DALLAS, June 3 TX-Haynes-Boone-Award
DALLAS, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- Haynes and Boone, LLP has been selected as
the 2008 recipient of the W. Frank Newton Award for outstanding pro bono
efforts, one of the highest honors awarded by the State Bar of Texas.
The firm was selected in recognition of its seven-year effort that freed
two Mexican nationals, Alberto Sifuentes and Jesus Ramirez, who were wrongly
convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the 1996 murder of a convenience
store clerk in the Texas Panhandle.
The pro bono defense team was led by partners Barry McNeil, Ron Breaux and
Sarah Teachout, with special assistance from partner Alberto de la Pena.
Former Haynes and Boone associate Ashley Duffie was also a part of the
original defense team.
"Barry McNeil, Ron Breaux, and Sarah Teachout worked tirelessly over the
past seven years on behalf of these two men," said Terry Conner, Haynes and
Boone managing partner. "It was truly a labor of love. This dedicated team of
lawyers, joined by dozens of other firm attorneys and personnel, routinely
went above and beyond in fighting for justice. It is gratifying to see the
recognition of their heroic efforts. This is a wonderful honor and one richly
deserved by all."
Said Mr. McNeil: "We humbly accept this award on behalf of Alberto and
Jesus. But the true victory is that justice has finally been served for these
two men. Our state and our country cannot afford mistakes like this. Each one
is a horrible tragedy for both the victim's family and those wrongly accused.
It was not only our duty, but also our privilege to represent these innocent
men. Freedom is the greatest reward."
The two Mexican nationals were convicted of murder for the brutal 1996
shooting of a Panhandle convenience store clerk. The defendants, indigent and
with poor English skills, both landed life sentences from separate juries
despite abundant evidence of their innocence.
At the request of the Mexican Capital Legal Assistance Project, Haynes and
Boone agreed to examine the cases in 2002. The Mexican government had flagged
the Sifuentes and Ramirez convictions as part of its capital murder legal
defense initiative on behalf of Mexican citizens wrongly convicted by U.S.
courts.
In November 2002, the firm agreed to donate whatever resources necessary
to seek release of Sifuentes and Ramirez through state and federal habeas
corpus fillings.
In total, Haynes and Boone's pro bono team dedicated 7,493 hours to the
men's cases. Firm time devoted to the case equates to about $2.35 million. The
firm also spent more than $400,000 on private investigative services, exhibit
preparation and other expenses for the cases.
On April 29, Lamb County grand jurors refused to indict Sifuentes and
Ramirez after a Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruling that reversed and
vacated their convictions. The two men were freed after serving 12 years in
prison.
The W. Frank Newton Award recognizes the pro bono efforts of a group of
attorneys in Texas whose members have made an outstanding contribution in the
provision of, or access to, legal services for the poor.
The annual award will be presented at the Bar Leaders' Recognition
Luncheon at the State Bar annual meeting in Houston on June 26. Haynes and
Boone joins the ranks of recent past winners, including the Houston Legal
Department of Exxon Mobil Corporation.
Haynes and Boone has a long history of providing legal services to the
poor with about 300 of the firm's almost 500 lawyers participating in pro bono
matters. In Mexico City, where the firm operates one of the largest offices
of any U.S.-based law firm, partners donated a total of 994 pro bono hours to
Mexican individuals and companies seeking opportunities and counsel in the
United States.
Haynes and Boone is an international corporate law firm with offices in
Texas, New York, Washington, D.C., Mexico City and Moscow, providing a full
spectrum of legal services. With almost 500 attorneys, Haynes and Boone is
ranked among the largest law firms in the nation by The National Law Journal.
The firm has been recognized as one of the "Best Corporate Law Firms in
America" (Corporate Board Member Magazine, 2001-2007), and as a Top 100 law
firm for both diversity (MultiCultural Law Magazine, 2008) and women (Women
3.0, 2008).
CONTACT: Mary Cheatham
Haynes and Boone, LLP
214.651.5467 (office)
214.929.8837 (cell)
mary.cheatham@haynesboone.com
SOURCE Haynes and Boone, LLP
