Reed Smith associate honored for work on complicated adoption case

(June 16, 2011, Los Angeles) - Veronica Kuiumdjian, an associate in the Los Angeles office of Reed Smith LLP, one of the largest law firms in the world, has been named a 2011 Public Counsel Volunteer of the Year. Ms. Kuiumdjian received the organization's "Adoptions Project" award for her work on a complicated adoption case involving two special needs children.

Ms. Kuiumdjian worked tirelessly for more than six months to place the two special needs children in their grandparents' home and to provide them with necessary medical and social care.

One child was tragically shaken with so much force as a baby that she is quadriplegic, blind, and has profound mental retardation and daily seizures. She cannot walk, talk, crawl, or sit up and is tube fed. The regional center denied services for more than a year, until Ms. Kuiumdjian became involved. As a result of Ms. Kuiumdjian's negotiations, the child now has 40 hours per week of in-home nursing services. When the regional center denied additional support, she skillfully represented the child at administrative hearing and prevailed in getting respite services.

She also obtained significant payments for the child's older sister, who witnessed the abuse, suffers from fetal alcohol syndrome, and did not qualify for an enhanced rate under Los Angeles County's criteria. Ms. Kuiumdjian aptly convinced the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services to pay at the residence county's enhanced rate, including for payments already made. The family received nearly $11,000 as a result.

Finally, with services and proper funding in place, Ms. Kuiumdjian finalized the children's adoptions.

"We're proud that Public Counsel has selected Veronica among this year's honorees, and even prouder of the impact she's made in the lives of these children," said Abraham Colman, Reed Smith's Los Angeles office managing partner.

"Helping these children receive the services and support that they so desperately need has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career," said Ms. Kuiumdjian. "I am thankful to Reed Smith and Public Counsel for providing me with the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of these children."

Ms. Kuiumdjian joined Reed Smith in 2006 and is a member of the firm's Litigation Group. She received her undergraduate degree from the University of Southern California and her law degree from University of California, Los Angeles School of Law.

Public Counsel is the largest pro bono public interest law firm in the world. More than 3,700 volunteer lawyers, law students and legal professionals assisted more than 29,000 low-income children, youth, adults and families, as well as eligible community organizations, last year.

About Reed Smith

Reed Smith is a global relationship law firm with more than 1,600 lawyers in 22 offices throughout the United States, Europe, Asia and the Middle East. Founded in 1877, the firm represents leading international businesses, from Fortune 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises. Its lawyers provide litigation and other dispute resolution services in multi-jurisdictional and other high-stakes matters; deliver regulatory counsel; and execute the full range of strategic domestic and cross-border transactions. Reed Smith is a preeminent advisor to industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, advertising, technology and media, shipping, energy trade and commodities, real estate, manufacturing, and education. For more information, visit reedsmith.com.

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