Arnold & Porter has been named a “Standout” firm in the “Innovative Lawyers in Pro Bono” category at the 2025 Financial Times Innovative Lawyers North America Awards on December 8, 2025. The firm earned recognition for its work in California Coalition for Women Prisoners v. U.S. Bureau of Prisons, in which the pro bono team achieved a civil rights victory for incarcerated individuals in a federal women’s prison in California. The Financial Times Innovative Lawyers Awards celebrate the “innovative ways lawyers are delivering value for clients and driving positive change in the profession.”
In March 2024, following a week-long evidentiary hearing during which dozens of incarcerated individuals testified, the Court granted a preliminary injunction, certified a class of approximately 600 incarcerated individuals, and appointed a special master to oversee court-ordered changes at the prison. This marked the first time the BOP had been subject to special master oversight, and ensured that the prison complied with orders to protect its population, whom the judge found continued to face a risk of abuse and retaliation for reporting staff misconduct. In December 2024, Arnold & Porter and its co-counsel reached a settlement in which the BOP agreed to be subject to a Consent Decree to actively safeguard the rights of hundreds of class members. The BOP will remain under court oversight for two years and will be legally required to provide remedies to the victims. The DOJ also agreed to a $115.8 million settlement for the survivors, a number of whom were represented by the Arnold & Porter pro bono team – the largest award ever for sexual abuse claims by incarcerated individuals.
The Arnold & Porter pro bono team was led by partner Stephen Cha-Kim and senior associate Carson Anderson, and included associates Brooke D'Amore Bradley, Mark Raftrey, and Natalie Steiert.