2017 Pro Bono Stars: Los Angeles
By Hardy Vieux
As part of the American Bar Association’s Celebrate Pro Bono Week, we are recognizing individuals with outstanding dedication to pro bono service as Pro Bono Stars. Today we highlight Jack McBride, Katie Saucier, and Kevin Cole from Greenberg Traurig, LLP in Los Angeles.
Our partners at Greenberg Traurig, LLP in Los Angeles go above and beyond for their pro bono clients. That is especially the case for Lucy.*
Jack McBride, Katie Saucier, and Kevin Cole represented Lucy, a gay woman from Uganda who suffered severe persecution at the hands of the government for her sexual identity and her work fighting for the rights of Ugandan LGBT people.
Jack, Katie, and Kevin demonstrated incredible empathy with Lucy, navigating a case rife with complicated psychosocial needs. They proved to be extraordinary advocates for her leading up to her interview as well as during the asylum interview, when the case file went missing, when the adjudicator did not seem to understand the case, and when Lucy was in the midst of a traumatizing re-telling of her story.
The Greenberg Traurig team’s zealous advocacy paid off. Lucy won recommended approval from the asylum office. Now she can begin the process of rebuilding her life in the United States with the certainty of knowing she need not fear deportation to Uganda. After suffering from torture, beatings, and detention on account of her sexual orientation, Lucy is now safe in the United States.
We could not do the work we do without pro bono partners like Jack, Katie, and Kevin.
*Name changed to protect identity.
