Attorney & Client Stories
Real Help, Real Impact
This case will no doubt be the most meaningful case of my career. Prior to our engagement, my client had given up all hope of recovering any money from the contractor and was unable to pay her bills that were coming due. We connected on a personal level and established a strong relationship during the three years that I spent representing her. The settlement funds changed my client's life. Time and again, she expressed her sincere appreciation and gratitude for the result that we were able to secure for her.
Success in an eviction case isn’t just a win. It’s client’s children getting to stay in the same school. It’s client’s jobs not being interrupted. It’s elderly tenants not having to arrange a burdensome move. It’s not about me, it’s about having an impact in the community you call home, and I can think of no better place to start bettering a community than advocating for housing security issues like eviction.
The experience has been incredibly rewarding. Not only did pro bono work hone my courtroom advocacy skills, but it also demonstrated firsthand that adequate access to justice often has a transformative impact on people’s lives.
My first volunteer experience was at an intake clinic at the Houston Area Women’s Center, and since then, I have assisted dozens of clients in obtaining protective orders, divorces, and custody of their children. I am continually amazed by my clients’ resilience, courage, and strength as they break from past patterns and navigate a new reality.
This [pro bono] work has powerfully demonstrated two things, (i) Without legal representation, individuals are often not even aware of the rights and protections afforded by the law, much less able to avail themselves of them; and (ii) merely informing the other side that an individual has legal representation—without any other action—often results in demonstrably better results in a system where counterparties, who almost invariably benefit from a significant disparity in leverage and resources, are accustomed to winning cases without any resistance.
