Hinshaw Associate Arsalan Nayani Secures Pro Bono Victory in Seventh Circuit

After an estimated 400 hours of pro bono work, Arsalan Nayani successfully argued a federal civil rights case on behalf of a Wisconsin prisoner before the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals. The Chicago Daily Law Bulletin published a feature on the case which highlighted Nayani's work and Hinshaw's pro bono practice titled "Pro bono case gives associate big win."

The case began in February 2014 when the plaintiff, James A. Lewis, said he was experiencing extreme back pain and needed medical attention, but was not immediately tended to by prison guards. The 7th Circuit decision overturns the January 2016 ruling from U.S. District Judge James D. Peterson, who found that Lewis could not establish under the Eighth Amendment that the defendants acted with deliberate indifference.

Nayani credits the mock arguments with Hinshaw partners for helping him deal with questions that were presented at the oral argument that he would have otherwise been unprepared for. "It was challenging, but it was worth all of the hard work and effort that was put into it," said Nayani in regards to arguing before the 7th Circuit. Joshua Vincent, who spearheaded the effort to found Hinshaw's appellate pro bono program beginning in 2002, oversaw Nayani's work. Nayani argues that there is more to practicing law in a professional setting than meets the eye. "It's a duty to represent other people in the community and things of that nature," Nayani said.

Read "Pro bono case gives associate big win" on the Chicago Daily Law Bulletin website (subscription required)

Read the decision James A. Lewis v. Angela McLean, et al., No. 16-1220 (PDF)