meet a pro bono partner
Travis King
Legal Counsel
Shell Oil Company
- Q: Why did you join Tahirih's Pro Bono Network?
- A: I think every American with ancestors from somewhere else has an obligation to lend a hand to the more recent arrivals. For me, this started as a law student working in the immigration clinic at the University of Houston Law Center under the supervision of Joe Vail and Anne Chandler. When Anne became the Houston Director at Tahirih, I knew that the organization would be doing important work that I wanted to be a part of.
- Q: Can you share a highlight from a memorable case?
- A: My client had suffered horrific physical abuse and was eligible for a U visa for having assisted law enforcement to arrest and convict her abuser. However, the United States Citizens and Immigration Services required that we obtain old records from a small out-of-state police department before it would grant the visa. The local police department refused to release the records because the client lacked a state-issued ID. The State of Texas, where the client resided, does not issue IDs to people without valid visas. It was, in other words, a perfect catch-22. Only through diligent efforts to persuade uncooperative officials at local, state, and federal levels was the matter eventually resolved and the visa granted.
- Q: How has your pro bono service impacted you?
- A: I am always inspired by Tahirih's clients. The hardships they have endured make them the exact type of people our country's immigration laws are designed to protect, and their strength, hard work, and resilience make them the type of people that this country needs the most.
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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.
