Honors and Awards
Honor

Blank Rome Recognized by the City of Philadelphia for Its Efforts in Protecting the City’s Immigrant Population

Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that the Firm has been recognized by the City of Philadelphia for its essential role in the formation of Take Action Philly (“TAP”), an initiative that was launched in February 2017 by the Philadelphia Bar Association, City of Philadelphia, and a number of prominent nonprofit legal aid organizations with the goal of uniting lawyers, government, community organizations, and residents to protect and assist Philadelphia’s most vulnerable residents, focusing first on refugee and immigration policy.

Philadelphia Mayor James F. Kenney presented Blank Rome Partner and Director of Pro Bono Services Kathy E. Ochroch with an official citation at the TAP Recognitions Ceremony held on November 14, which honored the many organizations who have helped make TAP so effective. The citation reads:

Blank Rome LLP is a Philadelphia-based international law firm which has been essential to the success of the immigration clinics, as their dedicated staff have provided attorney volunteers, interpreters, and a friendly working space for the refugee adjustment of status clinics. The firm has dedicatedly served our City for 70 years, and has a sterling reputation for leadership in pro bono and community activities, which demonstrated the company's core values of respect for the individual, the community, and the law.

“I am honored to receive this award on behalf of the Firm and to partner with Take Action Philly on its outstanding immigration initiatives,” said Ms. Ochroch. “Through our commitment to TAP, Blank Rome has helped more than 80 refugees in Philadelphia adjust their immigration status in 2017, and we are dedicated to continuing our work with Philadelphia’s refugee and immigrant population and pro bono service at large in the year ahead.”

Through TAP, Blank Rome has organized multiple clinics for refugees seeking to adjust their immigration status to Permanent Legal Resident. This past July, the Firm, in partnership with PECO/Exelon and Nationalities Service Center, held a refugee adjustment of status clinic for close to 50 refugees located in the Philadelphia region. The clinic began with a training session provided by Nationalities Service Center, which was recently awarded the Cosmopolitan Club of Philadelphia’s first ever Giving Circle grant of $20,000. Through this grant, Nationalities Service Center will continue to partner with Blank Rome to host an increased number of refugee adjustment of status clinics to ensure refugees can navigate the adjustment and naturalization process.

Blank Rome is deeply committed to pro bono service, and through its formal pro bono policy, requires that each of the Firm’s attorneys and paralegals undertake at least 25 hours of pro bono service every year. As a result of this successful policy, Blank Rome was recently ranked by The American Lawyer as one of the top 20 firms nationwide for breadth of pro bono performance. For more information on the Firm’s pro bono policy and service, please visit www.blankrome.com/probono.

Blank Rome Partner Kathy E. Ochroch (right) accepts an official citation from the City of Philadelphia presented by Mayor James F. Kenney (left) at the Take Action Philly Recognitions Ceremony on November 14.