The Political Asylum/Immigration Representation (PAIR) Project has awarded Mintz, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. with the 2017 Pro Bono Law Firm Award.

The firm was honored for its many years of service on PAIR asylum cases. The pro bono work highlighted by PAIR included representation of the first PAIR asylum client in 1990, representation of Guatemalan human rights survivor Oscar Alfredo Ramírez Castañeda, the firm’s federal litigation work to protect immigrant rights in the wake of the travel ban earlier this year, successful UV Visa advocacy on behalf of a transgender client detained by ICE, and above all, the firm’s steadfast commitment to individuals targeted in the wake of an attempted coup. Attorney Kerime Akoglu accepted the award on the firm’s behalf.

Formed in 1989, PAIR is a nationally recognized pro bono model consisting of a coalition of legal services agencies, civil rights and civil liberties organizations and bar associations that work to secure safety and freedom for asylum-seekers who have fled from persecution throughout the world and to promote the rights of immigrants unjustly detained.