Norton Rose Fulbright honored among Minnesota Lawyer’s 2025 Attorneys of the Year for pro bono work

A team from Norton Rose Fulbright's Minneapolis office, in partnership with ACLU of Minnesota, was named as a 2025 Attorney of the Year by Minnesota Lawyer in the Pro Bono category.

This honor was received for the team's work representing Ramsey Kettle in a Section 1983 case against Otter Tail County in Minnesota. Collectively, Norton Rose Fulbright and the ACLU of Minnesota committed nearly 1,000 hours of pro bono time to achieve this significant result.

In February 2024, Kettle was subjected to extreme, punitive treatment in violation of his constitutional rights and standards for basic human dignity while being housed as a pre-trial detainee at Otter Tail County Jail. He was held in a feces covered cell without food, water or appropriate medical and mental health care for more than two days. Jail administration attempted to cover up the abuse, which was only uncovered when a staff member blew the whistle and reported the abuse to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

In December 2024, Norton Rose Fulbright and ACLU of Minnesota filed a lawsuit on behalf of Kettle and won against the defendants' motions to dismiss in August, setting a landmark precedent for this area of civil rights cases. Kettle received a significant settlement and Otter Tail County agreed to implement sweeping policy changes to protect other pre-trial detainees against the type of unlawful punishment and torture Kettle endured.

Minnesota Lawyer's annual Attorneys of the Year awards recognize lawyers for their work in procuring a successful result in an important case or business transaction, leadership in professional associations, participation in newsworthy events in the legal community, performing significant public services or excellence in providing in-house legal services.

Norton Rose Fulbright's pro bono team was led by Andy Crowder and included Erica Spilde, Peter Estall, Sheila Niaz and Gabriel Ramirez-Hernandez with support from Brett Weber. The ACLU of Minnesota team was led by Catherline Ahlin-Halverson and included Ian Bratlie and Terri Nelson.