After testifying against Saddam Hussein at the International War Crimes tribunal, Dr. Katrin Michaels was assisted in her U-visa application by attorney Ann Warren.
Through Pro Bono, Duke Energy Lawyer Helps Human Rights Advocate Attain Citizenship
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Dr. Katrin Michael, an Iraqi national and human rights advocate, survived a chemical bomb attack perpetrated by the Saddam Hussein regime that sought to silence a group of freedom fighters. Ann Warren, currently serving as associate general counsel of Duke Energy Corporation in Charlotte, is a staunch supporter of pro bono work. The two met in 2007 when Warren agreed to represent Michael on a pro bono basis in her application for a U visa, which is typically awarded to immigrants that assist US law enforcement in prosecution of criminal cases. Michael testified against Saddam Hussein at the International War Crimes tribunal about the chemical attack, which formed the basis for her U visa application. “Obtaining the U visa was a huge legal win because it was a novel grant of the visa to a US immigrant that testified against a foreign dictator,” said Warren.
After obtaining the U visa, Warren continued to represent Michael in a naturalization application for US citizenship. The case was more complex and lengthier than anticipated due to Michael’s previous immigration proceedings and failure of the United States Citizen and Immigration Services to make a timely ruling on her application.
“Pro bono work has been some of the most rewarding legal work that I’ve done in my career, and I look forward to creating more opportunities for others to get involved in this type of work in the future,” Warren said.
“My pro bono work for Dr. Michael over the past seven years has been incredibly rewarding because she can now advocate for freedoms for Iraqis while living safely in the United States,” said Warren. In August, Michael’s naturalization application was approved and she became a United States citizen. When Warren called to tell Michael that her application had been granted, she said it was one of the two best days in her life, the other being the day she testified against Saddam Hussein.
President George W. Bush shakes hands with Katrin Michael (in foreground) and fellow survivors of a chemical weapons attack in Halabja, a Kurdish
village in Northern Iraq, during an Oval Office meeting March 14, 2003. Photo by Eric Draper, courtesy of the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum/NARA.
Warren is not only committed to personally doing pro bono work but has also formed a number of pro bono projects at Duke Energy. She helped organize a partnership with Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein and Ingersoll Rand to expunge criminal records for low income individuals whose records presented a barrier to employment and economic stability. She also led the creation of Wills for Schools, a project that prepares wills for Charlotte Mecklenburg County School system employees and their spouses. Warren is a member of the NC Equal Access to Justice Commission and serves as the co-chair of the commission’s Pro Bono Committee. “Pro bono work has been some of the most rewarding legal work that I’ve done in my career, and I look forward to creating more opportunities for others to get involved in this type of work in the future,” she said.
For more information about pro bono opportunities in your area, visit the Pro Bono Resource Center, a resource for North Carolina attorneys interested in doing pro bono work.
This story originally appeared in the Winter 2016 issue of the North Carolina State Bar Journal and has been lightly edited for style.