meet a pro bono partner
Kristen Strain
Associate
Venable LLP
- Q: Why did you join Tahirih’s Pro Bono Network?
- A: After volunteering at a domestic violence safe house, I went to law school because I wanted to be a legal advocate for women in some capacity. I tried a pro bono immigration case on my own after a few years of practice and realized I needed some guidance. One day, I got an email from our firm’s pro bono coordinator seeking pro bono assistance on an asylum case with Tahirih, and I jumped at the chance. Tahirih provided me with the tools to succeed in representing immigrant women in asylum cases.
- Q: Can you share a highlight from a memorable case?
- A: My client from Honduras was granted asylum, and our next task was to obtain derivative asylum for her six-year-old daughter, who my client was forced to leave behind when she fled Honduras. We filled out the application and pretty quickly it was approved. We were thrilled! But then the delays started. The Honduran Embassy was making us jump through all kinds of hoops for my client’s daughter to obtain a visa and travel to the United States. After many months, she finally arrived. I got to give her a big hug here in my Baltimore office. It was one of the best days of my life!
- Q: How has your pro bono service impacted you?
- A: Working with Tahirih has opened my eyes and my heart to the suffering of women around the world. Through Tahirih, I have obtained the tools needed to actually make a difference in the lives of women, one at a time. I will be forever grateful for the opportunity Tahirih has provided me to do this work, and I will do it as long as I can.
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Please join us as a pro bono partner or volunteer today! Your time and talents can truly make a difference.meet more pro bono partners
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Meghan Leibold Lidster
Staff AttorneyRichards Kibbee & OrbeIt 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 AttorneyBaker & McKenzie LLPThe 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 LLPRealizing 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.
