DIRECTOR OF PRO BONO AND COMMUNITY IMPACT
Kathy Ochroch serves as Blank Rome’s director of pro bono and community impact. In this role, she supervises and coordinates all aspects of the firm’s pro bono program. This includes identifying new pro bono matters and finding opportunities to increase the firm’s pro bono involvement. Kathy also works closely with in-house counsel to develop pro bono partnerships between the in-house lawyers and the firm.
Kathy also maintains a substantive pro bono practice. She serves as one of the lead attorneys on the Commonwealth v. Wilfredo Ramos matter, a capital appeal in which the firm was successful in getting the client’s death sentence vacated. Kathy also handles pro bono guardianship cases, trusts and estates matters, family law matters, social security disability cases, veterans’ discharge cases, and immigration and asylum matters. Kathy serves as a child advocate for abused and neglected children and volunteers to represent children who have been the victim of sex trafficking.
Kathy volunteers with the following pro bono organizations:
- The Support Center for Child Advocates
- The Homeless Advocacy Project
- The SeniorLAW Center
- Philadelphia VIP
- The Legal Clinic for the Disabled
- The Veterans' Pro Bono Consortium
Kathy has received multiple awards for her pro bono work, including the “Champion of Justice Award” from the SeniorLAW Center, the “White Hat Award” from the Legal Clinic for the Disabled, the “Pro Bono Award” from the Pennsylvania Bar Association, the “Craig M. Perry Community Service Award” from the Philadelphia Bar Association’s Young Lawyers Division, and the “Distinguished Advocate Award” from the Support Center for Child Advocates.
Kathy also handles trusts and estates litigation, including will and trust disputes as well as matters involving powers of attorney. She represents corporate fiduciaries in a variety of matters in the Orphans’ Courts of Pennsylvania, with a particular focus on issues involving guardianships and special needs trusts.