Each month, we offer the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who exemplifies our shared values of service and dedication to building a more just and equitable society. This month, we are proud to celebrate Kim Longo as our Amicus Mundi recipient. As a long-time New Yorker, Kim witnessed some of the adversities impacting immigrants and desired to make a difference. Kim embodies how legal expertise and compassion can create real, lasting change for unaccompanied immigrant youth in her community.
Meet Kim Longo!
From Bankruptcy Law to Immigration Advocacy: After graduating from NYU Law in 2001, Kim spent most of her career focused on bankruptcy law. Kim began volunteering with We The Action in 2018 after seeking opportunities to engage in pro bono work.
Kim was inspired by New York, being a melting pot, and wanted to find a cause close to her community. She was introduced to We The Action after her colleague forwarded an opportunity to help a nonprofit, Safe Passage Project, with an immigration matter that deeply resonated with her.
Safe Passage Project needed a volunteer for a matter involving an unaccompanied minor seeking legal status in New York. Kim knew this was the opportunity she had been looking for. While immigration law was new terrain for Kim, Safe Passage Project’s team made sure she never felt alone. Kim expressed how Safe Passage made her feel prepared in engaging in this new area of work:
“They assigned me a point person who was just wonderful, and they were incredibly responsive and kind. They provided everything from sample motions to tailored case packets.”
For Kim, the work aligned naturally with the litigation-heavy, procedure-oriented nature of her bankruptcy background. But it was the human impact that stayed with her most.
“Helping kids — it’s a no-brainer,” she shared. “I have a 12-year-old, and that definitely drove a lot of my decision-making. I can't imagine what these children are going through.”
The Impact: Kim took on two complex, time-sensitive cases involving Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) where the clients were on the brink of aging out of eligibility.
Kim’s work included securing guardianship appointments in family court, obtaining SIJS findings, and navigating federal immigration court filings under intense deadlines.
To Kim’s success, both clients now have or are in the process of obtaining SIJS protection, which shields minors from removal and lays the groundwork for lawful permanent residency.
“Even for an American adult who speaks English, it’s an impossible process,” Kim reflected. “It’s particularly impossible for unaccompanied minors, which is what Safe Passage specializes in. That was something that was really important to me.”
Kim volunteered for her second immigration case in 2022 in hopes of helping two unaccompanied immigrant minors.
Kim secured court-appointed guardians for each, a crucial first step that unlocked the legal pathway to SIJS.
“With any client I’ve had [with Safe Passage Project], my goal has always been to help them integrate into society in a way that allows them to contribute, thrive, and lead a fulfilling life in the U.S.”
Safe Passage Project calls Kim “an invaluable partner” whose dedication and compassion “made a profound difference.” In a system where every day matters, her persistence turned deadlines into lifelines.
A Call to Action for Fellow Lawyers: Kim’s journey is a testament to the power of stepping outside your legal comfort zone. She encourages other attorneys regardless of their expertise to take the leap into pro bono work.
Kim credits opportunities, like those with the Safe Passage Project, where attorneys are provided a chance to lead a case, stand before a court, and represent someone who truly needs it.
“You're not a small cog in a big machine — you are the machine for that client. And the fulfillment is unmatched.”
Kim is candid about the challenge of finding time amid life’s obligations. But she sees pro bono as not just an opportunity, but a responsibility. “If you have knowledge and experience that can help someone, it’s almost an obligation to use it.”
Congratulations, Kim, and thank you for being a beacon of excellence.
Want to get involved like Kim? Find your project on We The Action today!