Milbank LLP partner Alan Stone was honored at the Innocence Project Delaware’s Chasing Freedom Gala, held on September 14 in Wilmington, Delaware. Mr. Stone was recognized for his successful representation of pro bono client Mark Purnell. In 2022, the State of Delaware dismissed its murder case against Mr. Purnell, who had served nearly 16 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
The tireless and exhaustive work performed by Mr. Stone, the Milbank team and other pro bono counsel in dismissing the wrongful conviction is highlighted in “Justice Delayed,” a two-part episode of the Practising Law Institute’s Pursuing Justice: The Pro Bono Files podcast series.
Innocence Project Delaware was established in 2018 as the only organization focusing on claims of actual innocence for people in Delaware who have been wrongfully convicted. The project provides pro bono services to investigate and seek relief for claims of wrongful conviction. It also provides post-exoneration support to individuals who have been exonerated.
Mr. Stone, an Innocence Project Delaware board member, focuses on corporate and business litigation, and more specifically on cases involving complex business valuation disputes. He also works on non-litigation matters that involve a variety of corporate governance and Delaware law issues, including advising corporate boards of directors and special committees with respect to transactional and litigation issues.
Each year in the United States, children as young as 13 are sentenced to spend the rest of their lives in prison without any opportunity for release. Milbank has dedicated nearly 20,000 hours to several such cases since 2018, winning prison releases, securing resentencing hearings and offering hope to those unjustly condemned to die in prison.
