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Holland & Knight law firm receives award for work on behalf of Gay asylum-seekers

Holland & Knight law firm receives award for work on behalf of Gay asylum-seekers
The Gay Mens Chorus of Washington, D.C. (GMCW) has awarded Holland & Knight its prestigious Harmony Award for the firms pro bono work on behalf of five Gay men seeking U.S. asylum. Holland & Knights Community Services Team and its Gay Lesbian Bisexual & Transgender Work Group provided the legal representation. Holland & Knight is the first law firm to receive the Harmony Award. Among those who have been helped in their asylum claims in the U.S. are: a Gay man who was imprisoned by the Egyptian government after being entrapped by a police officer; a Gay man who fled Iran after being subjected to sexual abuse and mistreatment by a member of the religious police; a Gay man tortured in Gambia; and a Gay man from Guyana who was raped and tortured after being deported from the U.S. in 1996. Holland & Knight continues to represent a Gay man who was threatened by the Mexican police and harassed. Our firms founder, Chesterfield Smith, imbued Holland & Knight lawyers with a sense of community purpose and the recognition that we have a professional duty to provide needy people and groups with free legal services, said Howell Melton, Holland & Knights managing partner. Were so proud of our team for upholding the tradition and making a difference in the lives of these five men, who were persecuted by foreign governments - and in some cases, subjected to torture - solely because of their sexual orientation. The Harmony Award recognizes individuals and organizations that exemplify the GMCWs mission to affirm the place of Gay people in society. At the GMCWs annual Spring Affair, two individuals and one organization are recognized for making a significant contribution to the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender and queer community and/or GMCW. In addition to Holland & Knight, District of Columbia Councilmember David Catania and GMCW members Roger Bergstrom and Gary Regan were recognized at the May 21 annual dinner. Holland & Knight is a commercial law firm with more than 1,250 lawyers in 26 offices in the United States. Internationally, offices are located in Mexico City, Tokyo and Beijing, with representative offices in Helsinki, Caracas and Tel Aviv. Holland & Knight is among the 15 largest firms worldwide, providing representation in all major areas of law. www.hklaw.com