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Kimberly Scott has been named in Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s Leaders in the Law Class of 2018.
Scott, a principal attorney in the firm’s Ann Arbor, Michigan, office, is known for her work in complex and “bet-the-company” litigation that present unique challenges, such as novel issues or procedure of law. For the past year, she has also become known as one of the attorneys who was named as class counsel in the widely publicized Hamama v. Adducci. Scott is working on the pro bono case with the ACLU of Michigan, representing more than 200 Iraqi nationals who had been ordered to be deported without a hearing. The case is the first in a series of recent putative class actions nationwide urging federal courts to allow time for individual immigration hearings in light of changed conditions in the immigrants’ home countries.
Scott’s clients have been living in the United States for as long as 20 years since receiving orders to be removed to Iraq. At the time of the orders, the U.S. government could not remove them because Iraq refused their repatriation.
They lived in the community, abiding by the law and complying with the conditions of their immigration supervision. In June 2017, the government arrested more than 200 Iraqis without warning to deport them immediately to Iraq. By November, more than 300 individuals had been detained. Because many of them are Catholic, Kurdish and other religious and ethnic minorities, they face almost certain persecution, torture and possibly death if they are sent to Iraq, a country that ranks as one of the six most dangerous countries in the world for minorities.
“This case, with its life-or-death consequences, is a case that demonstrates Kim’s superior skills as a lawyer who is capable of litigating big and complex high-stakes cases,” said Miller Canfield CEO Michael McGee. “The firm is tremendously proud of her and the work she’s doing in Hamama.”
The case has the potential to impact some 1,400 similarly situated Iraqi nationals nationwide.
Michigan Lawyers Weekly’s annual Leaders in the Law awards recognize attorneys for their exceptional legal skills, leadership ability and commitment to the legal community and the community at large. They will be recognized at a celebration on April 5, 2018.
