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!

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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!

Amicus Mundi Award: The Lawyer Combatting COVID

We’ve now passed a year living with the COVID-19. While it’s been an enormously difficult year for many, it’s important to recognize the selfless dedication of so many lawyers helping the nation weather the health and economic crises caused by the pandemic.

This month, we’re proud to give the Amicus Mundi Award to a lawyer who has risen to the occasion and volunteered more than 800 hours to help the nation stay healthy.

Congratulations, Kristi Fielder!

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The big picture: A lawyer from Georgia with 30 years experience, Kristi Fielder has donated more than 800 hours to an organization that has distributed more than 6 million units of personal protective equipment (PPE).

  • Since May, Kristi has volunteered with Project N95, a national organization distributing 6 million pieces of PPE to health care workers, essential workers, and other vulnerable communities.

  • Shortly after signing up, Project N95 asked her to join the team as volunteer General Counsel, where she’s tackled the legal challenges of distributing PPE nationwide.

  • In her role, Kristi has worked on everything from commercial and partnership agreements, to data privacy and compliance, to managing the work of internal and external volunteer counsel and law firms.

Rising to the occasion: When she signed up, Kristi thought she would volunteer just 5-10 hours with Project N95, but she soon realized the importance of the organization's work and committed to more.

  • “When I started volunteering, I really thought COVID was going to be a short term thing,” Kristi says. “We were just going to lock the country down for a couple of weeks -- maybe a couple of months -- then we would go back to our regular lives.”

  • But as the COVID pandemic spiraled out of control and our understanding of the virus evolved, Kristi quickly realized how much the nation needed a central clearinghouse to distribute information and protective equipment.

  • “We’ve seen a continued need for an organization like ours,” she says. “Now more than ever, people need a resource to get the information and supplies that protect them.”

Volunteer-driven: Kristi says that she donates so much time to Project N95 because her work helps vulnerable populations stay healthy and she loves working with a great team of volunteers.

  • “What’s great about this organization is that we’re volunteer-led and volunteer-driven,” she says. “The amount of passion and expertise that our team brings to the table make it a joy to work with these people.”

  • Kristi credits the team for adapting to the latest COVID news and ensuring everything on their website -- whether it’s the latest news or the equipment they distribute -- is thoroughly vetted.

  • “Our goal is to provide PPE until they’re not needed anymore,” she says. “But since the pandemic seems to be continuing, Project N95 continues to evolve to meet the need. I’m happy to have been a part of that effort.”

“She’s a part of Project N95.": As much as Kristi praises the Project N95 team, the organization says her work has been integral to their success.

  • “For us, Kristi is not just a legal advisor,” says Kimberly Paulk, who leads Project N95’s communications and development team. “She has enormous integrity and compassion. Without her, we couldn’t have navigated the evolving nature of the pandemic.”

  • Anne Miller, Volunteer Executive Director of Project N95, agrees, calling Kristi “a fabulous contributor who has become integral to our team and mission.”

  • Both members of Project N95 credit Kristi’s leadership, vision, and ability to ask the right questions for the organization’s success distributing more than 6 million pieces of PPE and protecting hundreds of thousands of people.

“An obligation to give back.”: Throughout her extensive career as a lawyer, Kristi says she always felt that volunteering was something lawyers should prioritize.

  • “As lawyers, we have an obligation to do pro bono work and give back to the community,” she says. “That’s an important part of being a member of the bar.”

  • Though lawyers are busy, Kristi emphasizes that “you can always find time to do things that are important to you.”

  • “It’s not an all-or-nothing proposition,” she says. “Even if you do small things, they add together to be quite a lot.”

On behalf of the more than 41,000 We The Action volunteers: Thank you, Kristi!