Volunteer Spotlight: James Darlson

At Volunteer Legal Advocates, our pro bono attorneys bring expertise, passion, and full commitment to every case and clinic they take on. Our Volunteer Spotlight series highlights some of the incredible pro bono advocates we’re honored to work with. 

This month, we’re thrilled to introduce you to James Darlson, Air Force Reserve officer, pilot, and pro bono attorney! 

Thanks so much for talking with us, James! Can you share a brief overview of your professional experience? 

I graduated from Georgetown Law School in 2022. After school, I worked as a litigation associate at Latham & Watkins for a year, focusing primarily on white collar defense and internal investigations. I then returned to my first love (and original career) as a pilot. Prior to law school, I was an Air Force fighter pilot and then a pilot for a major commercial airline. Currently, I work as an Air Force Reserve officer and airline pilot, while now practicing exclusively in the pro bono space as my schedule allows. 

How did you learn about Volunteer Legal Advocates, and what inspired you to get involved? 

I learned about Volunteer Legal Advocates when I was a summer associate at Latham. I attended a presentation that discussed the types of work they did. Volunteer Legal Advocates struck me as a fantastic way to get involved in pro bono work, get hands-on experience working directly with a client, and have a positive impact on the local community. When I returned as an associate, I took on a domestic violence/temporary restraining order case. 

Can you share any specific moments from your time with Volunteer Legal Advocates that stand out to you? 

My second case was a guardian ad litem (GAL) case. I and another volunteer attorney were appointed by the court to represent the best interests of three children, all under the age of four. I vividly remember meeting these incredibly sweet children with their entire lives in front of them and then being struck by their unfortunate circumstances. Without the ability to communicate much with the children, there was added emphasis on developing relationships with the parents and learning as much as possible about the children’s life circumstances in and out of their homes. Fortunately, through that process, we were able to negotiate a settlement between the parents that ended the case much sooner than originally thought possible and limited the contentiousness that had developed up to that point. 

How has your experience with Volunteer Legal Advocates shaped your career or perspective on the legal system? 

It’s shaped me in two ways. First, working with Volunteer Legal Advocates to take on cases in the Domestic Relations Branch of the DC court system has shown me how much we as attorneys can impact the lives of people in our city by volunteering to take on sensitive cases that, to the client, may be the most stressful series of events they’ve ever experienced. Having a lawyer creates an almost immediate effect on their lives. It’s meaningful. It’s tangible. In law school and when working at a large firm, you typically aren’t exposed to how impactful the local-level legal system is on the day-to-day lives of ordinary people. I think we’re aware of it in the background as a matter of course, but participating in it creates a more meaningful understanding that affects our perspective in, I think, a very positive way. 

Second, the work has highlighted how critical soft skills are to being an effective attorney, particularly in domestic relations cases. It doesn’t matter if I know the case file inside and out and did a great job obtaining additional information during my investigation. If the client in a domestic assault case, or the parties involved in a custody dispute where I’m one of the guardians, don’t believe that I care, think that I understand them, or trust me, they’ll hold back information and their cooperation. Compassion, sincerity, and trustworthiness are arguably more important than anything else. 

What do you wish others knew about Volunteer Legal Advocates and/or providing pro bono legal services for survivors and children? 

You don’t have to have much experience in litigation or even as an attorney to volunteer, be effective, and make a difference through Volunteer Legal Advocates. I’m proof of that. Volunteer Legal Advocates provides excellent opportunities for attorneys to positively impact the lives of people in our city. If you’re thinking about getting involved, I strongly encourage you to make the jump. Residents in DC and the local justice system need the help of volunteer attorneys. 

Stay tuned for future Volunteer Spotlights! If you’d like to be featured in an upcoming post, please email us at info@volunteerlegaladvocates.org.