Kathleen Bertolatus

Senior Counsel

Phillips 66

Q: Why did you join Tahirih’s Pro Bono Network?: A: I believe that working for equality for all women is one of the most powerful ways that we can change the world for the better. The work that Tahirih does helps further that goal.
Q: Can you share a highlight from a memorable case?: A: We represented an amazing woman from Mali who refused to be forced to marry a man 20 years her senior. We were able to secure asylum for our client based on her past persecution as a woman who had to endure FGM. After her asylum was granted, we ultimately secured our client her Green Card. In the process, we were able to watch her blossom from an overwhelmed young woman fighting for her rights to a confidant, happy woman with a career path and many opportunities open to her.
Q: How has your pro bono service impacted you?: A: I have been inspired and humbled by witnessing our clients’ strength and resolve. I have grown as a lawyer by teaming with the excellent professionals that comprise Tahirih.

Meghan Leibold Lidster

Staff Attorney

Richards Kibbee & Orbe

It 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 Attorney

Baker & McKenzie LLP

The women and children I've worked with over the years inspire me to take on new cases.
Alicia Balthazar, Deborah Wei, Maria A. Arboleda, & Marta Thompson

Hogan Lovells US LLP

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.

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