Hecht Partners Honored as Part of Public Justice's 2026 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award-Winning Team
Lee Boyd's decade-long leadership helped secure historic human rights verdict on behalf of more than 23,000 Sudanese refugees
NEW YORK CITY, NY, UNITED STATES, August 3, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Hecht Partners LLP today announced that its attorneys were recognized as part of the litigation team named recipients of Public Justice’s 2026 Trial Lawyer of the Year Award for their work in Kashef et al. v. BNP Paribas et al., case no. 1:16-cv-03228-AKH-JW.
The award was presented on July 27, 2026, at Public Justice’s 44th Annual Gala and Awards Dinner in Chicago. The annual award honors trial attorneys who have made significant contributions to the public interest through litigation.
The recognition highlights the work of Kathryn Lee Boyd, Partner at Hecht Partners, who originated the litigation, served as Co-Lead Class Counsel, and represented class members in the nearly decade-long lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 23,000 Sudanese refugees.
“Lee's work began long before trial,” said David L. Hecht, Managing Partner of Hecht Partners. “She earned the trust of a community that endured severe atrocities, built a case spanning nearly ten years, and helped deliver a verdict that will reshape how financial institutions evaluate their exposure for facilitating international human rights abuses.”
The Litigation and Trial
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Sudanese refugees who fled the genocide carried out by the regime of former Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.
Boyd architected and filed the lawsuit and spent the next decade litigating it, and working closely with the Sudanese-American community. She was appointed and currently serves as Co-Lead Class Counse, representing class members across the country.
The matter proceeded to a six-week bellwether trial in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. Boyd played a central role in the case and presented portions of the plaintiffs' case, conducting examinations of three Sudanese survivor witnesses as well as CNN Chief International Correspondent Nima Elbagir, who reported on the regime's actions.
On October 17, 2025, the jury returned a unanimous verdict awarding the three bellwether plaintiffs $20.75 million—the first time a U.S. jury held a major international bank civilly liable for materially supporting genocide and other mass atrocities. The jury found that BNP Paribas aided and abetted human rights abuses by processing financial transactions that enabled the Sudanese government to evade U.S. sanctions. Following the ruling, public markets reacted, with BNP Paribas stock declining over ten percent during trading after the verdict.
Legal Team Collaboration
The Trial Lawyer of the Year Award recognizes the collective litigation team, which included attorneys from Hecht Partners LLP alongside Co-Lead Class Counsel at Hausfeld LLP, brought on by Boyd in 2020, and Co-Trial Counsel at DiCello Levitt LLP and Zuckerman Spaeder LLP.
The Hecht Partners trial team included Kathryn Lee Boyd, David L. Hecht, Maxim Price, Kristen Nelson, and Michael Eggenberger.
“We are grateful for Public Justice's recognition of this litigation,” Hecht added. “Most importantly, we acknowledge the thousands of brave Sudanese survivors who shared their accounts throughout this process. Their courage made this historic verdict—and this recognition—possible.”
About Hecht Partners LLP
Hecht Partners LLP is a nationally recognized litigation boutique representing plaintiffs in complex commercial litigation, intellectual property disputes, class actions, international arbitrations, and human rights litigation. The firm's attorneys regularly serve in leadership roles in high-impact cases involving novel legal issues and precedent-setting claims.
Selina Kyle
Hecht Partners LLP
+1 212-851-6821
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