DiCello Levitt Trial Team, Co-Counsel Recognized for Landmark Human Rights Victory on Behalf of Sudanese Refugees
DiCello Levitt is proud to announce that the multi-firm trial team in Kashef v. BNP Paribas SA has been named a finalist for Public Justice’s 2026 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award, recognizing the team’s landmark human rights victory on behalf of Sudanese refugees harmed by atrocities committed during the al-Bashir regime in Sudan.
The Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award is a prestigious national recognition presented annually to a trial lawyer or team of lawyers who have used exemplary skill and dedication to advance the public interest, protect the environment, or uphold consumer rights through a significant, recent legal victory. This award honors impactful legal work that results in systemic change and holds powerful interests accountable.
The finalist recognition follows a historic federal jury verdict in Kashef v. BNP Paribas SA, in which the trial team held BNP Paribas accountable for its role in providing banking services that supported the Sudanese government while it carried out devastating human rights abuses. The bellwether victory marked a major step forward for survivors seeking accountability from powerful financial institutions whose conduct enabled mass atrocities.
The multi-firm trial team includes DiCello Levitt attorneys Bobby DiCello, Ken Abbarno, Greg Gutzler, Carrie Syme, Scott Gilmore, Mark DiCello, Adam Levitt, Joseph Frate, and Madeline Harding.
Hausfeld LLP and Hecht Partners LLP serve as co-lead counsel in the matter.
Hausfeld team members include Michael D. Hausfeld, Amanda Lee-DasGupta, Mary Sameera Van Houten Harper, James D. Gotz, Claire Rosset, and Percy Metcalfe.
Hecht Partners team members include Kathryn Lee Boyd, David L. Hecht, Maxim Price, Kristen Nelson, and Michael Eggenberger.
The team also includes Zuckerman Spaeder LLP attorneys Cy Smith, Aitan D. Goelman, and Josh Mathew.
DiCello Levitt’s award-winning Civil and Human Rights Litigation Practice Group represents individuals and communities in high-stakes cases involving civil rights violations, human rights abuses, institutional misconduct, police misconduct, and other systemic harms. The group has earned national recognition for using innovative trial strategies and relentless advocacy to secure accountability for victims and drive meaningful change.
The firm’s civil and human rights work has previously been honored by Public Justice. DiCello Levitt attorneys won Public Justice’s 2021 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for their work in Black v. Hicks, a landmark civil rights case involving police brutality and corruption in East Cleveland, Ohio.
The winner of the 2026 Public Justice Trial Lawyer of the Year Award will be announced at The 44th Annual Public Justice Gala & Awards Presentation in Chicago on July 27, 2026.
About DiCello Levitt
DiCello Levitt LLP is one of the leading plaintiffs’ law firms in the United States. Nationally recognized for our work in high-stakes class actions, mass torts, and complex litigation, we have recovered more than $25 billion for clients, including individuals, businesses, and communities. We take on some of the world’s most powerful interests, pursuing justice that reshapes industries and improves lives.
Built for trial, DiCello Levitt is among the few plaintiffs’ firms with a dedicated trial center, where our acclaimed trial lawyers bring both art and science to courtroom preparation and trial strategy. We are frequently appointed to lead major multidistrict litigation (MDLs) and consistently recognized among the nation’s top plaintiffs’ firms by Chambers USA, Benchmark Litigation, and The National Law Journal, which has named DiCello Levitt Plaintiffs’ Firm of the Year and Trial Strategy Innovation Firm of the Year.
