Cleary Gottlieb: Sanctuary Pro Bono Partner Spotlight

Sanctuary for Families

A spotlight on Sanctuary Pro Bono Partner Cleary Gottlieb for their team’s outstanding work in helping reunite a family separated by abuse.

Sanctuary for Families’ Pro Bono Project has the honor of working with hundreds of extremely dedicated and expert pro bono attorneys per year. As part of our new Pro Bono Spotlight, we’ll be highlighting some of the great work done by Sanctuary pro bono attorneys!

*Please note that this blog contains descriptions of physical and sexual abuse that could be triggering*

Cleary Gottlieb Team Headed by Ludivine van der Heyden Provides Support in Complex Family Reunification Case 

We are thrilled to highlight the outstanding advocacy by the law firm Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, and in particular the dedication demonstrated by Pro Bono Immigration Attorney Ludivine Van der Heyden, in a family reunification case that reunited a Senegalese mother with her two daughters against all odds.

Over the course of months and years, Cleary Pro Bono Immigration Attorney Ludivine Van der Heyden, along with Sanctuary Senior Staff Attorney Ines Chennoufi, Family Reunification Coordinator Karine Jeannet, and Senior Immigration Specialist Carolien Hardenbol, were able at long last to reunite Sanctuary’s Senegalese client, Ms. T, with her daughters.

Sanctuary’s client, Ms. T, had been forced to flee Senegal in 2019 after experiencing severe abuse at the hands of her former husband. Despite Ms. T having received a divorce order and full custody of the children, Ms. T’s abuser continued to track her across the country, threatening to kill her and vowing to subject their two daughters to Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). Given the imminent danger of her situation, Ms. T was forced to flee without her daughters, and she left them both in secure hiding places with the intention of quickly bringing them into the United States. Ultimately, with Ludivine’s representation, Ms. T’s case was expedited, she was able to prove that her life would be in grave risk were she forced to return to Senegal, and she was granted asylum in June 2021. Her asylee status provided a pathway for her daughters to claim the same immigration status as her derivatives. However, this would prove to be far from the end of the family’s legal troubles, as agency delays exacerbated by COVID-19 made the process of bringing the daughters over extremely lengthy.

Around February 2022, given the imminent danger of FGM and forced marriage to both daughters, Ines Chennoufi requested assistance from Senator Gillibrand’s Office to pressure USCIS to quickly adjudicate the daughters’ cases. The danger escalated when, in April 2022, the father located and unsuccessfully attempted to kidnap the younger daughter, Amy*, on her way home from school. In light of that kidnapping attempt and in fear of a second attempt, Ines once again reached out to Senator Gillibrand’s Office, and in a matter of weeks, USCIS approved the daughters’ applications to join their mother in the U.S. This critical approval resulted in the case being transferred to the National Visa Center before the case file reaches the Consulate Post in the home country, in this case in Dakar, Senegal.

What followed would be several more months of legal advocacy around nearly every stage of the cases’ transfer: advocacy to USCIS to swiftly transfer the cases to the National Visa Center and on to the consular post; advocacy to Senator Gillibrand’s office to push the Dakar Embassy to expedite processing (a request which was inexplicably denied by the Dakar Embassy); and multiple calls, emails, and unsuccessful visits to the Embassy from September through February in an attempt to schedule a visa interview for the two daughters. Despite the Visa Appointment Portal allegedly being open, there were no appointments available for over five months.

At this juncture, in January 2023, given the complete lack of action on the part of the Embassy, Ludivine, Ines, Carolien, and Karine knew that filing a federal mandamus complaint was the only option remaining to get an interview for the daughters scheduled. Such a complaint can be used to compel an agency, such as the Department of Homeland Security, to adjudicate a case when the client has a right to relief and there is no other remedy available. The complaint drafted by Cleary Gottlieb expertly laid out DHS’ duty to schedule interviews for Amy* and Maimouna*, her sister; the harm to Ms. T caused by this lengthy and arduous legal battle; and the current threat posed to the girls.

Ludivine reached out to the government’s counsel with a draft complaint in mid-March to start negotiations before filing the complaint. Two weeks after the initial contact, likely due to the strength of the arguments in the mandamus brief, the interviews were finally scheduled.

Things moved quickly after that—on April 19 Amy* and Maimouna* were granted their visas. Karine immediately got to work connecting the daughters with resources, including furniture for their home, an intensive English course, medical care, and housing. The daughters were joyfully reunited with their mother at the airport in New York on May 7, 2023.

We sat down with Ludivine to hear a bit more about her experience.

Why do you do pro bono work?

Pro bono work is a passion of mine and one of the reasons why I became a lawyer. The proximity with the clients, sharing their stories, learning about their cultures, speaking in different languages, all of that is something I really enjoy, especially coming from an international background.

What made you want to take on Ms. T’s case?

I developed the relationship with Ms. T when I was a senior staff attorney at Sanctuary. At the time, l worked hard to expedite her asylum interview during COVID at the asylum office. When I returned to Cleary, I continued my relationship with her as a pro bono working on her green card application. Around that same time, Sanctuary reached out saying, Ms. T has this issue with her girls – do you think you could help? And we said yes – we (at Cleary) have experience in Federal Court, I’m admitted to SDNY and EDNY, and we as a firm have connections with other organizations that specialize in litigating immigration courses in federal court. Through our network, we immediately were able to reach out to National Immigration Litigation Alliance (NILA), who provided a training on how to challenge agency delays. This was really key support – this was Cleary’s first mandamus case associated with derivative asylees, and we only had a few weeks to do this. We immediately started preparing a draft mandamus complaint. We worked with Sanctuary to gather the facts, and Cleary focused on the legal argument. It was a great collaboration between the nonprofit and private sector, where we were all contributing our expertise to support this survivor and her family.

What was your experience working with Ms. T like? How would you describe her?

She’s a remarkable client – really warm and smart, and she has the best smile in the world. She moved me as a mother fighting so hard for her daughters since the very beginning, and trying so hard to keep them safe. She’s also extremely determined and resourceful – very well-organized. Anyone who works with her becomes invested in her case.

What was the most challenging part of this process?

The unknown – not knowing if this was going to actually work or not. We had put in a lot of efforts into the complaint and had to manage the client’s expectations as well.

Which moment was the most impactful for you?

Probably meeting with the girls in New York. But every step of the way really, hearing that they had been able to board the plane successfully, telling the client that the interview had been scheduled and hearing her reaction… there were a lot of good moments. What made this case special was the continued relationship with Ms. T. We were following this family’s life and trying to make sure that they would get the best start in the U.S.

We are so grateful to the Cleary Gottlieb team for all of their advocacy and their assistance in drafting this mandamus complaint, which pushed DHS into action at long last, and we are in awe of the dedication and legal acumen demonstrated by Ludivine in her tireless work to help Ms. T seek safety and stability and to reunite this family.

Join the Cleary Gottlieb team in standing with our clients. Your gift supports Sanctuary’s life-saving work with survivors of gender violence.

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Pride Month 2023: Empowering LGBTQ+ Survivors

Sanctuary for Families

Sanctuary had the honor and privilege of participating in this year’s NYC Pride March and supporting LGTBQ+ survivors of gender violence.

Celebrating LGBTQ+ Survivors at NYC Pride

In the midst of the floats lining up on Fifth Avenue and the massive crowds gathering for NYC Pride, a young woman approached Sanctuary staff who were preparing to march. She revealed that she had been a client of Sanctuary’s Campus Advocate Project, which provides legal consultations and representation to student survivors of gender-based violence, including sexual violence. With the help of Sanctuary’s attorneys, she was able to leave her abusive relationship and go back to school.

That kind of story is what Sanctuary is all about. For almost 40 years, Sanctuary has been a pillar of the community, providing holistic, comprehensive services for all survivors of gender violence, empowering clients, and enabling them to attain safety, healing, and self-determination.

Within this mission is an unwavering commitment to equal rights and freedom from discrimination. Each June, Pride Month celebrates the strength and resilience of the LGBTQ+ community, but the work is year-round. Anti-LGBTQ+ hate is on the rise, with ADL and GLAAD reporting over 350 anti-LGBTQ+ incidents between June 2022 and April 2023. As the community continues to fight against discrimination, Sanctuary’s commitment to providing free and available service to all individuals, regardless of sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity, is more important than ever.

“[Pride] was a joyous celebration of LGBTQ+ pride and a reaffirmation of the basic human right to love whomever we choose. This is evermore critical in these times of increasing attacks on gay and transgender rights.” – Judy Harris Kluger, Executive Director

Visibility has always been at the core of social change, and the NYC Pride March served as a powerful platform to uplift queer survivors. Our dedicated staff members, survivors, and supporters proudly marched through the streets, spreading the word about Sanctuary’s services and unapologetically demanding an end to gender-based violence. The cheers and applause from the crowd served as a powerful testament to the collective determination to eradicate violence and create a safer future for all.

“It was incredible to not only feel like Sanctuary was out in full support of the LGBTQ+ community, but also the cheers we got for our signs and for believing survivors was everything,” said Geny Kimbrell, Senior Manager of Special Events, when reflecting on the march on Sunday. “You could see the looks on people’s faces as they read our signs, and that felt meaningful.”

In the midst of this ongoing fight, the Pride Parade shined a spotlight on the hope, love, and joy that has defined the movement. Seeing survivors, allies, and activists come together to celebrate love, equality, and acceptance was a profound reminder that change is possible, inspiring us to carry the momentum forward and continue the fight for a world free from violence, discrimination, and inequality.

Intimate Partner Violence in the LGBTQ+ Community

While narratives around gender violence often center on heterosexual relationships, intimate partner violence does not discriminate based on sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. In fact, abuse occurs in LGBTQ+ relationships at similar or even higher rates than in the general population. The HRC reported that 44% of lesbians and 61% of bisexual women experience rape, physical violence, or stalking by an intimate partner compared to 35% of straight women. Trans and non-binary folks are also at a heightened risk for violence, with 54% experiencing some form of intimate partner violence.

LGBTQ+ individuals facing intimate partner violence often encounter unique barriers when seeking help. Fear of outing themselves, concerns about discrimination from service providers, and the limited availability of LGBTQ+-affirming resources can hinder survivors from reaching out. Survivors may face multiple forms of discrimination based on intersecting identities such as race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or disability. These unique challenges often lead to silence, isolation, and difficulty seeking help.

Events such as NYC Pride present a rare opportunity to acknowledge the complex realities of navigating care as an LGBTQ+ survivor, as well as raise awareness about the services available to the millions who attended the parade. Even as Sanctuary continues to provide services to more than 7,200 survivors a year, greater efforts–education, advocacy, and changing the narrative–are essential to ending discrimination and harassment and creating a world free from gender violence.

Learn more about intimate partner violence in the LGTBQ+ community.

You Are Not Alone: Resources and Services for Queer Survivors

We want to remind our fellow New Yorkers that Sanctuary’s services are free and available to ALL individuals regardless of race, color, sex, age, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, religion, national origin, citizenship status, or marital status. If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse, please do not hesitate to reach out to us for help.

Learn more about safety planning and download our guide by clicking here.

For support on a national level, you can contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233).

See below for some queer-specific resources:

The Trevor Project
(866) 488-7386 (24/7)

The Trevor Project’s mission is to end suicide among LGBTQ young people.

NYC Anti-Violence Project
(212) 714-1141 (24/7)

AVP empowers lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and HIV-affected communities and allies to end all forms of violence through organizing and education, and supports survivors through counseling and advocacy.

The Network/La Red
(800) 832-1901 (24/7)

The Network/La Red is a survivor-led, social justice organization that works to end partner abuse in lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, kink, polyamorous, and queer communities.

Northwest Network
(206) 568-7777 (Mon–Fri, 9am-5pm)

NW Network supports queer & trans survivors in reconnecting to their self-determination through advocacy-based counseling and community education.

Stand with survivors and support our work by making a gift today.

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Cozen O’Connor: Sanctuary Pro Bono Partner Spotlight

Romy Felsen-Parsons

A spotlight on Sanctuary Pro Bono Partner Cozen O’Connor for their team’s outstanding work in assisting an incarcerated domestic violence survivor on her DVSJA application and helping secure her release.

Sanctuary for Families’ Pro Bono Project has the honor of working with hundreds of extremely dedicated and expert pro bono attorneys per year. As part of our new Pro Bono Spotlight, we’ll be highlighting some of the great work done by Sanctuary pro bono attorneys!

*Please note that this blog contains descriptions of physical and sexual abuse that could be triggering*

Cozen O’Connor Team Help Secure Freedom for Incarcerated Domestic Violence Survivor

We are thrilled to share that another one of Sanctuary’s Incarcerated Gender Violence Survivors Initiative clients, Ms. S, has been released due to the outstanding efforts of a Cozen O’Connor team headed by Members Matthew L. Elkin and Emily Shoor. Matt and Emily, along with their team, spent three years working on Ms. S’s DVSJA resentencing motion, which was approved in March 2023.

After a Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) resentencing motion granted in March of 2023, Sanctuary’s client, Ms. S, was released after more than 10 years of incarceration for the stabbing death of her severely abusive former intimate partner. Without DVSJA resentencing, she would have served nearly 15 more years for her manslaughter conviction, in which she stabbed her abuser after he broke into her home in the middle of the night, threw her against a wall, and began to strangle her. We are deeply grateful to Matt Elkin and Emily Shoor from Cozen O’Connor for investing hundreds of hours into securing freedom for this survivor.

Like many incarcerated women, Ms. S has been subjected to unconscionable levels of abuse throughout her life, both at the hands of intimate partners and family members. Former partners have subjected her to severe sexual and physical violence, trafficking, forced drug usage, and repeated threats to her life with guns and violence.

The abuse perpetrated by Mr. B, the partner whose death led to Ms. S’s incarceration, began almost immediately after they started dating and escalated rapidly to severe physical, sexual, and psychological abuse. On multiple occasions he strangled Ms. S to the point of unconsciousness. He was jealous and controlling, and would frequently yell at Ms. S in public, break her things, and humiliate her. The abuse she suffered put Ms. S at a significantly high risk of femicide at the hands of her abuser. Under Dr. Jacquelyn Campbell’s widely used Danger Assessment, an escalation of violence, strangulation, sexual assault, violent jealously, and control are all indicators of an increased risk of lethality.

At great risk to her safety, Ms. S left Mr. B and began to implement an exit strategy, changing the locks of her doors, telling family and friends to keep Mr. B away, and planning to move to a new apartment.

However, the day before Ms. S was scheduled to move, she woke up to find Mr. B standing over her, having broken into her apartment. Mr. B attacked Ms. S, throwing her against a wall and strangling her. To protect herself, Ms. S grabbed a nearby sharp object and stabbed Mr. B once. The blow was not intended to be fatal – in fact, Ms. S immediately began conducting CPR on Mr. B, and she did not know that Mr. B had died until the police revealed it to her in questioning.

This history of domestic violence and the circumstances surrounding Mr. B’s death were never raised at trial. Ms. S was acquitted of second degree murder but convicted of manslaughter in the first degree and given the maximum sentence of 25 years.

In her ten-plus years of her incarceration, Ms. S has worked hard to heal from her trauma, taking nonviolent conflict resolution courses and aggression replacement training. She has thrived academically and professionally, holding several jobs at the prison while completing her Associate’s and Bachelor’s Degree, as well as a writing course and a Basic Legal Research and Law Library Management course. During this time, Ms. S also reached out to Sanctuary for legal assistance. After hearing her story Sanctuary recruited the law firm of Cozen O’Connor to help Ms. S, and Cozen O’Connor Members Matt L. Elkin and Emily Shoor agreed to represent Ms. S pro bono on her DVSJA application.

We reached out to Emily and Matt to hear more about their experience working with Ms. S.

What made you want to take on Ms. S’s case? What was your experience like working with her?

Matt: It was very clear from the beginning that Ms. S had lived a really tragic life and tragic circumstances led to her incarceration, but she still had such a positive attitude about her. We could tell that on a day-to-day basis she struggled to maintain [this attitude], day after day and week after week and year after year in Bedford Hills where things didn’t get any better, but she always kept up hope and was enthusiastic to work with us, which made her a tremendous client to work with.

What do you find compelling about DVSJA resentencing cases, as opposed to other cases with incarcerated survivors? What unique challenges and opportunities do they present?

Emily: I think it’s really wonderful that the [DVSJA] legislation opened the door for so many people to seek resentencing for circumstances that weren’t originally considered at their sentencing hearings. Ms. S was serving the maximum sentence for the crime of manslaughter, 25 years. And the DVSJA maximum sentence is only 5 years. So it gives people an opportunity to get their lives back, which is really compelling all on its own.

Which moment in your representation was the most impactful for you?

Matt: The obvious moment is when we were in court, after the judge ordered resentencing, listening to Ms. S express her gratitude to everyone who had a role in her resentencing for giving her this chance to ger her life back . On top of this, Ms. S was resentenced on a Thursday afternoon in Rochester and we were under the impression that she wasn’t going to be able to get out of prison before the weekend because she was incarcerated at Bedford Hills in Westchester. This was one of those things that we’d prepared ourselves and Ms. S for as an unfortunate reality. But that didn’t stop us from trying, and we asked the Judge if she could try to motivate [the Department of] Corrections to get things moving, and then everyone really sprang into action. The DA’s office supported our request; one of the guards who transported Ms. S from prison before the hearing approached the bench and explained the logistics of prisoner transport; the Judge’s law clerks were on the phone with their contacts at DOCCS before the hearing even ended; the team from Willow [Domestic Violence Center] was calling politicians and asking everyone they knew for support. Watching the entire community rally around Ms. S was particularly impactful. She was out of prison by lunchtime the next day, much to everyone’s surprise.

Emily: Also, the assistance that we got from the Monroe County DA, Sandra Doorley and from ADA Patrick Gallagher was amazing. DA Doorley was open minded and agreed to meet with us so we could discuss Ms. S’s case and advocate on her behalf directly. It also gave us the opportunity to “introduce” Ms. S to DA Doorley, by allowing us to convey Ms. S’s story beyond the words on paper. Once the DA’s office consented to the re-sentencing application, their cooperation and assistance proved invaluable. It’s such a unique experience in court to have both sides working to achieve the same result, and the Judge was clearly moved by the cooperation between both sides. It was really the most joyous a criminal courtroom could be.

Anything else you want to mention?

Emily: I’m really grateful to Sanctuary for partnering with firms to give attorneys the opportunity to do this kind of work in conjunction with their mentorship and expertise. Without the IGVSI team, Kayla, Ross, and Isabelle, we would not have been able to do this.

Matt: I also really value the pro bono program at Cozen O’Connor because members of our team were able to devote hundreds and hundreds of hours to this case. If not for a firm that’s truly committed to pro bono work, we would not have been able to devote the resources we needed to preparing Ms. S’s application, visiting her in prison multiple times, and ultimately going up to Rochester to get her resentenced. A lot of law firms talk the talk about pro bono work, but Cozen O’Connor has proven itself as a real leader.

We are so grateful to Emily, Matt, and Cozen O’Connor, and thrilled to welcome Ms. S home!

Join the Cozen O’Connor team in standing with our clients. Your gift supports Sanctuary’s life-saving work with survivors of gender violence.

   Make a Gift  

Alita T. Wingfield, 2023 Zero Tolerance Honoree

Sanctuary for Families

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence.

Every year, at our Zero Tolerance Benefit, Sanctuary for Families honors those who have significantly contributed to the movement to end gender-based violence. This year, we are thrilled to present the 2023 Zero Tolerance Award to Alita T. Wingfield, Managing Director & Head of Compliance Training at Morgan Stanley.

INTRODUCING ALITA

Alita T. Wingfield is a Managing Director of Morgan Stanley and the Head of Compliance Training. Alita joined the firm in 2004 as a Director in the Legal and Compliance Division (LCD) and later served as the Head of Non-Market Risk at Morgan Stanley Bank, N.A. She was named Vice President in 2005, Executive Director in 2011, and Managing Director in 2021.

In 2022, Alita was appointed Co-Chair of the Firm’s Black Employee Network. She is also a member of the Legal and Compliance Division Diversity and Inclusion Steering Committee and the past Co-Chair of the Division’s Diversity and Inclusion Network. Alita was awarded the 2013 NYC Bar Diversity & Inclusion Champion Award and the 2013 Corporate Counsel Women of Color Individual Star Diversity Award of Excellence. In 2021, she was also awarded the Council of Urban Professionals Law Catalyst Award.

Alita has been involved with Sanctuary for over 10 years and served on Sanctuary’s Board from 2014-2018. She has inspired many from the Morgan Stanley community to engage in Sanctuary’s work, ranging from pro bono projects to financial support.

Before joining Morgan Stanley, Alita was a litigation associate at Paul Weiss. Alita graduated from Spelman College, summa cum laude, with a B.A. in Political Science in 1994. She also holds a J. D. from Howard University School of Law, cum /aude, and an LL. M. in Trial Advocacy, cum laude, from Temple University Beasley School of Law. She resides in Burlington, NJ, with her husband, Eddie, and their four children.