KUDOS to our July Volunteers

Celebrating Our Volunteers: July Highlights

Throughout July, the remarkable volunteer attorneys listed below brought their empathy, expertise, and drive to our cases and clinics. From securing protection orders to amplifying children’s voices in court, their work has helped build safer, more stable futures for those we serve. We’re proud to highlight them and celebrate their inspiring commitment to pro bono legal advocacy!

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JULY KUDOS

Supporting Survivors of Domestic Violence

• Michael Paganelli, Sydney Stancik, and Deborah Connor (Morrison & Foerster LLP) – Provided excellent, determined work that led to a 2-year Civil Protection Order for their domestic violence survivor client with all the relief she was requesting.
• Whitney Taylor Dunn – Provided amazing representation of her DV survivor client.  After four days of trial, Whitney was able to get a 2-year Civil Protection Order for her client with all the relief she was seeking, including temporary custody of the parties’ four children, which was a top goal for the client.
• Beverly Diaz-Kenyon – Helped her client to obtain all desired relief, including custody, without the stress and delay of a trial.
• Daniel Rubin (Exelon) – Diligently worked for over two years resulting in the granting of a permanent order granting sole custody to his survivor client.
• Melissa Skarjune, Blair Decker, Cameryn Lonsway, and Natalie Salmanowitz (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Expanded their representation to include a cross-Civil Protection Order filed against their client and helped her to get it dismissed.
• Heather Lamberg, Hal Brewster, and Chase Gordon (Freshfields LLP) – Continued to provide counsel and support to their domestic violence survivor client after the Civil Protection Order trial and through the appeal process, ensuring that the Civil Protection Order entered against her abuser remained in place.
• Nicki Ghazarian-Foye, Cassady Cohick, and Emma Donohue (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Provided fierce advocacy and excellent work on behalf of their domestic violence survivor client against a very aggressive opposing counsel. Nicki, Cassady, and Emma were able to secure a 2-year Civil Protection Order on behalf of the client.
• Patience Tyne (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Provided thoughtful, compassionate representation of her domestic violence survivor client.  Based on Patience’s excellent work, the Court issued a Permanent Custody Order, granting our client sole legal and sole physical custody of the five-year-old child in common.
• Cameryn Lonsway, Melissa Skarjune, and Blair Decker (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Helped their client to obtain a two year Civil Protection Order, with financial relief, without the stress of a trial.

Advocating for Children

• April Cockerham and Kit Wheatley – Diligently worked to finally get a Temporary Custody Order in place for their child client.
• Laura Braden (The Good Food Institute) and Amy Turner (Center for Medicaid and Medicare) – Advocated for their three child clients and got a final order in place that will keep them safe.
• Jill Sayenga and Laura Griffen Facilitated a consent Protective Custody Order for their two child clients, which maintains continued contact with both parents but includes safeguards to protect the children.

Fighting for Immigrant Rights

• Baily Martin (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Provided zealous advocacy, gaining her client United States citizenship and more security and safety from further domestic violence.

Pursuing Justice in the Courtroom

• David Jonas, Blaire Decker, Samuel Yergin, Madelyn Braman, and Bryan Ricapito (Hogan Lovells LLP) – Completed incredibly thorough preparation for a very difficult motions hearing. Their constant support has been a huge benefit to the client.
• Lauren Ellison (McDermott Will & Emery LLP) – Due to her excellent evidentiary skill during a show cause hearing on her motion for contempt, the Court found in her favor on each allegation. It adopted her entire recommendation, awarding a father makeup time with his daughter, Lauren’s client.

Going Above & Beyond

• Ashley Carter (George Washington University Law School)– Went above and beyond to prepare her case, even when the client dropped contact, to ensure that we were ready to move forward at a moment’s notice!
• Julian Moss (Parker, Simon & Kokolis LLC) – Zealously advocated for his repeat client despite the challenges in representing her. He remained professional at all times. His supervising attorney was so impressed by how he handled himself in the difficult situation they found themselves in.