Washington, D.C. — The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) has awarded Karen T. Grisez, Pro Bono Counsel at Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP, the 2025 Michael Maggio Memorial Pro Bono Award in recognition of her decades of dedication to immigration justice and pro bono service.
Grisez, a 35-year veteran of the legal field, has been lauded for her tireless commitment to equal justice. Nominators praised her work, stating, “Her legacy is one of unwavering dedication to the principles of equal justice and opportunity. She has not only provided critical legal support to countless individuals but also inspired a new generation of attorneys to embrace pro bono service.”
A Career Defined by Service
Beginning as a litigation associate in Fried Frank’s D.C. office, Grisez shifted focus in the mid-1990s to supervise and directly handle pro bono cases across civil poverty law, with a growing specialization in asylum, removal defense, family-based immigration, and federal litigation. Notably, she was part of the MAVNI legal team that fought for soldiers denied expedited citizenship after being recruited by the U.S. Army.
Since 2023, she has led Fried Frank’s national immigration pro bono docket, managing cases before USCIS and Immigration Courts in New York, New Jersey, and the D.C. area. For over two decades, she has also organized volunteer delegations to the Texas border with ProBAR, providing legal aid to migrants.
Leadership in Immigration Advocacy
A longtime AILA member, Grisez serves on its Rule of Law Task Force and previously chaired its Pro Bono Committee at both the national and D.C. chapter levels. Her extensive involvement includes:
Membership on the ABA Commission on Immigration and its Working Group on Unaccompanied Minors
Congressional testimony on immigration policy and detention practices
Advocacy for an independent Article I immigration court
Editorial work on AILA’s Litigation Toolbox
She currently represents AILA in the ABA House of Delegates and serves as liaison to the Commission on Immigration.
Beyond AILA, she has held leadership roles with the Amica Center for Immigrant Rights, the Center for Migration Studies of New York, and the Association of Pro Bono Counsel (APBCO).
Education and Early Career
Grisez earned her B.A. summa cum laude from the University of Maryland and her J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law.
The Maggio Award, named in honor of the late immigration advocate Michael Maggio, celebrates attorneys who exemplify outstanding pro bono service in the field. Grisez’s selection underscores her profound impact on immigrant communities and the legal profession.
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