August 24, 2022
In February 2025, Gilbert successfully secured parole for a 59-year-old D.C. native who had been incarcerated for three decades. While the client was recommended parole at his initial hearing in 2023, the U.S. Parole Commission overturned that recommendation, even though the client had a nearly spotless disciplinary record and had become a mentor in prison, working to mitigate conflict among prisoners and to help prepare them for re-entry into society. Gilbert attorneys took on the client’s case through a referral from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. During briefing and oral argument before the U.S. Parole Commission, we argued that the individual was the perfect model of rehabilitation, and that the time has come for him to return to his family, some of whom he speaks with daily but has not seen in 30 years. The parole examiner recommended parole, and the Commission accepted that recommendation. The client was represented pro bono by Gilbert LLP Attorney Brandon Levey, with the assistance of paralegal/mitigation specialist Sara Ogrey. The client will be released later in 2025.
In 2022, Gilbert attorneys successfully secured parole for a 57-year-old D.C. native who has been incarcerated for over 23 years. The client was denied parole at his initial hearing in 2018 despite a nearly spotless disciplinary record, earning his GED, and completing over 1,400 hours of vocational and behavioral programming. Gilbert attorneys took on the client’s case through a referral from the Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs. After briefing and oral argument before a U.S. Parole Commission examiner, the Commission accepted the examiner’s recommendation for parole. The client was represented pro bono by Gilbert LLP attorneys Ifenanya Agwu and December Huddleston, with the assistance of paralegal/mitigation specialist Sara Ogrey.