KUDOS to our June Volunteers

Celebrating Our Volunteers: June Highlights

At Volunteer Legal Advocates, our work wouldn’t be possible without the extraordinary dedication of our volunteer attorneys. These incredible advocates stand beside survivors of domestic or gender-based violence, fight for the well-being of children in need, and pursue justice in the courtroom.

In June, the attorneys listed below demonstrated compassion, skill, and an unwavering commitment to making a difference in the lives of our clients. Whether by securing protection orders for survivors or ensuring children’s voices were heard in court, their efforts created safer, more stable futures for members of our community.

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JUNE KUDOS

Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence

• Deborah Connor, Caitlyn Johnson, David Lincoln, and Anabelle Lubin (Morrison & Foerster LLP) – Zealously represented their domestic violence survivor client.
• Kenneth Brown and Madison Needham (Williams & Connolly LLP) – Advocated on behalf of a survivor of domestic violence during a 2-day trial which resulted in the client obtaining a Civil Protection Order against the Respondent and a denial of the retaliatory cross-Civil Protection Order he filed against her.
• Marissa Hill-Daley (McDermott, Will & Emery LLP) – Assisted a survivor of domestic violence with a motion to modify her Civil Protection Order.
• Kate St. Romain, Molly Diamondstein, and Shawn Lavi (Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP) – Zealously defended against retaliatory filings by the survivor’s abusers that resulted in all the filings being dismissed.
• Andrew Hayes (Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, P.C.) – Excellently represented his domestic violence survivor client, guiding her through the process, resulting in the entry of a Civil Protection Order, and making extraordinary efforts to ensure the opposing party appeared in Court.
• Trent Sterneck, Odunayu Durojaye, and Rebecca Mandel (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Provided dedicated advocacy on behalf of their survivor client before the DC Court of Appeals. Their excellent research and brief on the issue of extending a Civil Protection Order in a case involving unlawful disclosure of intimate images led the Court of Appeals to affirm the trial court’s decision to extend the client’s Civil Protection Order for an additional two years.
• Margaret Hassel (Constitutional Accountability Center) – Provided compassionate, effective counsel to her domestic violence survivor client, leading to the issuance of a 2-year Civil Protection Order with all the relief the client was seeking, while dealing with an extremely difficult, litigious abuser.
• Ari Feinstein and Bailey Arenberg (Knobbe Martens LLP) – Provided dedicated and compassionate representation of a survivor of domestic violence, resulting in the entry of a 2-year Civil Protection Order!
• Gwen Washington (Cleary, Gottlieb, Steen & Hamilton LLP) – Helped her domestic violence survivor client obtain a 2-year extension of her Civil Protection Order after a contested hearing.
• Monica Kulkarni, Dylan Carson, and Shannon Gonick (Manatt, Phelps & Phillips LLP) – Zealously represented a domestic violence survivor client, resulting in the entry of a 2-year Civil Protection Order.
• George Marcou (JMIN Intellectual Property Counsel) – Obtained a 2-Year Civil Protection Order for his domestic violence survivor client and her young daughter.

Advocating for Children

• Baily Martin and Viraj Paul (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Provided dedicated advocacy on behalf of their child client.

Fighting for Immigrant Rights

• Paul Lee and Blanca Caceres (Steptoe LLP) – Provided dedicated advocacy for their client, ensuring that she received an employment card for five years.

Pursuing Justice in the Courtroom

• Julian Moss (Parker, Simon & Kokolis LLC) – Did an excellent job in his preparation for trial as well as preparing the client. He led the settlement negotiations and was able to obtain an excellent result for our survivor.
• Mariam Ashraf – Took her first cross case. She was able to negotiate with the opposing party and obtain a successful outcome for the client.
• Shane Yodlowski and Andrew Kaplan (Crowell & Moring LLP) – Excellently advocated in an Anti-Stalking Order case before the D.C. Court of Appeals. As a result of their efforts, the Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court’s entry of an Anti-Stalking Order, ensuring the client’s continued safety and peace of mind.

Going Above & Beyond

• Ted Alexander (Ropes & Gray LLP) – Quickly jumped into a Civil Protection Order case. He obtained an order and closed out the case successfully in just three days! His advocacy made a world of difference for his client.
• David Kanstoroom (KVS Title LLC) – Created a relationship of trust with this client as his kindness and compassion combined with his attentiveness were so evident to her. He did an excellent job in preparing the client and ensuring she was ready for her hearing.