What inspired you to take on pro bono work, and how has it shaped your perspective as an attorney?

Throughout my whole life, giving back to my community has always been important to me and a large part of why I wanted to be a lawyer – to help those who are going through a challenging time in their lives. Our legal system is incredibly complex, and I believe it is our obligation as lawyers to give back to individuals, our communities, and our broader society. Pro bono work has allowed me to give back and has taught me so much both about how to be a better lawyer, and about my clients and the world.

Can you share a specific pro bono matter or client experience that was particularly meaningful or inspiring? What impact did it have on you personally or professionally?

I have enjoyed and learned from all of the pro bono matters I have taken on. To highlight two particularly meaningful cases I have had:

1. Through the Advocates for Human Rights, I, along with a few other attorneys at Taft, wrote a report addressing the death penalty for the UN Human Rights Committee. I was then given the opportunity to present our report to the UN Human Rights Committee in Geneva via Zoom. This opportunity was very meaningful because it was broader advocacy than I generally engage in my day-to-day job, and I felt like I was able to have an impact on broader international policy.

2. A second pro bono matter that was very impactful to me was the representation of a client whose child had been abducted and brought to the United States by the other parent. We brought a case under the Hague Convention in federal court for the return of the child. Following trial, the judge ordered the child returned to their home country with our client. This was a particularly meaningful representation for me because our client was from another country and would have been unable to navigate our complex legal systems to be reunited with his child without our assistance. Additionally, my day-to-day work is almost exclusively in state court, so it was very good experience to have the opportunity to practice and go to trial in federal court.

What pro bono organizations have you been involved with?

I have worked with a number of different pro bono organizations – all of which have provided me with amazing opportunities to grow my legal skills and provide advocacy to clients who may not have access to legal representation otherwise, including The Advocates for Human Rights, Tubman, and Human Rights Watch.

What advice would you give to your colleagues who are considering getting involved in pro bono work but don’t know where to start?

There are many different options to get involved: local organizations, global organizations, litigation-focused, or transactional-focused. My advice is to reach out to the Pro Bono Counsel to get some options and then sign up for a case and give it a try. If you feel like you don’t have the expertise that you need, a couple of things to remember: first, you have so much knowledge that you are bringing as a lawyer that your clients will welcome the assistance you are able to bring them; second, there are so many resources to lean on both through the pro bono organization that you may be working with and here at the firm. Oftentimes, for example, if you are doing a case through Tubman, another lawyer at the firm will have done a pro bono case through Tubman before and may be willing to partner with you on your first case or mentor you for your first case. Just ask if you need resources or need help! Finally, oftentimes, work can get busy, and it can be easy to push pro bono work off to the side. Try to build your pro bono work into your case load. If you haven’t been involved in pro bono work before, you will be amazed at how rewarding it can be!

Learn more about Taft’s pro bono efforts here.