Jun. 15, 2013

Bingham launches public interest fellowship in LA

Bingham & McCutchen LLP last month announced the establishment of a two-year public interest law fellowship with the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles, which provides legal services to low-income clients. The first recipient of the new award is Jeanne Nishimoto, who has worked as a staff attorney in the foundation's government benefits unit since 2012. She represents the relatives of children attempting to receive aid under federal foster care programs. Nishimoto, who as part of the program will also train Bingham attorneys on foster care issues and coordinate cases that Bingham lawyers work on, said the fellowship "enables LAFLA to better serve the community by keeping families together and improving the lives of many vulnerable children throughout the region." The fellowships are paid for from attorney fees awarded to Bingham in various pro bono matters. It has similar fellowships in San Francisco and New York and intends to launch another this year in Washington, D.C. — Ben Adlin