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Blank Rome LLP is pleased to announce that partners <a href="/people/lauren-e-odonnell/" id="19369">Lauren E. O’Donnell</a> and <a href="/people/huaou-yan/" id="19080">Huaou Yan</a> and associates <a href="/people/robert-m-shinehouse/" id="18919">Robert M. Shinehouse</a> and <a href="/people/naomi-zwillenberg/" id="19307">Naomi Zwillenberg</a> were presented with the firm’s annual Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award in recognition of their work in partnership with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project to secure the release of William Bailey, who served 36 years in prison following a wrongful conviction.

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In 1988, when he was 30 years old, Mr. Bailey was wrongfully convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. However, Mr. Bailey always maintained his innocence. He had no prior criminal record and is an honorably discharged U.S. Army veteran.

Lauren, Huaou, Bobby, and Naomi, in coordination with the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, worked together to draft Pennsylvania Post Conviction Relief Act and federal Habeas petitions based on the unlawful suppression of exculpatory evidence and asked the Conviction Integrity Unit (“CIU”) at the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office to review the case. The team worked collaboratively with the CIU as it investigated the case, including traveling throughout the Philadelphia area to interview various witnesses.

On April 4, 2024, Mr. Bailey entered an Alford plea, was re-sentenced to confinement with credit for time served, and was subsequently released from prison later that day. Lauren, Huaou, Bobby, and Naomi’s life-changing work exemplifies the importance of pro bono service.

Named in honor of one of Blank Rome’s founding partners, the Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award was created in 2004 to recognize outstanding performance and a demonstrated commitment to pro bono legal service each year.

To learn more about Mr. Bailey’s case, please click <a href="/news-and-events/pro-bono-client-released-after-serving-36-years-in-prison/" id="22311">here</a>.

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L to R: Blanca Castro, Bobby Shinehouse, Nilam Sanghvi, Mr. Bailey, Naomi Zwillenberg, and Huaou Yan

Lauren E. O’Donnell, Huaou Yan, Robert M. Shinehouse, and Naomi Zwillenberg Presented with Blank Rome’s Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award

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Lauren E. O’Donnell, Huaou Yan, Robert M. Shinehouse, and Naomi Zwillenberg Presented with Blank Rome’s Edwin P. Rome Pro Bono Achievement Award

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