Americans for Immigrant Justice’s Pro Bono Heroes
AI Justice’s pro bono partners play an integral role in our fight for justice for all. Our Pro Bono Heroes, profiled here, generously lend their time and expertise to ensure that immigrants in our community have access to zealous advocacy and representation they could not otherwise afford.
Robert Brochin, Morgan Lewis
Seeing that immigrant children of color are underrepresented in our legal system, Robert “Bobby” Brochin took on a pro bono case with AI Justice in 2021, dedicating his time and expertise to ensuring a young boy from Honduras would not have to navigate the immigration process alone. This child came to the United States as an unaccompanied minor from Honduras after …
Katherine Mastrucci, Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P.
Katherine Mastrucci took her first pro bono case with AI Justice as a first-year associate at Shook, Hardy & Bacon L.L.P. in 2014, at the encouragement of her office’s pro bono coordinator, representing a young boy from Haiti looking for safety and better opportunities in the United States. Over the course of the following 2 years, Katherine assisted the child …
Adriana Riviere-Badell, Kobre & Kim LLP
“In 2017, I agreed to supervise a team on a pro bono matter representing child siblings from Guatemala who had been orphaned. Following their parents’ death, the children came to Miami to live with an extended family member who is a United States (U.S.) citizen. I was touched by their story and knew how crucial it was for the family …
Maria Vanegas, Smith/Hawks
“As an immigrant myself, I understand the challenges that many immigrants face due to their undocumented status. My family and I were fortunate to gain legal status without much difficulty, which allowed me to pursue my dreams in this country, but I know that this is not the reality for most. For this reason, it has always been important to …
Maggie Arias, Arias & Pereira, PLLC
“The most rewarding part of my practice is the family reunification portion. That is, when a client gets to join his or her family and is released from detention, granted their waiver, had their case terminated, had their bond granted, had their status restored. The best part is always the part where they text or email you a photo of …
Rebecca Beddow, Law Offices of Rebecca A. Beddow, LLC
“My experience volunteering as a pro bono attorney with AI Justice has been one of the most rewarding of my professional life. Angeliki [Bouliakis Andronis, Director of AI Justice’s Pro Bono Program] trained me, matched me with an incredible unaccompanied youth placed in my area in southwest Florida, and she and her colleagues have mentored and supported me every step …
Clara Gomez, American Express
“I immigrated to the United States when I was 18 years old. After a mentor of mine encouraged me to do pro bono work, I hoped I could ‘pay it forward’ by helping to provide someone with many of the opportunities that I had been given. AI Justice’s mission spoke to me and my own experiences as an immigrant, particularly …
Cristina Morales & Nadine Gedeon, Partners, Nadine Gedeon, P.A.
“It was a wonderful experience to work on that case. We worked very hard but the results were very rewarding.” – Cristina Morales Nadine and Cristina committed to taking a pro bono case and AI Justice referred the case of a survivor of domestic violence who was detained at Broward Transitional Center while seeking asylum. Nadine and Cristina worked closely …
Johanna Rousseaux, Of Counsel, Jones Day
“I am very proud to be a part of Jones Day, which has committed countless resources and attorneys in recognition of the serious nature of this crisis and the positive impact that we can and will have on these children. And the undertaking has a special personal significance for me — I lived in Central America for many years and …
Ian Ross, Partner, Stumphauzer Foslid Sloman Ross & Kolaya PLLC
Ian Ross has taken on at least six cases pro bono that were referred to him by AI Justice. Additionally, as a former shareholder at Greenberg Traurig, Mr. Ross has encouraged and inspired other attorneys to take on complex pro bono matters and has served as co-counsel and mentor while they fight for the rights of vulnerable immigrants and asylum …
Alison Brown, Associate, Holland & Knight
“We all remember what living through our teenage years is like. I cannot imagine going through that time without a parent and in a situation where my safety and survival was uncertain. We knew filing and fully litigating a dependency action in less than 30 days would be extremely difficult. Recent court decisions significantly restricting the avenues to obtain dependency …
Ashley D. Hamilton, Associate, Morgan Lewis & Bockius
“As a junior attorney at big law firm, I look forward to opportunities to do pro bono work to connect with people and learn skills that I might not otherwise hone until later in my career. I recently volunteered to help an Eritrean asylum-seeker with his parole application because I thought it could make a big difference if we were …
Joshua Charles Prever, Of Counsel, Morgan, Lewis & Bockius
“It is truly amazing what happens when people stand-up for each other and are given the opportunity to do the right thing. Our client, a young Eritrean man, fled his homeland after he was tortured for questioning the government’s policies of forced labor. He came to America seeking protection, knowing that returning to Eritrea was tantamount to a death sentence. …
Kimberly Rivera, Associate, Gunster
“Prior to becoming an attorney, I was a public high school teacher for several years, five of which I spent in the South Bronx. My students’ experiences, vastly different from my own, have always stuck with me and especially those of my immigrant students. The obstacles these children faced at times seemed insurmountable and I always regretted that I couldn’t …
Kyle Teal, Associate, Gunster
“My pro bono experience opened my eyes to the challenges that volunteers for Americans for Immigrant Justice, Lawyers for Children America , and other compassionate nonprofit attorneys endure every day while fighting to preserve the promise of the America dream. “It also gave me the opportunity to celebrate a child’s chance to stay in this great country – a place …
Jack D. Finkelman, Packman, Neuwahl & Rosenberg
“One day when my grandchildren ask me ‘Grandpa, way back then, when the world went all crazy, what did you do?’ I don’t want to answer, with an embarrassed glance and a shrug of my shoulders that I just stood idly by and wrung my hands. “I want to look them straight in the eyes and tell them that in …
Mark Buchbinder
“As I watched the symbol and meaning of the Statue of Liberty being eroded by the policies of my government and the treatment of folks like my grandparents who fled tyranny and came to America to seek a better life, I could not sit idly by. “I am a retired attorney and although I am not bilingual and knew nothing …
Angela Korge, Associate, Greenberg Traurig
“As the daughter of an immigrant, I strongly believe that it is our duty to use the privilege of being an attorney to help others attain fair access to justice under the law, regardless of whether or not they are from the United States. This is especially true for those who emigrate to our country in hopes of a safer, …