On April 14, 2025, the Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland named Weil its 2023-2024 “Pro Bono Partner of the Year.”

The organization presented the award to Weil Complex Commercial Litigation counsel Claire Chapla and associates Crystal Weeks and Alli Katzen in Washington, D.C. for their ongoing work on a criminal False Claims Act case. Weil entered the case at the sentencing phase and, after a period of post-trial discovery and more than three days of sentencing proceedings, succeeded in securing a sentence for our client that was several guideline levels below the sentence the government was seeking. 

Weil has since appealed the conviction to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit on multiple grounds, including that the government failed to present sufficient evidence at trial to support a conviction and the limited evidence it did present violated the rules of evidence. The appeal also argues prosecutorial misconduct and unconstitutional burden shifting. The government’s response is due at the end of April and Weil will argue the appeal likely in Fall 2025.  

The Weil team working on the appeal also includes Washington, D.C. associate Laurel Zigerelli and Miami associate Marina Masterson. Drew Tulumello, Co-Chair of the Firm’s global Litigation Department, is the supervising partner.