How did you get started with pro bono?

I have always been drawn to volunteering and giving back to the community. Growing up, we did a lot of volunteering as a family, and since becoming a lawyer, I felt that completing pro bono work was a good way to offer my skills to those less fortunate, especially in an area such as immigration. After counseling our corporate clients, assisting refugees and asylees has been a rewarding experience where you truly feel you are making a difference in someone’s life outcome.

Has any pro bono project been especially satisfying?

My pro bono work centers around assisting foreign children to apply for green cards in a process called Special Immigration Juvenile Status. This pathway is open to children who may have been brought to the United States and then have been abandoned or abused by their guardians. It’s difficult to imagine the trials these children have already faced being uprooted from their lives and families abroad and traveling to the United States, but to then face abuse or abandonment – I hope to be a little bit of light to them that there is a process in place which can provide them with care, and assist them as they transition into our communities.

What pro bono organizations have you been involved with?

I currently sit on the Board of Directors for the Immigrant and Refugee Law Center in Cincinnati and many of my pro bono cases come through this organization. It is nice because I get to see the children through their entire process and see the progress the organization is making as a whole.

Do you have a passion project?

As an immigration attorney, I try my best to educate those around me regarding the pitfalls in our current immigration systems and how we can assist, even if that means just attending a clinic and being the signing attorney on a set of forms. The system is complicated for even the most competent clients, so it is very rewarding to assist those outside of our traditional client base.

Learn more about Taft’s pro bono efforts here.