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Keith Y. Cohan and Ryan M. Goldstein, partners in the Austin office of Reid Collins, were honored for their pro bono representation of Teliah Perkins in a federal civil rights action alongside the ACLU of Louisiana. Texas Law Fellowships’ annual Excellence in Public Interest Awards honor individuals who have made outstanding contributions in public interest law, including an award for private attorneys engaged in pro bono work.

Cohan and Goldstein received the Private Attorney award for prosecuting Ms. Perkins’ federal civil rights lawsuit against two St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office deputies who violently arrested her at her own home in Slidell, Louisiana in response to a minor traffic violation she did not commit. On July 26, 2022, Cohan and Goldstein obtained a key ruling on behalf of Ms. Perkins when the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana denied the bulk of the officers’ motion for summary judgment on the basis of qualified immunity. The defendants have appealed the summary judgment ruling, and oral argument in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is scheduled for May 3, 2023.

Click here to view the Perkins complaint.

Click here to learn more about the Justice Lab project.

For the second time in four years, Reid Collins founding partner William T. Reid, IV was named the U.S. Plaintiff Litigator of the Year at the Benchmark Litigation awards dinner on March 15, 2023, in New York City. Reid has been shortlisted for this award for five consecutive years and previously received it in 2020.

Reid Collins was also recognized for its groundbreaking work in the Renren Derivative Litigation, which received a 2023 Impact Case of the Year award from Benchmark.

In addition, for the sixth consecutive year, Benchmark named Reid Collins a finalist for US “Plaintiff Firm of The Year.” As was the case years prior, Reid and the firm have been in competition with several of the most prominent names in the legal industry for these honors. The Benchmark awards celebrate the leading litigators and most impactful disputes across the United States. They are the culmination of months of research, surveying thousands of referees, and interviewing hundreds of lawyers.

Click here to view the Benchmark shortlists and winners.