When your client is a convicted drug dealer who got hurt playing basketball in prison, it’s no easy feat to convince a jury to award damages using taxpayer money .

But a team from Kirkland & Ellis working pro bono did just that, winning a federal jury trial in Wisconsin that sends an important message. Yes, their client is a prisoner, “but he’s also a human being, and he should have received at least a bare minimum of medical care,” said Kirkland litigation partner Mark Nomellini.