The AIDS Legal Referral Panel (ALRP) recently selected Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati as the nonprofit's 2020 Law Firm of the Year. The firm will be presented with the award at ALRP’s From the Heart 37th Annual Reception and Auction at the Julia Morgan Ballroom in San Francisco on October 21, 2020. Founded in 1983, ALRP is a public interest firm that has long provided top quality pro bono legal services to people living with HIV/AIDS in the San Francisco Bay Area. The honor follows Wilson Sonsini being named Law Firm of the Year by San Diego-based Casa Cornelia in 2019.

Wilson Sonsini has provided pro bono legal services to referrals from ALRP in various matters, including primarily asylum cases in recent years. Among those, the firm recently overcame the statutory one-year bar to obtain asylum for a transgender woman from Thailand, successfully arguing that the extraordinary circumstances of the case warranted asylum. ALRP and Wilson Sonsini also have recently collaborated to host educational sessions for pro bono attorneys. 

Wilson Sonsini partner Scott Zimmermann serves as co-chair of ALRP’s board of directors. Scott and Wilson Sonsini associate  have been key to fostering the growing partnership between Wilson Sonsini and ALRP.

“For people living with HIV who face terrible persecution in their country of origin, a successful asylum petition is transformative,” says ALRP Executive Director Bill Hirsh. “It is an honor to work with the wonderful attorneys at Wilson Sonsini, who dedicate their time and legal skills to improve the health of people living with HIV and allow them to live a life free of fear. Additionally, having Wilson Sonsini attorneys like Scott Zimmermann serving on the ALRP Board of Directors is critical during this challenging time. Scott is the kind of leader who can help ensure that ALRP’s legal services continue to be available to our clients throughout this public health crisis.”

For more information, please visit ALRP’s website.