Laura K.Tuell

Partner

Washington + 1.202.879.7648

Laura Tuell is the Global Partner-in-Charge of Pro Bono. Laura has long been one of the Firm's most active pro bono practitioners. She has represented numerous immigrants seeking asylum, particularly women seeking protection against gender persecution. Laura also has experience in housing discrimination, landlord-tenant law, death penalty issues, police reform, human trafficking, hate crimes, and general poverty law issues. Laura has served on the board of directors of numerous nonprofit organizations and is currently on the board of the Public International Law Network and Bread for the City. Among many awards for her efforts, she was named D.C. Bar Pro Bono Lawyer of the Year.

As the Global Partner-in-Charge of Pro Bono, Laura is working to build a global pro bono program that provides opportunities for Jones Day lawyers around the world to serve the diverse communities in which the Firm has a presence. She has been instrumental in leading the Firm's Border Project, which began in 2014 focusing on unaccompanied minors and mothers with children and has expanded to include two offices serving migrants on the border in Texas in Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. Laura also has leadership roles in the Firm's various initiatives including the Firm's Constitutional Policing and Civil Justice Reform Initiative and the Human Trafficking Task Force.

Prior to assuming her current position, Laura was an up-from-the-ranks partner in the Firm's Business & Tort Litigation Practice and has broad experience in complex domestic and international commercial litigation and arbitration.

Experience

  • Honduran woman obtains asylum in contested immigration caseJones Day represented pro bono a woman from Honduras in connection with the Firm’s Laredo Project.
  • Scholars file amicus brief in Ninth Circuit related to executive order on immigrationJones Day filed an amicus brief on behalf of a group of constitutional law scholars to assist the Ninth Circuit as it considered whether to grant an emergency stay of a temporary injunction entered by the District Court for the Western District of Washington.
  • Jones Day lawyers advise women and children seeking refugeJones Day lawyers are representing mothers with children as well as unaccompanied children in well over 100 cases arising from the flood of refugees seeking refuge in the United States from violence in Central America.
  • Jones Day advises the Libyan Constitutional Commission on mechanisms for resolving deadlocks in constitutional negotiationFollowing the overthrow of the Gaddafi regime in 2011, the Libyan Constitutional Commission will be working on developing a new constitution for Libya.
  • Advising ethnic minority groups in Burma on peace negotiations with the governmentJones Day advised ethnic minority groups on possible approaches to peace negotiations by preparing a comprehensive survey of processes undertaken in similar circumstances in other countries.
  • Iranian Christian convert obtains relief under the Convention Against TortureOur client participated in the 2009 post-election protests in Iran.
  • Pro bono client wins in D.C. Superior Court Housing Conditions CourtJones Day represented a Spanish-speaking plaintiff/tenant, Reina Ruiz, in D.C. Superior Court (the Housing Conditions Calendar) in an action to enforce the District of Columbia's housing code regulations.
  • Jones Day attorneys obtain a civil protection order for victim of domestic abuseIn September 2012, Jones Day Washington attorneys obtained a civil protection order on behalf of a victim of domestic abuse.
  • Jones Day hosts New Lawyer Group Academy with associates participating in a Day of ServiceIn early November, Jones Day welcomed 181 new associates from Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and the Americas to its Washington Office to participate in the Firm's New Lawyer Group Academy.
  • Jones Day attorneys obtain a civil protection order for victim of domestic abuseJones Day attorneys in the Washington, DC office obtained a civil protection order on behalf of a victim of domestic abuse.
  • Affirmative asylum application grantedT is a gay Jamaican who had been threatened, abused, and attacked from an early age because he was suspected of being gay.
  • The Public International Law and Policy Group seeks advice on how to reintegrate Somali nationals convicted of piracy back into societyThe Public International Law and Policy Group, a non-profit organization that operates as a global pro bono law firm, asked Jones Day to advise it on the issue of how to reintegrate Somali nationals convicted of piracy into society after they serve their jail sentences.
  • Jones Day partners work in Kenya for Lawyers Without Borders Rule-of-Law projectJones Day's Pittsburgh partner Mike Ginsberg and Columbus partner Chad Readler traveled to Nairobi in August to participate in an eight day Lawyers Without Borders (LWOB) program focused on improving the trial skills of Kenyan prosecutors and private practitioners who litigate cases involving victims of gender violence.
  • PILPG solicits a report for the Government of Kosovo regarding judicial accountability standards and best practices in EuropeThe Public International Law and Policy Group ("PILPG") solicited a report for the government of Kosovo regarding judicial accountability standards and best practices in Europe.
  • 2011 Day of Service participation increases across the FirmThe Jones Day of Service participation has increased across the Firm.
  • Bread for the City's Art with a Heart event raises money on silent and live auctionsJones Day Washington was pleased to host Bread for the City's Art with a Heart.
  • Tahirih Justice Center celebrates the 100th Anniversary of International Women's DayJones Day Washington was pleased to host the Tahirih Justice Center's Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of International Women's Day.
  • Room to Read receives assistance at a global levelJones Day represents Room to Read, a nonprofit organization that focuses on literacy and gender equality in education for girls.
  • Jones Day Washington holds Pro Bono FairIn honor of National Pro Bono week, and in the spirit of welcoming our new associates, Laura Tuell Parcher hosted the first Pro Bono Fair on Friday evening, October 29 in the Atrium.
  • Fourth annual Jones Day of Service at St. Francis Xavier Academy in Washington, D.C. is a resounding successThe Fourth Annual Jones Day of Service on July 18, 2009 was hugely successful with all the tasks being completed to perfection.