On December 23, 2024, President Biden announced that he was commuting the sentences of 37 individuals on federal death row and reclassifying their sentences to life without possibility of parole. Among these individuals is our client Billie Allen, who was arrested at the age of 19 for a crime he maintains he did not commit – a bank robbery in which a security guard tragically lost his life.

In the 27 years since his arrest, Mr. Allen has used his time in prison productively by writing and illustrating children’s books, creating poignant art that has been exhibited across the country and designing a clothing line.

Davis Polk joined Mr. Allen’s case in October 2024 after his team of counsel, including Shook Hardy & Bacon, submitted a clemency application on his behalf and presented to the Office of the Pardon Attorney. Over the past few months, a Davis Polk team of partners, counsel and associates in New York, Northern California and Washington DC have assisted with strategic advocacy and the submission of a supplemental letter in further support of Mr. Allen’s petition for clemency.

The Davis Polk team includes partners Greg Andres, Paul Nathanson and Brian Weinstein, Counsel and Head of Racial Justice Pro Bono Diane Lucas, Counsel and Head of Pro Bono Litigation Dara Sheinfeld, associates Stephanie Hansen, Chitra Kulkarni, Onuoha Odim and Matthew Stratis Vasilakos and paralegal Patrick Chappel. 

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