Jon Fleischaker, managing partner of Dinsmore & Shohl's Louisville office, was recently recognized for his significant pro bono contributions by the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy. The award, bestowed by the Department recognizes the outstanding pro bono service rendered by Fleischaker in support of the constitutional right to counsel for the poor and needy.
Fleischaker, and fellow colleague Jeremy Rogers, represented the Department in its lawsuit to secure adequate funding for public defenders throughout Kentucky. The primary contention in the lawsuit was that by under-funding and under-staffing the public defender offices, the Commonwealth was failing to discharge its Constitutional duty to provide a defense to indigent persons charged with crimes. As a result of the lawsuit, an agreement was reached to provide adequate funding to the Department.
Earlier this year, Dinsmore & Shohl was recognized as one of the nation's top pro bono firms. The firm ranked 87th in The American Lawyer's "Pro Bono Report," boasting an average of 43 pro bono hours per lawyer with 45.2 percent of lawyers providing more than 20 hours of pro bono work. The firm's formal pro bono effort is geared toward providing legal services to individuals and organizations of limited financial means.