News & Updates

Attorneys Holley Horrell, Ben Larson, Michelle Morrow, Kshithij Shrinath, and Alison Zoschak have been named 2025 North Star Lawyers by the Minnesota State Bar Association (MSBA). The MSBA awards North Star Lawyer designations to members who have provided at least 50 hours of pro bono in a given year.

In 2025, the attorneys mentioned above represented pro bono clients and were proud to:

• Secure a preliminary injunction protecting international students facing sudden deportation;
• Win an appeal affirming the grant of an Order for Protection shielding a client against domestic abuse;
• Challenge unconstitutional stops and arrests during Operation Metro Surge on behalf of a proposed class, documenting widespread use of racial profiling;
• Ensure the release of multiple clients from immigration detention through habeas petitions, including one raising a novel issue of First Amendment retaliation;
• Help clients apply for asylum and prepare refugees for re-vetting interviews;
• Assist transgender clients in securing privacy protections that limited the disclosure of sensitive personal information; and
• Submit an amicus brief on behalf of a non-profit organization supporting local government lawyers to the Supreme Court.

Greene Espel is committed to a wide array of pro bono initiatives and shares its time and talents to serve some of our community’s most vulnerable populations. Our attorneys, including those named above, have established strong relationships with many legal organizations including The Advocates for Human Rights, Children’s Law Center of Minnesota, Neighborhood Justice Center, The Pro Se Project, Tubman, the ACLU of Minnesota, Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, the James H. Binger Center for New Americans, and the Volunteer Lawyers Network.

MSBA reports that Minnesota lawyers provided over 80,000 total hours of free legal services valued over $24 million. Greene Espel is proud to be part of the Minnesota legal community’s commitment to changing lives and transforming communities through pro bono legal work and other community outreach programs.