Brown, Goldstein & Levy was honored with the prestigious Inner City Law Center Katharine Krause Award, in recognition of the firm’s 2024 efforts in Powers v. McDonough. Partner Eve Hill, who represented the plaintiffs in the case, accepted the award on behalf of BGL during a May 21 luncheon at the Omni Hotel Los Angeles. The Katharine Krause Award honors an individual, organization or firm that has made notable contributions toward improving the lives of vulnerable members of the communities served by ICLC. The award’s namesake was an attorney, leader in public interest law and an ICLC board member.
The Powers v. McDonough case centered a class of veterans with serious mental illness and traumatic brain injuries experiencing homelessness who partnered with the National Veterans Foundation in a 2022 lawsuit against the federal government for its failure to provide them stable housing and healthcare. In September 2024, U.S. District Judge David O. Carter ruled that the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs must build new housing units for veterans with disabilities on its West Los Angeles campus. The same decision ruled that leases to UCLA and other organizations on VA property are illegal, because the leases’ purposes do not primarily serve veterans. The ruling was a landmark victory for veterans with disabilities experiencing homelessness.
ICLC commended BGL’s work to ensure equal access to quality legal representation for all who need it. BGL is proud to have contributed more than 960 hours of legal services, valued at over half a million dollars, to ICLC clients over the past two years. These efforts will transform the lives of unhoused veterans in Los Angeles. The 25th Annual Award Luncheon in Downtown Los Angeles brought legal, business and civic leaders together to celebrate the work of ICLC, BGL and others. The luncheon raises crucial funds that will support ICLC’s continued work to provide legal representation to the most vulnerable residents of Los Angeles and fight for stable housing for all families.
ABOUT EVE HILL
Eve Hill is one of the nation’s leading civil rights lawyers, known especially for her work with clients with disabilities and LGBTQ+ clients. She has been recognized by Law360 as one of just 12 “Titans of the Plaintiffs’ Bar” for 2023, as well as by Lawdragon as one of the 500 Leading Lawyers in America (2022, 2023, and 2024). Her wide-ranging experience complements Brown, Goldstein & Levy’s decades of dedication to high-impact disability rights cases and its advocacy on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. Eve also leads Inclusivity, BGL’s Strategic Consulting Group, which works with organizations to promote the education, engagement, and employment of people with disabilities. Learn more about Eve.
ABOUT INNER CITY LAW CENTER
Inner City Law Center fights for housing and justice for low-income tenants, working-poor families, immigrants, people who are disabled or living with HIV/AIDS, and homeless veterans. The only legal-services provider located in Skid Row, ICLC advocates for equitable housing policies and provides legal services to prevent and end homelessness. Learn more about ICLC here.
ABOUT BROWN, GOLDSTEIN & LEVY
Founded in 1982, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a law firm based in Baltimore, Maryland, with an office in Washington, DC. The firm is nationally recognized in a wide variety of practice areas, including complex civil and commercial litigation, civil rights, health care, family law, and criminal defense. Above all else, Brown, Goldstein & Levy is a client-centered law firm that brings decades of experience and passionate, effective advocacy to your fight for justice.