Inspiring Law Students to Advocate
for Survivors of Violence

In September 2019, I had the opportunity to travel to Mexico City to co-teach a course with Crystal Doyle about advocating for survivors of violence through pro bono work. We taught the course at three elite universities in Mexico: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and Universidad Panamericana. The course focused on different types of violence pro bono clients might face and the legal issues that may result from such violence. We discussed various ways that pro bono lawyers can make a difference for survivors of violence, such as through obtaining orders of protection, advocating for clients in family court, helping clients find or keep housing, and seeking immigration relief for clients. While Crystal discussed these topics from the viewpoint of an experienced practitioner, I talked to the students about ways that I have been able to get involved in many of these areas as a first-year lawyer. We hoped to inspire the students and show them that even young lawyers can do important, life-changing pro bono work.

Even though I was co-teaching the course, I learned a lot from the students and from reflecting on the pro bono work that I have been able to complete in the past year. Talking to the students about my experiences reminded me why pro bono work is so rewarding, for clients and attorneys alike.

After we returned home, we received an email from the Executive Director of Mexico Appleseed, an agency that DLA Piper partners with to perform pro bono work in Mexico. She informed us that the students really enjoyed the class and that two students in particular were very inspired by our message. One student informed the Executive Director that our class opened his eyes to the type of work available in the legal profession. Based on our class, the student is now looking to get actively involved in pro bono work because he wants to use his knowledge to help others. Another student was so interested in the topic of our course that he is planning to change the subject of his thesis in order to further research and write about performing pro bono work on behalf of survivors of violence. It  was incredible to hear this feedback and to know that our course impacted the students’ perspectives and potential career trajectories. I am excited for these students and the amazing pro bono work that they will do someday soon!