We The Action 2021 Case Study: Helping Local Nonprofits Flourish
The needs of our nonprofit partners are always evolving, and we pride ourselves on supporting projects both large and small. Whether our partner needs hundreds of lawyers to staff an election hotline or just one lawyer to review a contract, write a policy, or help them incorporate and obtain 501(c)(3) status, we are here to ensure their legal needs are met, so they can focus on making the biggest impact possible in their communities.
Spotlight on: The Learning Accelerator
The Learning Accelerator, a nonprofit that connects teachers and leaders with the knowledge, tools, and networks to expand equity in K-12 education, had questions about a copyright issue surrounding one of their most popular tools. We The Action connected them with a veteran Intellectual Property lawyer who helped the Learning Accelerator find a solution allowing them to continue using their resource to empower teachers.
We The Action 2021 Case Study: Supporting Communities Impacted by COVID
We The Action lawyers partnered with organizations serving the communities most impacted by the pandemic. For instance, a We The Action lawyer donated more than 800 hours to Project N95, an organization that has distributed more than 12 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) to health care workers, essential workers, and other vulnerable communities.
Spotlight on: Melissa Penn
As COVID-19 devastated the nation, lawyer Melissa Penn wanted to help the communities most impacted by the pandemic, but struggled to find an opportunity. After finding We The Action, Melissa signed up with the National Legal Advocacy Network to answer questions from service workers about unemployment insurance, paid leave, health and safety, discrimination, and more.
We The Action 2021 Case Study: Advocating for Racial Justice
As the nation reckoned with its history of racial inequality and violence, We The Action found opportunities to work alongside organizations fighting for racial justice. Across the nation, volunteer lawyers represented survivors of police abuse, supported the re-enfranchisement of returning citizens (more below), and advised Black police officers facing retaliation for reporting racist and abusive behavior.
Spotlight on: Florida Rights Restoration Coalition
Systemic bias in the criminal legal system has disproportionately stripped voting rights from people of color and suppressed their representation in government. In March, We The Action partnered with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition, an organization dedicated to ending the disenfranchisement and discrimination against people with prior criminal convictions (also known as returning citizens). Since then, more than 200 We The Action lawyers have volunteered to help returning citizens in Florida restore their right to vote and connect with resources to pay any outstanding fines.
Read more about Florida Rights Restoration Coalition’s project here.
We The Action 2021 Case Study: Protecting Voting Rights
2021 may not have been an election year in many parts of the country, but We The Action lawyers still answered the call when asked to help protect the right to vote. In January, more than 250 lawyers volunteered to observe vote tallies in the Georgia Senate recount. And throughout the year, 1,300 lawyers staffed the nonpartisan Election Protection hotline, completing more than 5,100 shifts and donating 30,000 hours to answer voter questions to ensure that elections were safe, secure, and accessible for every voter.
Spotlight on: Tom Crowley
A lawyer with more than 27 years of legal practice and education experience, Tom volunteered more than 420 hours with When We All Vote providing voters with expertise to ensure they had the information they needed to cast their ballot.
We The Action in the News: Chicago Tribune
“The past four years have reminded us that our democracy is fragile. We can’t take it for granted, and ensuring everyone has an equal vote will require lawyers to be vigilant. It’s our responsibility as lawyers to uphold the Constitution and the rule of law it represents.”
We The Action 2021 Case Study: Defending Immigrant Communities
Perhaps nowhere was free legal support more urgently needed than during this year’s multiple immigration crises. In 2021, We The Action recruited more than 800 lawyers to work on projects to support immigrant communities. We The Action lawyers reunited families separated at the U.S.-Mexico border, supported Afghan refugees applying for visas or humanitarian parole, and helped Haitians fleeing political violence seek Temporary Protected Status.
We The Action took a leadership role in the national effort to support Afghan refugees, joining Welcome.Us — a national coalition to welcome Afghan refugees co-chaired by Barack and Michelle Obama, George W. and Laura Bush, and Bill and Hillary Clinton – and the Welcome Legal Alliance, which Welcome.Us launched with Human Rights First and the Afghan-American Foundation. The Welcome Legal Alliance aims to mobilize the legal community to ensure that our Afghan neighbors have access to legal services throughout the entire resettlement process. We were even featured by the White House in a fact sheet about organizations leading the effort to support Afghan refugees!
Spotlight on: Maggie Anderson-Murphy
A lawyer from Connecticut, Maggie volunteered with VECINA to help reunite three children detained at the U.S.-Mexico border with their families or sponsors in America. With We The Action’s support, VECINA has already reunited nearly 200 unaccompanied minors with sponsors.
Spotlight on: Audrey Kwak
A child of Korean immigrants herself, Audrey volunteered with the Mississippi Center for Justice to help an immigrant mother avoid deportation after her arrest during the largest workplace immigration raid ever conducted by ICE in a single state. Her client grew to trust Audrey so deeply that, after she experienced a violent robbery in her Mississippi home, she immediately contacted Audrey for support and advice.
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Reuniting Children with their Families
Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to a We The Action lawyer who goes above and beyond to help build a more just and equitable nation.
With a crisis raging on the U.S.-Mexico border, we’re proud to give this month’s Amicus Mundi Award to a lawyer who has already helped reunite three detained children with their families or sponsors here in the U.S.
Congratulations, Maggie Anderson-Murphy!
The big picture: A lawyer from Connecticut, Maggie has helped three children, ages 13-17, who were detained at the U.S.-Mexico border reunite with their families or sponsors in America.
After volunteering with We The Action to help protect the 2020 election, Maggie decided to explore opportunities in an area that’s interested her for years: immigration.
“I always wished that I could do more than just sit back, read about [the border crisis], and shake my head,” she says. “I thought this project was a chance to have more of a hands-on impact.”
A trusted voice: She signed up with VECINA — an organization that mobilizes and educates pro bono attorneys to respond to immigration crises — who paired her with a volunteer project manager and translator, whom she’s been working with ever since.
The team then started being assigned to sponsors — usually a family member — trying to gain custody of a detained minor. In just a few months, Maggie’s team has already reunited three children with their sponsors.
“Everyone loves working with Maggie,” says Molly Chew, Director of the ReUnite Project’s Children’s Unit, which VECINA runs. “There have been a number of times that we’ve received a particularly complicated case and we knew immediately that we needed to assign it to her.”
An ambassador for volunteerism. Maggie’s employer offers opportunities to work on pro bono projects on company time, and she’s used her work with VECINA to encourage her colleagues to take on pro bono projects themselves.
“Even if you volunteer just a few hours, you’ll feel good about helping someone else,” she says. “And on a day when other things don’t go so well, you’ll still have the good work you've done. That’s very powerful.”
“All the difference in the world”: VECINA has already reunited nearly 200 unaccompanied minors with sponsors, and they say that none of their work would be possible without the help of volunteer lawyers like Maggie.
“Regaining custody of a minor is a long, confusing, and daunting process for sponsors, especially if they are undocumented themselves,” Molly says. “To have someone like Maggie, who is not only knowledgeable but has compassion, makes all the difference in the world.”
You can make a difference too: VECINA says that they need lawyers — even if their background isn’t in immigration — because the alternative is often that the sponsor never gets legal representation at all. That’s why VECINA offers training and mentorship to new lawyers.
“Just a little bit of advocacy can help a child get released and reunited with their family or sponsor,” Molly says. “Those few hours you donate amount to something beyond measure in the lives of these children.”
On behalf of 41,000+ volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Maggie!
Want to get involved in VECINA’s work to help immigrants in the United States solve their legal issues? Click here to sign up for their new project to help Afghan nationals apply for humanitarian parole to enter the U.S.!
Press Release: Civic Nation Adds Legal Pro Bono Organization ‘We The Action’ to Its Network of Generation-Defining Initiatives
Today, Civic Nation announced that We The Action will join the organization’s existing network of initiatives focused on creating a more inclusive, equitable America. We The Action is a community of more than 41,000 lawyers across the country who donate their time to address issues including voting rights, racial justice, supporting immigrant communities, COVID-19, the eviction crisis and more.
Civic Nation started in the final years of the Obama-Biden Administration and became a nonprofit home for several of the Administration’s education, gender equity, and civic participation initiatives. We The Action joins Civic Nation’s existing family of initiatives seeking to drive change in America through education, conversation and action.
We The Action lawyers donate their services to help communities facing some of today’s most pressing threats. In just one week following the American withdrawal from Afghanistan, 400 lawyers signed up to help Afghan refugees.
“We The Action has engaged a powerful community of lawyers committed to using their skills for good. Whether they are helping Afghan refugees resettle in the United States or protecting the right of every American to vote, We The Action has shown time and again that they are able to face our biggest challenges head-on and we are thrilled to have them join our family of initiatives at Civic Nation,” said Civic Nation Board Chair Valerie Jarrett.
Kyle Lierman, CEO of Civic Nation, added, “Civic Nation continues to grow and we are excited to welcome We The Action into the fold. We look forward to engaging their community of lawyers to continue to protect voting rights, advance gender equity, combat the COVID-19 pandemic and respond to crises wherever they arise.”
Since 2017, We The Action has built an expansive network of lawyers ready to volunteer their time and skills:
More than 41,000 volunteer lawyers have joined We The Action. That includes lawyers from all 50 states — plus DC, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and Guam.
We The Action volunteer lawyers have donated nearly 250,000 hours of free legal services worth more than $103 million. That includes 170,000 hours donated by lawyers in 2020 to defend democracy and ensure the election was safe, secure and accessible for everyone.
We The Action has partnered with more than 400 nonprofits to provide free legal support they need to make a difference in communities nationwide.
“At We The Action, we know that lawyers have unique skills to help protect the most vulnerable, fight for justice, and defend our institutions and values. We’re thrilled to join the Civic Nation team alongside other national initiatives working on some of the most pressing issues facing the nation. Whatever challenges come next, our lawyers are ready to rise to the occasion and fight for progress,” said Drew Larsen, interim Executive Director of We The Action
Civic Nation’s initiatives also include When We All Vote, Made to Save, It’s On Us, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, The United State of Women and End Rape on Campus.
ABOUT Civic Nation:
Civic Nation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit home for changemakers who inspire, educate, and activate people around the issues that will define this generation. Civic Nation empowers and educates individuals, companies, institutions and organizations to drive culture, systems and policy change, working towards a more inclusive and equitable America. Seven initiatives are a part of the Civic Nation family: When We All Vote, United State of Women, ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge, End Rape On Campus, It’s On Us, Made to Save and We The Action.
ABOUT We The Action
We The Action (WTA) is an online community of more than 41,000 volunteer lawyers donating their time to work on some of the most pressing issues facing the nation, including voting rights, racial justice, supporting immigrant communities, COVID-19, the eviction crisis, and more. Since its launch in 2017, WTA lawyers have donated 250,000 hours in legal services worth more than $103 million to more than 400 organizations nationwide.
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Supporting Essential Workers
Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an extraordinary lawyer in our community using their legal expertise to fight for the causes they believe in.
As the nation continues to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic, millions of service industry workers — such as restaurant workers, gig workers, and others who rely on tips — face difficult decisions about their finances and health. This month’s Amicus Mundi Award winner is a lawyer who went above and beyond to make sure service workers had the legal support they needed to keep themselves safe and secure.
Congratulations, Melissa Penn!
The big picture: As COVID-19 devastated the nation, Melissa wanted to help the communities most impacted by the pandemic, but struggled to find an opportunity.
After finding We The Action, Melissa signed up with the National Legal Advocacy Network (NLAN) to answer questions from service workers about unemployment insurance, paid leave, health and safety, discrimination, and more.
Since the project’s launch, NLAN says they’ve helped more than 300 service workers who otherwise may have gone without the legal support they needed.
Striving to help others: Melissa says her passion for serving underrepresented communities started in college, where she worked with adults with developmental disabilities.
Because she doesn’t have a background in employment law, Melissa says the training and support she got from NLAN was critical to her success helping service workers.
“It felt uncomfortable going outside my area of expertise,” Melissa says. “But when I told NLAN that I’m not an employment attorney, they said it was absolutely fine.”
A lawyer and an advocate: Though every situation is unique, Melissa immediately saw common themes emerging from her discussions with service workers, like wage theft, sexual harassment, and unsafe working conditions.
Sarah Almond Pike, Legal Fellow for NLAN, says that Melissa excelled at helping service workers navigate two competing needs: the need to keep themselves safe and the need to keep earning a living.
“Empathy and solidarity”: Sarah says that Melissa’s holistic approach to each service workers’ challenges made her a particularly effective advocate for their clients as they face the challenges and stresses caused by COVID.
“We’re calling workers essential, but making them come to work in dangerous conditions at sub-minimum wage,” Sarah says. “What was so great about Melissa is that she really had empathy and solidarity with the workers’ stories.”
Help us drive change: Sarah says that their Servicer Workers’ Clinic would not be possible without the support of volunteer lawyers like Melissa, and We The Action lets lawyers make a difference from their couch.
“I felt like I was making an impact,” Melissa agrees. “Whatever your availability or expertise, you can do this. It’s fun, it’s easy, and it makes a difference!”
On behalf of 41,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Melissa!
Want to join Melissa and help advocate for workers? The National Legal Advocacy Network is recruiting lawyers for a new project to give free legal support to low-wage workers!
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Breaking Down Language Barriers for Refugees
Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding volunteer lawyer in our community who lives our shared values of service and fighting for justice.
This month’s award comes at a time when thousands of Afghan refugees are in need of support from the legal community. We specifically need lawyers nationwide who speak Dari, Pashto or Farsi who can help with translation services to support Afghan refugees. If you don't speak these languages, please consider sharing this email with your networks to help spread the word.
Since We The Action was founded, lawyers in our community have advocated for refugees and displaced persons. This month, we’re proud to recognize one of those lawyers who has helped improve the lives of refugees by eliminating language barriers and getting them humanitarian services more efficiently.
Congratulations, Dean Schmidt!
The big picture: A litigator from California, Dean has been working tirelessly for years to support organizations that defend the rights of detained immigrants.
Prior to joining We The Action, Dean spent the last three years doing asylum-related work, especially with unaccompanied minors.
“One of my strong loves is helping protect the rights of immigrants in detention,” Dean says.
A new way to make a difference: When Dean found a We The Action project with Tarjimly — an organization that’s used digital tools to provide refugees, asylees, and other immigrants with translation services more than 26,000 times — Dean knew he had to sign up.
“In my other volunteer work, I was constantly trying to find people to translate languages I’d never even heard of,” Dean says. “When I saw the project, I thought ‘Woah! I think I can help.’”
Increasing an organization's impact: Sara Haj-Hassan, Partnerships Manager for Tarjimly, says that the new nonprofit wanted to expand their services to more people and organizations, but had legal questions about their liability around the use of translators.
“We wanted to help as many people as possible while ensuring we weren’t doing any harm, and Dean understood that,” Sara says. “He worked with us to make sure his solutions made sense for our mission.”
The right person at the right time: Sara says that Dean’s approach married his legal expertise with his passion for the organization’s mission.
“Dean was extremely patient,” Sara says. “He got us in a position where we were confident we could share our services in as many contexts as possible.”
Sara says that Dean’s help has empowered the organization — and the translators — by establishing clear guidelines to help them confidently assist as many refugees as possible.
A resource for volunteers: A litigator for 32 years, Dean says he knows firsthand how busy lawyers can be — but he’s also seen how big a difference even a few hours can make in someone’s life.
“The kinds of projects on We The Action aren’t what you find at your local bar association,” Dean says. “Do something you like to do. Do something you want to do. There’s so much work to do and so few volunteers to do it.”
On behalf of 41,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Dean!
Again, if you're a lawyer who speaks Dari, Farsi, or Pashto, please sign up now to help with translation services for Afghan refugees. If you don't speak these languages, please consider sharing this email with your networks to help spread the word.
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Who’s Been Here Since Day One
Every month, we give the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and volunteerism.
On July 28, We The Action celebrated our fourth anniversary, and we’re proud to give this month’s award to a lawyer who joined We The Action the day we launched and has been consistently volunteering with us since then.
Congratulations, Stephanie Killian!
The big picture: A lawyer from North Carolina, Stephanie Killian joined We The Action on July 28, 2017 -- the day We The Action launched. In fact, Stephanie was the 84th lawyer to ever join We The Action!
“I always loved doing pro bono work in law school,” Stephanie says. “It was easy in school because everyone loves using law students to do things for them. But I found it harder to find those opportunities once I graduated."
When she heard about We The Action, Stephanie jumped at the chance to join a community of like-minded lawyers eager to chip in and make a difference.
“I always wanted to do more because that’s an obligation we have as lawyers,” Stephanie says. “But finding opportunities was harder than you’d expect. The ease of finding those projects was what first attracted me to We The Action.”
There are currently more than 60 projects looking for lawyers of all interests, expertises, and availability. Click here to browse the latest opportunities!
Rolling up her sleeves: Since then, Stephanie has completed six volunteer projects, including creating voter guides to empower voters in the 2018 elections and helping nonprofits apply for federal funding to keep their doors open during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Stephanie says the thing she remembers most about her projects are the people she was able to help.
“The people you help with these projects are so thankful for anything you do -- even answering the simplest questions,” she says. “You feel like you’ve made an impact, and it’s awesome to see the people and organizations flourish in their work.”
She particularly remembers helping Oakland Promise, a California-based organization that provides scholarships, guidance and support to Oakland’s youth, navigate the process of applying for federal funds to keep working during COVID. The advice she provided was crucial to the organization, and took less than an hour of her time.
“The time to do it is now.” Stephanie encourages lawyers who feel concerned about the direction of the country to seek out opportunities to make a difference like she did.
“We The Action caught me at the right time,” Stephanie says. “The world was burning, and I thought to myself ‘What can I do about it?’”
Once she started volunteering, Stephanie saw the impact that a lawyer can make in people’s lives, and decided to make volunteering a regular part of her life.
“I’m not a superhero, but I do think a law license is a pretty powerful thing,” she says. “If there’s one thing that this piece of paper allows me to do to help, the time to do it is now.”
“Easy and impactful.” Between her full-time job and caring for her children, Stephanie says that, like most lawyers, she’s often short on time. But through We The Action, lawyers can find a project that fits their schedule.
“Volunteering through We The Action is easy and impactful,” she says. “Like most lawyers, I can’t commit to representing a fleet of people in court for free, but everybody has a couple free hours a month to do something.”
In fact, Stephanie just signed up for her next project, where she’ll be working with the family of a deceased military member on navigating some estate issues.
“Pick a project and run with it.” Whatever your experience level, expertise, or time availability, Stephanie emphasizes that every lawyer should try to find an opportunity to give back.
“A project doesn’t have to be a big commitment,” Stephanie says. “Several small commitments have the same impact.”
Four years into volunteering with We The Action, Stephanie says she’s as excited as ever about the possibilities of what this community of lawyers can accomplish if everyone gives a few hours.
“Whatever issue you’re into, pick a project and run with it,” Stephanie advises. “Whatever your passion is, there’s going to be something for you.”
On behalf of nearly 41,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Stephanie!
Don’t let Stephanie have all the fun -- Kick off the next four years of We The Action by signing up for a project today!
From all of us at We The Action, thank you for a wonderful four years. We can’t wait to see what comes next for this incredible community.
Press Release: Four Years and 41,000 Lawyers: We The Action Celebrates Four Years of Nationwide Impact
In just four years, nearly 41,000 volunteer lawyers have donated $102 million in free legal services through We The Action.
Today, We The Action, a community of nearly 41,000 volunteer lawyers and more than 400 nonprofits working together on the most pressing issues facing the nation, celebrates its fourth anniversary.
Over the last four years, We The Action’s community of volunteer lawyers and nonprofit partners has defended democracy, advanced racial justice, kept immigrant families together, helped vulnerable communities weather COVID-19, protected tenants facing evictions, and much more.
“Lawyers have unique training they can use to protect the most vulnerable among us, fight for justice, and defend our institutions and values,” said Sarah Baker, President & Executive Director of We The Action. “In launching We The Action, we sought to channel that expertise toward the greatest need. In the four years since, We The Action lawyers have donated more than $102 million in free legal services: reuniting fathers and sons separated at the border, protecting thousands of Americans at the polls, getting desperately needed PPE to frontline workers, and so much more.”
Since 2017, We The Action has built an expansive network of lawyers ready to answer the call whenever — and wherever — they’re needed:
Nearly 41,000 volunteer lawyers have joined We The Action. That includes lawyers from all 50 states — plus DC, the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, and Guam.
We The Action volunteer lawyers have donated nearly 250,000 hours of free legal services worth more than $102 million. That includes 170,000 hours donated by lawyers in 2020 to defend democracy and ensure the election was safe, secure, and accessible for everyone.
We The Action has partnered with more than 424 nonprofits to provide them the free legal support they need to make a difference in communities nationwide. Ranging from nationally-recognized organizations to volunteer-driven local nonprofits, our partners work on virtually every major issue facing the nation.
"At every step of our organization's growth, We The Action has been by our side providing free legal support to help us advocate for survivors of domestic violence," says Amy Durrence, Director of Systems Change Initiatives at FreeFrom, a partner of We The Action. "From helping us launch our Compensation Compass to give survivors of domestic violence access to the compensation they're owed, to launching a first-of-its-kind toolkit to ensure survivors have a seat at the table during the policymaking process, We The Action has saved us valuable time and resources over the past few years and allowed our team to focus on making the biggest impact possible."
In 2020 — as calls for racial justice intensified, the COVID-19 pandemic devastated the world, and the 2020 election increased the urgency of voter protection efforts — We The Action had its busiest year yet, increasing its volunteer rate by 1,300 percent:
13,000 We The Action lawyers supported nearly 200,000 voters in 10 languages through the national nonpartisan voter hotline, ensuring every voter’s voice was heard at the polls.
We The Action lawyers helped organizations distribute 6 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE) and protect the safety and rights of service workers.
900 We The Action lawyers volunteered to defend protestors, advocate for policing and prison reform, and advance equity through our Racial Justice Task Force.
“I first joined We The Action because I wanted to get off the sidelines and find a way to use my skills as a lawyer to help people,” said Joel Aurora, a lawyer from California who has been volunteering with We The Action since 2018. “Since then, I’ve watched this community of lawyers grow into the go-to resource for lawyers and nonprofits fighting for progress. Lawyers have the power to do good and in the last four years, We The Action has proven that.”
In the coming year, We The Action will continue to support vulnerable communities and respond to the nation’s most important needs, focusing on five core areas: protecting voting rights and defending democracy, fighting for racial justice, defending immigrant communities, helping communities recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, and helping tenants facing eviction stay in their homes.
We’re Celebrating, but We’re Not Slowing Down!
It’s a big day here at We The Action — we’re celebrating our fourth anniversary! Thanks to incredible volunteer lawyers like you, this community has grown by leaps and bounds, making a real impact in communities nationwide. But we know there’s more work to do.
In just four years, nearly 41,000 volunteer lawyers have donated more than $102 million in free legal services to 424 nonprofit partners through We The Action. Lawyers like you have defended democracy, advanced racial justice, kept immigrant families together, helped vulnerable communities weather COVID-19, protected tenants facing eviction, and much more.
We won’t stop now. Voting rights are under assault across the country. Immigrants and people of color are still fighting for justice. COVID-19 has jeopardized people’s access to basic resources like housing, education, and food. Now, more than ever, people need lawyers like you.
From the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
We’re grateful to have shared these past four years with you. Thank you for being a part of this journey.
Sincerely,
Sarah, Jacek, Katie, Beth, Paydon, Erika, Victoria, Drew & Sarah
The We The Action Team
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Advocating for LGBTQ+ Inmates
Every month, We The Action gives the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who donates their time to projects they believe in.
June is Pride Month, and it’s only fitting that this month’s award go to a lawyer who has been working with incarcerated transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people to help them live full, healthy lives.
The big picture: A lawyer from Chicago, Neva volunteers with Transgender Law Center (TLC) to help TGNC people in jails and prisons access information or resources to support their legal cases or improve their living conditions.
Through TLC’s project, Neva was assigned letters from TGNC inmates asking for legal help or advice to solve a challenge facing the incarcerated person.
In all, Neva has already corresponded with at least 32 inmates on issues ranging from name changes to educating inmates on prison housing policies to make their incarceration safer.
TLC is currently recruiting for a similar project open to lawyers barred in any state. Click here to sign up!
Seeing the need firsthand: A queer person themselves, Neva first saw how difficult life in incarceration can be for transgender and gender nonconforming people during their time working as a jail clerk in Utah.
“It’s a messed up situation,” Neva says. “The homophobia and transphobia that already exists within law enforcement is rough. But it only gets worse when guards have total authority over inmates.”
After seeing the circumstances that incarcerated TGNC people face, Neva says they felt they had to find a way to help.
That’s why Neva jumped at the chance to volunteer with TLC to help inmates connect with the support and resources they need.
A dedication to service: Neva says that as a child their mom made volunteering a foundational part of their lives and usually dedicated time each week to volunteering at a local soup kitchen or participating in other local service projects.
Having grown up in a working class family, Neva says that they feel compelled to use their education to help however they can.
“The experience of volunteering stuck with me and became a norm in my life,” Neva says. “Once I graduated law school, I knew I had to use my newfound privilege to help people.”
Leadership through empowerment: Neva says that while they enjoy their work at Perkins Coie, volunteering to support incarcerated TGNC people is rewarding in a different way.
“I’m not saving them, I'm empowering them to have the best life possible while incarcerated,” they say.
Neva has begun working with TLC to explore an expansion of their partnership with Perkins Coie to include more direct advocacy on behalf of TGNC inmates.
Neva has even recruited junior associates to volunteer with TLC, since TLC has volunteer opportunities for attorneys of all experience levels.
You can help too: Neva says one of their favorite aspects of this project is that each letter only takes a couple of hours, so a lawyer can volunteer as much or as little time as their schedule allows.
“By volunteering, you can experience parts of the law you otherwise wouldn’t have experienced,” Neva says.
The Transgender Law Center is still looking for volunteers for a project open to lawyers barred in any state. Click here to sign up to help TGNC inmates!
On behalf of more than 40,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Neva!
Want to join Neva and help advocate for transgender and gender nonconforming inmates? Sign up here!
From all of us at We The Action: Happy Pride Month!
Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Fighting for the Health of Immigrant Communities
Every month, We The Action gives the Amicus Mundi Award to a We The Action volunteer lawyer to recognize their incredible work and dedication to building a more just and equitable nation.
This month, we’re proud to give the award to a lawyer who represented medically-vulnerable immigrants detained by ICE as they sought release amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congratulations, Debbie Cooper!
The big picture: A lawyer from New York, Debbie volunteered with the Civil Rights Education and Enforcement Center (CREEC) to help medically-vulnerable detained immigrants seek release after mismanagement at U.S. Customs and Enforcement (ICE) facilities led to preventable outbreaks of COVID-19.
CREEC had recently helped win a case — Fraihat v. ICE — that opened the door for thousands of medically-vulnerable immigrants in detention to be potentially released.
Debbie would eventually volunteer for CREEC and several allied organizations to help immigrants advocate for their release to safer living conditions.
A track record of advocacy: Debbie started volunteering to support detained immigrants fifteen years ago, working with a local nonprofit to visit with them for a few hours twice a month.
“I found the detention facilities so oppressive,” she says. “And I only had to be there for a few hours. The people I visited were stuck living there.”
Debbie developed a particular bond with two people who had lost their cases, so she got to work finding them a law firm to provide pro bono representation.
Both people were eventually released — and Debbie is still in contact with them to this day.
“Capturing their humanity:” A few years later, Debbie decided she wanted to continue supporting detained immigrants, but struggled to find any opportunities as a solo practitioner.
Thankfully, Debbie found We The Action and signed up for a project with CREEC, where she started giving limited representation to detained immigrants seeking release.
Detained immigrants don’t have a right to representation — and most can’t afford it — so the free legal support Debbie and other volunteer lawyers offer is often their best chance at release.
“Debbie really put together applications that captured the humanity of her clients,” says Elizabeth Jordan, the Director of CREEC’s Immigration Detention Accountability Project. “She took her clients’ humanity to heart, and that’s what sets her work apart.”
“Life or death:” CREEC says that the immigrants they serve would otherwise be alone in fighting their immigration cases, and a volunteer lawyer can be the difference that helps someone get released.
Along with representing detained immigrants, volunteer lawyers also helped CREEC file a motion, which was granted last October, to hold ICE accountable for how badly they were processing requests for release.
“Sometimes people say things are life or death, but it’s literally true for people in detention,” Elizabeth says. “Volunteer lawyers make the difference between deciding if someone could go home to their families.
You can make a difference: Debbie says that since We The Action’s platform makes it easy for lawyers to find projects that fit their time restrictions and interests, every lawyer should consider volunteering.
“I feel like I have this skill that I can use to help people,” Debbie says. “It is incredibly fulfilling to help make a difference in people’s lives.”
Whatever your experience level, location, or availability, Debbie says We The Action has a project for you.
“You really feel like you’re doing something good with your education and helping the world,” Debbie says. “The only thing bad about it is that I want to do every project!”
On behalf of more than 40,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Debbie!
Want to join Debbie and help advocate for immigrant communities? Browse the latest immigration projects on We The Action here!