News & Events

Partner Jon Youngwood, Global Co-Chair of the Firm’s Litigation Department, and Josh Levine, Litigation Partner and Co-Chair of the Firm’s Pro Bono Committee, were quoted in an American Lawyer article titled, “Simpson Thacher Team Travels South to Mississippi for Pro Bono Work,” which recognized the Firm’s pro bono litigation efforts in the state. The article highlighted that a Simpson Thacher team, led by Josh, secured a federal court ruling that led to the release of a 51-year-old man from prison in August and that Jon led a team that worked alongside the ACLU and ACLU of Mississippi to win a consent decree resolving a lawsuit alleging anti-Muslim bias in January, among other civil rights cases. The article also noted that Jon was recently admitted to the Mississippi bar. Jon stated that while the Firm has now established local ties in the state, its connection to Mississippi was happenstance, but that it is “important to go someplace where it’s not in our immediate backyard.” Josh added that the Firm’s lawyers have been involved in pro bono in Mississippi for several years, due both to local ties and the need for legal support. “If you look at it, there are, even on a per capita basis, several times as many lawyers in a place like New York as there are in Mississippi. From an equity standpoint, and from a standpoint of doing the most good, it was important to do work in places that are somewhat underserved.”

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