Empowering Families: A Pro Bono Attorney’s Impact on Guardianship Cases

For parents of disabled children, the joy of seeing their child reach their eighteenth birthday is often accompanied by anxiety. A disabled child that is completely reliant on their parents in their daily life, and who continues needing it as they reach the age of majority, is in a vulnerable position. The people they most trust to make medical and life decisions in their best interests find themselves unable to do so for the first time. The solution for many families is, of course, establishing guardianship of their adult child. But the process is far from simple. As serious a legal mechanism as it is, the guardianship process is impossible to navigate pro se. Parents need representation, and the most vulnerable members of our community often find that far outside their financial means. Such was the case for Roberta, a mom of three who acts as a full-time caregiver for her disabled son Thomas and her two other children. Between her family’s limited income and her inexperience with English, obtaining guardianship of Thomas seemed an impossible task – Roberta and her family desperately needed a pro bono attorney to help them move forward.

For Shay Johanson, an attorney in private practice with over 25 years of experience in corporate acquisitions and finance law, the choice to help was an easy one. “There’s no better way to help people than to help those who don’t have alternatives,” said Shay. Originally drawn to the legal profession over issues of consumer and product safety, Shay relishes the opportunity to advocate for pro bono clients as zealously as his corporate ones. For him, it’s crucial to make those pro bono clients feel “as important as a multimillionaire might feel and ease their mind through the process.” Shay is motivated in particular to assist clients like Roberta who need guardianship of their children, as he feels the work in this area is particularly high impact. For clients who need to make crucial decision for their disabled adult children, “It’s almost like a purgatory if you don’t have the guardianship,” he says.

Shay’s work on Roberta’s case is helping her family ensure that they will be able to provide the support for Thomas that he needs going forward, irrespective of the challenges along the way. In this and on the two other open guardianship matters that he is currently working on, Shay is motivated by a desire to give back to his community. Having lived in Houston for nearly 30 years, Shay says that “there’s something about Houston – the diversity and the community connections, the diversity of race and ideas and thoughts to me are inspiring.” Taking guardianships pro bono is just a no-brainer: “To me it’s a gift, because I know how much a difference it’s making in people’s lives.”

Thank you, Shay, for all that you do!

To join Shay and the thousands of pro bono attorneys bridging the legal gap, visit https://ow.ly/rho550SX2z4

HVL is also hosting our annual Guardianship & Ad Litem CLE on Friday, September 27. More information can be found here.