The New York firm Hecker & Fink, which received $7 million in 2020 from a nonprofit backed by LinkedIn co-founder and Democrat megadonor Reid Hoffman to fund E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuits against President Trump, is now representing Kilmar Abrego Garcia in a federal criminal case in Tennessee—pro bono.
Formerly known as Kaplan Hecker & Fink, the firm rebranded following Roberta Kaplan’s departure in July 2023. The $7 million came from Hoffman’s nonprofit, American Future Republic, and was listed in tax filings as “public interest litigation funding.”
Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national previously deported under President Trump, was indicted this month for allegedly operating a human smuggling ring for nearly a decade. He pleaded not guilty after being extradited to Tennessee on June 6.
On Tuesday, Garcia filed a notice with the court naming his new legal team, which includes Rascoe Dean of the Nashville firm Sherrard Roe Voigt & Harbison, along with Sean Hecker, Jenna Dabbs, and David Patton of Hecker & Fink.
The firm’s first case was against the organizers of the Charlottesville rally. Its website highlights victories in redistricting and public health litigation and touts its role in curbing Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.
