Robins Kaplan Named to The National Law Journal’s Pro Bono Hot List for Second Consecutive Year

Minneapolis, MN—April 5, 2017—Robins Kaplan LLP^® has been named to The National Law Journal’s 2017 Pro Bono Hot List for the firm’s efforts on behalf of Tribal communities, including fighting for access to health care for the Rosebud Sioux Tribe. This is the second year in a row the firm has been named to this list.

The firm’s work on behalf of American Indians over the past year has included groundbreaking representations. In a case that has drawn national attention, Robins Kaplan sued the federal government on behalf of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe after the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services decided in late 2015 to close the only emergency room on the Rosebud Reservation. The Robins Kaplan team—led by former United States Attorneys Tim Purdon (who served as the U.S. Attorney in North Dakota) and Brendan Johnson (South Dakota)—is pressing the case despite the federal government’s announcement in May 2016 that it would temporarily staff the emergency room. Last week, the firm won a ruling denying the Indian Health Service’s (IHS) motion to dismiss the tribe’s complaint that IHS has violated its treaty and statutory responsibility to provide the tribe with adequate health care services.

A year ago, Robins Kaplan was recognized on the 2016 Pro Bono Hot List for securing the first court ruling to establish that the Affordable Care Act’s non-discrimination protections extend to transgender individuals seeking medical care, among other work. The firm placed among the top five firms in the nation for pro bono work, according to the 2016 American Lawyer rankings, and placed fourth in the magazine’s annual pro bono survey, which highlights the Am Law 200 firms with the deepest commitment to pro bono work over the past year. In 2015, the firm was named one of Law360’s Pro Bono Firms of the Year.