices for their dedication and commitment to providing pro bono legal services.

First, we would like to recognize Rachel Zimmerman Scobie (Minneapolis) for her work with the Children’s Law Center (“CLC”). Rachel donated more than 84 hours representing three sisters in the foster care system in Hennepin County; and, for the middle sister, she had to bring two contested motions. The first motion enabled her client to be moved into a home environment and out of a residential treatment facility that was overly restrictive for her needs. The second motion ensured her visitation with a potential backup adoption resource. Both motions were successful, and, fortunately, she is doing much better in her new placement. Additionally, the regular weekend overnight visits with the backup adoptive resource provided added support and a continued connection, in the event the county’s adoption plan (which has been ongoing for the past two years without success) ultimately falls through.

Second, we applaud Lindsay Hartman (Minneapolis) for her service to LegalCORPS, for which she donated almost 100 hours in 2018. Throughout the year, Lindsay helped a number of pro bono clients, including a general matter in which she defended a client who was being harassed.  In addition, she drafted and filed a non-provisional patent application, prepared and filed a trademark application, conducted a patentability search, and prepared and filed a number of Office Action responses.

Finally, we are happy to recognize Karen Kronoveter (Denver) for donating 26.5 hours in paralegal pro bono services to ProBoPat. In particular, Karen compiled patentability searches for a number of pro bono clients over the past year. These services entailed, along with an attorney volunteer, meeting with clients for invention disclosures, compiling and summarizing prior art results, and then discussing her findings with the pro bono clients.

Please join us in congratulating our 2018 Pro Bono Award winners!