Rankin and Taylor

History

The firm was founded in 2008 by attorneys David B. Rankin and Mark C. Taylor, "two former Portland, Ore., bike messengers who kept their passion for biking after moving into the law." They met as undergraduates at Reed College.

Civil rights and First Amendment litigation

The firm has worked on some notable Federal Civil Rights and First Amendment cases, and Rankin occasionally comments on civil rights issues for the New York Times and other news media.

For example, the firm represented Tad Hirsch, creator of the TXTMob messaging service. Protestors used TXTmob to organize events during the 2004 Republican National Convention. When the New York City Law Department subpoenaed Hirsch's TXTmob records, Rankin argued that the subpoena was "vague" and "overbroad." They further claimed that disclosing the information about TXTmob users who had nothing to do with lawsuits would violate their First Amendment and privacy rights.

In 2010, the firm represented Said Hajem in a discrimination lawsuit against the NYPD. The firm argued that the NYPD's refusal to hire Hajem, despite his high scores on the police entrance exam was discrimination.

In 2011, the firm represented Sojourner Hardeman in a federal civil rights lawsuit against the NYPD. Hardeman had been arrested numerous times for panhandling on Fifth Avenue. The firm argued that the arrests for disorderly conduct were without probable cause, and violated Hardeman’s constitutional rights. In a judge-approved stipulation, the NYPD agreed not to arrest her without probable cause. The stipulation was described by the NY Times as “something of a feat.”

The firm has also represented individuals in police misconduct lawsuits against the NYPD.

Bicycling and freedom of assembly

The firm's attorneys are cyclists and advocates for safer cycling in New York City. Rankin, along with Gideon Oliver (The Law Firm of Gideon Oliver) and Rose Weber (a solo practitioner), represented Critical Mass cyclists in a lawsuit against the New York City, alleging unlawful arrests. In 2010, the lawsuit led to a $965,000 payment from the city to the cyclists. This settlement figure did not include the many lawsuits filed by cyclists arrested during the Republican National Convention in 2004.

The 2010 settlement came after the firm's participation in years of legal battles between cyclists and the NYPD. The firm represented Christopher Long, the cyclist assaulted by police officer Patrick Pogan during a 2008 Critical Mass bicycle ride. The video of the assault "became a viral presence on the Internet." In a 2011 case, the firm's attorneys, along with civil rights lawyer Gideon Oliver of the law firm of Gideon Oliver, brought a class action suit on behalf of cyclists who have been improperly ticketed for "riding outside of the bike lane."

Rankin and Taylor are members of the National Lawyers Guild, a civil rights organization, and work with other National Lawyers Guild attorneys on mass-arrest cases. For example, the firm worked with the National Lawyers Guild on mass-defense strategies for Occupy Wall Street protestors at Zuccotti Park. In representing some of the 900 people arrested during the Occupy Wall Street protests, the firm worked with civil rights attorneys like Martin R. Stolar (of the law firm Martin Stolar) and Rebecca Heinegg (of the New York Law Collective). In addition, Taylor challenged the NYPD's use of barricades to pen in protestors. Taylor has served as vice president of the NYC Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild.

Freedom of Information law

The firm has represented clients in Freedom of Information Law litigation. For example, Taylor and Paula Z. Segal (of Rankin & Taylor) represented clients seeking information about the closure of Chase Plaza in downtown Manhattan, a formerly public space. Rankin and Taylor have worked to both unseal the names and records of bodies buried in New York City's Hart Island, and to increase access to the graves.