meet a pro bono partner
Alicia Balthazar, Deborah Wei, Maria A. Arboleda, & Marta Thompson
Hogan Lovells US LLP
- Q: Why did you join Tahirih’s Pro Bono Network?
- A: We wanted to help women and children fleeing violence in their home countries to obtain legal immigration status so that they can build a new life in the United States.
- Q: Share a highlight from a pro bono case with Tahirih.
- A: Our client suffered horrific violence in El Salvador at the hands of a gang, and though her asylum case was strong, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding her trial given the current political climate and asylum claims involving gang violence and sexual assault. When our client was granted asylum at the courthouse, she was extremely happy and thankful and celebrated with her 4 year old son, who was also granted asylum. She was grateful that she and her son could live in safety in the U.S. away from the gang that threatened their lives. She said she would continue to work hard to pursue her dream to learn English and support a bright future for her son.
- Q: How has your pro bono service impacted you?
- A: In this time when immigration is constantly in the spotlight, participating firsthand in an individual’s immigration case gives you a deeper understanding of and a different perspective on how immigration policies affect families, especially women and children. Realizing the impact of the case’s outcome not just for our client but for her son, shows how these cases can be completely life changing for a family’s future. We have no doubt that the court’s grant of asylum saved the lives of our client and her son, and we’re so grateful to have had the opportunity to help.
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Please join us as a pro bono partner or volunteer today! Your time and talents can truly make a difference.meet more pro bono partners
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Meghan Leibold Lidster
Staff AttorneyRichards Kibbee & OrbeIt has been humbling to work with a client who, despite extreme hardship in her past, has been able to increasingly open up to me. -
Lindsay Wright Brett
Associate AttorneyBaker & McKenzie LLPThe women and children I've worked with over the years inspire me to take on new cases. -
Rebekah Sills
Litigation AssociateKirkland & Ellis LLPI am a better lawyer, a better citizen, and a better person because of my work with Tahirih.
