Mr. Banys believes that helping the less fortunate is an essential part of legal practice. The team at Banys, P.C. is proud to provide free legal services to the neediest members of our community. Indeed, Banys, P.C. has won numerous awards for its commitment to community service. In addition, the team at Banys, P.C. serves as trustees and officers for local non-profit organizations.
Examples of Banys, P.C.’s community service and pro bono work include:
- Mr. Banys won a $30,000 jury verdict on behalf of a woman who was detained for 24 minutes in a Wal-Mart store when her son was accused of theft. Mr. Banys took the case shortly before trial;
- Mr. Banys winning several trials on behalf of homeless mothers and their children against state attempts to deny them emergency shelter;
- Mr. Banys winning a lengthy deportation trial on behalf of an immigrant family and their 5-year-old, gravely-ill, U.S.-citizen daughter – in front of the same judge that had previously ordered them deported;
- Mr. Banys representing a man who was attacked in front of his home in San Jose. The case settled shortly before trial;
- Mr. Banys winning emergency shelter and legal status for a homeless immigrant child who had been abandoned in the U.S. by his parents. Mr. Banys took on the case halfway through the child’s deportation trial after previous counsel withdrew. Mr. Banys obtained a stay from the Immigration Court, opened a state-court proceeding in Magnolia, Arkansas (where the child lived) and obtained a judgment from the Arkansas Court finding the child abused, neglected and abandoned by his parents and ordering the State of Arkansas to provide the child emergency shelter. With these findings, Mr. Banys was then able to open yet another federal proceeding and obtain special immigrant juvenile status for the child, which ultimately led to legal permanent residency;
- Shropshire v. Canning, (N.D. Cal.): Mr. Banys successfully represented Canning, a Canadian carpenter accused of copyright infringement by Shropshire, singer of “Grandma Got Run Over By Reindeer.” Canning created a YouTube video set to a Canadian band’s rendition of the Christmas song and incorporating images of Canadian wildlife. The parties resolved the case before trial;
- Mr. Banys representing a low-income man ordered to repay Alameda County for support services his ex-wife received. Mr. Banys was able to get the order reduced to zero;
- Mr. Banys successfully resolved multiple eviction cases on behalf of low-income families;
- Mr. Banys representing a gravely-injured 25-year-old and his family in Probate Court and in related liability matters;
- Mr. Banys protecting a San Francisco Bay Area artist accused of cybersquatting by a major web retailer;
- Banys, P.C. lawyers counseling non-profit organizations in intellectual property matters;
- Banys, P.C. lawyers defending a children’s non-profit organization against baseless threats of litigation.