CHICAGO, May 4, 2023 — Matt DiCianni, a labor and employment associate at Cozen O’Connor, has been honored with a Rising Stars Award from the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC). The award recognizes attorneys who have demonstrated extraordinary commitment to ensuring access to justice for immigrants by devoting substantial time to NIJC pro bono work. The award will be presented to DiCianni on June 6 at the NIJC’s annual Human Rights Awards luncheon in Chicago.
DiCianni recently won a significant pro bono victory in Immigration Court in Chicago through Cozen O’Connor’s pro bono partnership with NIJC. He represented and obtained asylum for a young mother and her son in their quest to leave behind a violent situation in their home country of El Salvador.
Fluent in Spanish, DiCianni, who spent time teaching in El Salvador’s bordering country of Honduras, helped the mother and son best present their harrowing story to the court and, against long-odds based on prior case decisions, convinced the judge to grant asylum. The story was recently detailed in an interview with The Chicago Lawyer, where DiCianni and fellow Cozen O’Connor associate Amy Doig, who also worked on the case, shared their perspectives on the case, the procedural aspects involved, and how they were able to achieve a successful outcome.
DiCianni focuses his practice on a wide range of labor and employment matters in both state and federal courts, including violations of the FLSA, breach of non-compete agreements, employment discrimination, harassment, retaliation, and wrongful discharge. He received his J.D. from Notre Dame Law School (2013) and his B.A., with honors, from the University of Illinois (2007).
The National Immigrant Justice Center
The National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC) is dedicated to ensuring human rights protections and access to justice for all immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Thanks to the support of thousands of pro bono attorneys from the nation's leading law firms, NIJC has made critical advances in the lives of hundreds of thousands of vulnerable immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers.
About Cozen O’Connor
Established in 1970, Cozen O’Connor has more than 825 attorneys who help clients manage risk and make better business decisions. The firm counsels clients on their most sophisticated legal matters in all areas of the law, including litigation, corporate, and regulatory law. Representing a broad array of leading global corporations and middle market companies, Cozen O’Connor services its clients’ needs through 32 offices across two continents.