AmLaw Names Jenner & Block Nation's Top Firm for Pro Bono for Second Year

CHICAGO, June 30 /PRNewswire/ -- For the second year in a row, Jenner & Block
was recognized as the number one law firm in the country for pro bono service
by The American Lawyer magazine in its annual "Pro Bono Honor Roll." The
magazine's rankings were published in its July 2009 issue.

The Firm obtained a number one ranking through a combination of having 169.5
average pro bono hours per attorney, the highest of any law firm, as well as
having 90.9% of its attorneys contribute at least 20 hours to pro bono
matters.

"One of the hallmark values of Jenner & Block is our unwavering dedication to
helping those in need through pro bono representation and service to the
community," said Susan C. Levy, Jenner & Block's Managing Partner. "We're very
honored to have been recognized once again this year for our efforts."

Jenner & Block's long-standing tradition of providing legal services to the
needy has been recognized by The American Lawyer as one of the top ten
programs in the country every year since 1990, and the Firm has been ranked
number one in the country three times - in 2009, 2008 and 1998.

In 2008, Jenner & Block attorneys devoted over 74,000 hours to pro bono
service on hundreds of matters. 100% of Jenner & Block associates and
approximately two-thirds of partners devoted at least 20 hours to pro bono
work in 2008 and in 2007.

Among the wide variety of pro bono matters at the Firm over the last 12
months, Jenner & Block attorneys helped numerous individuals secure asylum in
the U.S., permitting the refugees -- who had been persecuted in their native
lands on ethnic and political grounds -- to remain in the U.S. and seek
citizenship. The Firm has helped approximately 20 individuals obtain asylum in
the United States over the last two years, devoting more than 4,000 pro bono
hours to asylum matters in 2008.

In one notable asylum matter, Jenner & Block Associate Lindsay Harrison
secured a victory before the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of Jean Marc Nken,
an asylum applicant who faces deportation to Cameroon. On April 22, the Court
ruled 7-2 to allow Nken to continue the appeal of his deportation to Cameroon,
where Mr. Nken fled after being detained, interrogated, and beaten for his
advocacy for free elections. The case was the first argument for Ms. Harrison
in the U.S. Supreme Court or in any court.

Also of note in 2008 was Jenner & Block's representation of the Chicago Urban
League in its lawsuit that challenges Illinois' method for raising and
distributing education funds to local school districts and the Illinois State
Board of Education's implementation of the system. The Urban League asserts
that the State's public school funding scheme disparately impacts racial and
ethnic minority students who attend Majority-Minority Districts. Partner Lisa
T. Scruggs leads the Firm's team on this matter, which includes Partners David
J. Bradford, Robert L. Graham, Gail H. Morse, Associates Herbert C. Brown,
Brian L. Dougherty, Grace S. Ho, Stephanie Jean-Jacques, Shannon J. Jones,
Kyle A. Palazzolo, Sandi J. Toll, and Shyni R. Varghese and paralegal Jessica
Merkouris. Of Counsel Benjamin K. Miller has also made valuable contributions
to the case. Over 1,000 pro bono hours were devoted to this matter in 2008.

In addition, more than 200 attorneys devoted over 22,000 pro bono hours
representing indigent individuals accused of felony crimes and those on death
row. The Firm regularly defends the constitutional rights of its pro bono
clients in trial and post conviction appellate proceedings, and also
frequently handles prisoners' rights cases. For decades, Jenner & Block has
also represented death row inmates in appeals and constitutional challenges to
capital punishment in the United States.

For details on many of the Firm's pro bono matters, please visit
www.jenner.com.

SOURCE Jenner & Block LLP

Kevin Blasko of Jenner & Block LLP, +1-312-923-2635, kblasko@jenner.com