Legal career

Holland is notable for taking on pro bono

Pro bono

Pro bono publico is a Latin phrase generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment or at a reduced fee as a public service. It is common in the legal profession and is increasingly seen in marketing, technology, and strategy consulting firms...

 civil rights

Civil rights

Civil and political rights are a class of rights that protect individuals' freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one's ability to participate in the civil and political life of the state without discrimination or repression.Civil rights include...

 and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 cases.
Holland took on civil rights cases early in his career. His daughter and partner, Anna Cayton-Holland convinced him to return to human rights work, and their practice took on four Guantanamo captives.

Early career

While a law student at UCLA Holland interned with the
Zuni Legal Aid Society in New Mexico

New Mexico

New Mexico is a state located in the southwest and western regions of the United States. New Mexico is also usually considered one of the Mountain States. With a population density of 16 per square mile, New Mexico is the sixth-most sparsely inhabited U.S...

.
Upon graduation he received a Reginald Heber Smith Community Lawyer Fellowship, which allowed him to work for three years for the Denver Legal Aid Society. After his fellowship expired he continued to work for the Denver Legal Aid Society, until he entered private practice in 1979.

Private practice

One area Holland specialized in has been the legal issues around nursing homes. He has written and lectured on this topic.

Guantanamo captives

Mohammed Al Amin, a Mauritanian

Mauritanian

Mauritanian may refer to:* Something of, from, or related to Mauritania, a country in northwest Africa.* A person from Mauritania, or of Mauritanian descent. For information about the Mauritanian people, see Demographics of Mauritania....

 youth, who was seventeen year old when he was captured, was released on September 26, 2007.

Holland has visited the Guantanamo Bay detention camps four times.

Commenting on the difficulties of aiding Guantanamo captives Holland said: