How Sidley’s Pro Bono Practice is Protecting Prisoners’ Rights

Since its founding in 2015, Sidley’s pro bono Constitutional Rights and Civil Liberties Project has been a force for change in the pursuit of equal access to justice for all, including for prisoners who have been deprived of medical care, held in inhumane conditions, or subjected to violence or other constitutional violations.

“Sidley has a rich history of, and demonstrated commitment to, serving its clients in this area of law,” said Chicago office pro bono counsel Leslie Kuhn-Thayer, whose practice primarily focuses on the firm’s prisoners’ civil rights cases. “The opportunity to advocate for better conditions and humane treatment for prisoners is incredibly meaningful to me. Prisons are institutions designed to be isolated from the community, but lawyers can serve an important role in bringing to light violations where they exist, advocating for change where it’s needed, and serving as a voice for clients who may be limited in the ways they can exercise theirs.”

In recent years, such advocacy has spotlighted the harsh realities of solitary confinement through a variety of matters in the federal court system. The firm has contributed to a number of amicus briefs on behalf of psychologists and psychiatrists who have opined about the harms of solitary confinement, as well as on behalf of former correctional officials who have sought to educate courts about growing concerns over the use of the practice.

In 2024 alone, Sidley lawyers committed nearly 10,000 pro bono hours to five individual cases in New York federal court seeking redress for that state’s use of a particularly harsh version of solitary confinement known as administrative segregation, where prisoners are held in solitary conditions without a defined end date. “Keeping inmates in solitary without showing that they pose a current threat to the safety and security of the prison violates the civil rights of those prisoners,” said Sidley partner Ellen Dunn, who supervises the five administrative segregation cases. “There is no dispute that time must be served for serious crimes. But inhumane prison conditions defy substantive and procedural constitutional rights.”

A Landmark Verdict

In a recent victory, Sidley achieved a unanimous civil rights verdict for one of these pro bono clients, Wonder Williams, who spent nine continuous years in solitary confinement in New York state prisons. The verdict was against the Deputy Commissioner of the New York Department of Corrections and Community Supervision and the Superintendent of Five Points Correctional Facility. After a five-day trial in September 2024 that included testimony from the client, as well as several fact and expert witnesses, the jury found that the defendants violated the U.S. Constitution’s Eighth Amendment ban against cruel and unusual punishment.

Sidley worked with Mr. Williams to prepare for trial, where he described how his years in isolation in cells the size of a parking spot without meaningful human contact took a mental and physical toll. Mr. Williams’ medical expert also testified to the lasting severe psychological damage and mental anguish caused by long-term solitary confinement.

“This landmark case is the first time we saw solitary confinement in New York state prisons found to violate the Eighth Amendment,” said Sidley partner Sona De. “The jury’s unanimous verdict holding high-level prison officials accountable for that speaks volumes.”

“The verdict demonstrates that our client’s multiyear effort to tell his story of mistreatment was not in vain,” said Dunn. “The protections conferred by the U.S. Constitution have real meaning for incarcerated individuals.”

Mr. Williams “spoke genuinely about what he went through and how it impacted his life,” Kuhn-Thayer said. “Although it was undoubtedly difficult to relive, he conveyed to the jury what happened to him and painted a picture of what it meant to be locked in a small cell nearly every hour of every day for years on end.”

The jury determined that Mr. Williams was entitled to punitive damages, signaling that the jury was convinced that defendants’ actions were extreme. After the verdict, the parties settled the damages claim.

Mr. Williams was released from prison in 2021, and lives with his family.

Advocating for Change

Sidley is also pro bono co-counsel with the MacArthur Justice Center in an ongoing solitary confinement case on behalf of client Cordell Sanders. Incarcerated at Pontiac Correctional Center in Illinois, Mr. Sanders lived for nearly a decade in solitary confinement without access to adequate mental health treatment. “He entered the prison system as a teen diagnosed with mental illness. When later placed in solitary confinement, his mental health worsened and he attempted suicide more than once,” Kuhn-Thayer said.

Mr. Sanders originally filed suit pro se in 2016, challenging the failure to provide him with constitutionally adequate mental health care and asserting that the deficient care he received exacerbated his mental illness and would continue to lead him to self-harm. Sidley became co-counsel with the MacArthur Justice Center in 2018 and helped Mr. Sanders file an amended complaint and litigate his case through the summary judgment stage. The team presented evidence to the court that Mr. Sanders’ treatment evinced deliberate indifference on the part of prison officials and mental health providers tasked with providing patient care.

“Mr. Sanders sought help, but he was often treated as a problem, not a patient. His worsening mental health and feelings of helplessness were a foreseeable result of his continued isolation and inconsistent, or nonexistent, treatment,” Kuhn-Thayer said.

In 2020, as summary judgment motions were pending and the team was preparing for trial, the district court erroneously dismissed the case as a sanction for alleged “fraud on the court,” based on asserted misstatements in the original pro se complaint. Sidley and the MacArthur Justice Center appealed the dismissal and won in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, obtaining a reversal on the grounds that the district court’s finding of fraud on the court was clearly erroneous and the court abused its discretion by failing to consider lesser sanctions before dismissing Sanders’ complaint with prejudice.

On remand to the district court, summary judgment was decided in favor of the defendants. Sidley and the MacArthur Justice Center once again appealed, and the case was recently argued before the Seventh Circuit. During the appeal process, the team helped the client achieve a settlement with some of the defendants, while the appeal proceeds against the remaining defendants.

“Litigation is not always a straight path,” Kuhn-Thayer said. “There are ups and downs, and twists and turns. It is a privilege to earn the trust of our clients, to fight for them at each stage of the process, and to ensure they feel heard and seen.”

“Oftentimes, law students think they must choose between working at a law firm and working on issues they’re passionate about. Sidley turns that assumption on its head by giving associates the pro bono fellowship opportunity, and countless other opportunities, to provide meaningful pro bono work.”

Keanu Balani, Century City
Private Equity

“My legal fellowship at the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty was an incredible experience. I was immediately given substantive legal work to do, and I also learned so much about religious liberty legal work and made connections that have allowed me to continue to take on religious liberty pro bono projects, and even participate in multiple Supreme Court amicus briefs that touch on the same themes, during my time at Sidley.”

Levi Brown, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“Working with Bet Tzedek’s Impact Litigation team allowed me to gain substantive experience quickly, develop litigation skills, and most importantly, to advocate for and to help those in need of legal assistance. Starting my legal career at Bet Tzedek instilled in me that pro bono work is interesting, rewarding, and vitally important.”

Jamie Cappell, Los Angeles
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“Sidley’s pro bono fellowship exemplifies the exceptional opportunity provided by the firm’s pro bono practice to gain diverse experience while making a meaningful impact. As a pro bono fellow, I had the opportunity to support the investigative work of the Project on Government Oversight (POGO), a nonpartisan independent watchdog. The fellowship was a fantastic way to support a cause I care about while preparing to begin my journey as an associate at Sidley.”

Anna Carney, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“Participating in Sidley’s pro bono fellowship helped me fulfill a longtime personal goal of working with the ACLU. The best part of my time with the ACLU of DC was getting to file suit in a high school free speech case. It was one of the most meaningful professional experiences of my life. I am very grateful to Sidley for making it happen!

Ellie DeGarmo, Washington, D.C.
Healthcare

“Sidley’s PILI Fellowship gave me the opportunity to hone real-world litigation skills while contributing to an organization that connects people to critical legal services. With the guidance of the talented attorneys at Legal Aid Chicago, I helped an elderly tenant remain stably housed in the face of a wrongful eviction.”

Anne Driscoll, Chicago
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“I had the privilege of spending my summer fellowship at the National Veterans Legal Services Program. I worked mainly on disability claims and litigation with respect to two sets of client groups: veterans who were exposed to burn pits during service and full-time caregivers of disabled veterans. My fellowship was finding ways to tell our clients’ stories through our filings. And I was consistently blown away by these stories of hardship in training, combat, and in readjusting to civilian life. I learned so much, and I would like to think I helped some of the most deserving individuals in our country.”

Ish Farooqui, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“My fellowship at Bet Tzedek in their preventing and ending homelessness practice was a profoundly rewarding experience. Working diligently to ensure that tenants were treated fairly not only allowed me to give back to the community, but also reinforced my commitment to pro bono work as an associate at Sidley.”

Max Gordon, Los Angeles
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“My fellowship at the Public Defender Service taught me the skills necessary to become a great litigator. But most important to my professional growth as an aspiring defense attorney, when working with clients whose liberty was at stake, I learned to put away all biases I may have had and advocated for my client to the best of my ability.”

Dominique Hall, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“Getting the opportunity to assist emerging nonprofit organizations at the beginning of my legal career was a powerful reminder that, at its heart, lawyering is about helping others. I am grateful to be at a place like Sidley that cares about creating a culture of service by providing opportunities to support those less fortunate and make a meaningful impact in our community.”

Robert Hogan, Chicago
Investment Funds

“Through my fellowship with Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless, I learned about the essential role that legal advocacy plays as part of a broader framework, including political advocacy and social services, in protecting people from falling through the frayed and precarious net of housing benefits.”

Priya Kareddy, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“During my pro bono fellowship at the Illinois Guardianship and Advocacy Commission, I had the privilege of advocating for individuals living with mental health disorders. Our focus was to ensure that every person received the due process they are entitled to when facing involuntary admission for mental health treatment. This experience not only deepened my understanding of the legal protections afforded to vulnerable populations but also reinforced my commitment to upholding justice and dignity for all.”

Madeleine Larock, Chicago
M&A

“My experience with the Brooklyn Defender Services reinforced my belief in the importance of creative and compassionate advocacy, which I practiced firsthand helping clients navigate immigration law, an ever-changing, and often confusing, area of law. I am grateful to Sidley’s pro bono fellowship program for providing me with the opportunity to not only hone my legal skills but also to use those skills to make a positive impact.”

Stephanie Lim, New York
Privacy and Cybersecurity

“Having the opportunity to draft federal appellate court amicus briefs and receive direct feedback on my writing was an invaluable experience. It has made me feel more confident taking on similar challenges at Sidley and becoming more involved in our pro bono work.”

Scott Lowder, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“During my fellowship with the Project on Government Oversight, I helped draft model legislation for states seeking to expand their data privacy protections. The experience helped me think about statutory interpretation from a drafter’s perspective — a viewpoint I draw on regularly as an associate as we seek to interpret new statutes and regulations for our clients.”

Lloyd Lyall, Washington, D.C.
Global Arbitration, Trade and Advocacy

“Working as a fellow for Legal Aid Chicago was incredibly rewarding. I got to work with such a talented and dedicated group of attorneys who made it an exciting and collaborative place to work and especially to learn. Now that I am a practicing attorney myself, I try every day to emulate that spirit and passion for client advocacy.”

Kate McCue, Chicago
Investment Funds

“My fellowship with Quality Trust afforded me the opportunity to see on-the-ground efforts to increase the autonomy rights of people with disabilities. I contributed to a project aiming to propose a Bill of Rights for individuals under guardianship in D.C. by conducting a 50-state review on parallel statutes in other states and identify guaranteed rights that are most developed and supported by existing law. In doing so, I learned the value of exploring outside my jurisdiction to find creative ways to address novel questions of law.”

Melisa Olgun, New York
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“During my fellowship at the Institute for Justice, I experienced firsthand the incredible work that the organization does to protect the freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and fight against governmental abuse.”

Jorge Pereira, Washington, D.C.
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“My clients at Amica Center were caring, funny, whip smart, and loved by so many people in the D.C. area and beyond. Getting to know them and their families, and getting to work together towards their release, was a great honor.”

Bridget Pranzatelli, Washington, D.C.
Food, Drug and Medical Device

“Working with Ascend Justice as a fellow was profoundly impactful, as it provided the invaluable opportunity to offer direct legal services to domestic abuse survivors, empowering them to protect themselves and their loved ones. Additionally, it was wonderful to receive such strong support from Sidley before even starting as an associate.”

Claire Ramsey, Chicago
Insurance

“As part of Sidley’s pro bono fellowship, I worked with LA28 on a variety of transactional matters to help prepare Los Angeles for the 2028 Olympic Games. It was a great experience to work with cross-functional teams, build my drafting skills, and understand the Olympic Movement. Thanks Sidley and LA28 for giving me the opportunity to be a part of history!”

Alex Sirota, Century City
M&A

“As part of the fellowship program, I worked with client intakes, which meant many times I was the first person to speak with individuals about getting legal assistance. Through these interactions, I learned that sometimes the first thing people need to see is that someone cares, that someone is willing to listen. That alone can make a big difference.”

Christina Strohmann, Los Angeles
Commercial Litigation and Disputes

“As a fellow with Legal Aid Chicago, I was proud to help Chicagoans navigate the complex public benefits landscape to obtain the financial assistance they’re entitled to and deserve. I will always cherish my time working with such dedicated and justice-oriented professionals at Legal Aid Chicago, and I’m grateful for such an enriching experience.”

Andrew Watkins, Chicago
Commercial Litigation and Disputes