Constance D. O’Connor

Senior Counsel

Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP

Q: Why did you join Tahirih’s Pro Bono Network?: A: I feel strongly that I owe a debt of gratitude for all that I've been given and look for ways to give back to my community. I joined Tahirih's Pro Bono Network because it seemed like a perfect way to use my legal training and skills to help some of our most vulnerable neighbors. Women escaping violence are in desperate need of safe havens and legal assistance, and I'm happy to do whatever I can to help.
Q: Share a highlight from a pro bono case with Tahirih.: A: I've been associated with Tahirih since my first position after law school, over twelve years ago. There, through Tahirih, I successfully assisted a Guinean woman who had survived female genital mutilation/cutting and forced marriage obtain asylum. More recently, I've been assisting a woman from El Salvador pursue a U visa after having been violently raped by her own father. We’ve received conditional approval and have been placed on the waitlist. We're hoping to get good news this fall.
Q: How has your pro bono service impacted you?: A: Pro bono service is a critical part of my professional life. In over twelve years of practicing law, I've dedicated a significant number of hours to pro bono service each year. I've been able to help achieve truly life-changing events for clients, and it is incomparably rewarding. I'd like to think that in some small way I'm helping to improve these deserving women's lives.

Meghan Leibold Lidster

Staff Attorney

Richards Kibbee & Orbe

It 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 Attorney

Baker & McKenzie LLP

The 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 LLP

Realizing 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.

Do Something!