Alston & Bird Team Honored for Obtaining a Settlement in a Highly Contested Custody Case

Paige A. Geier

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary will honor a team from Alston & Bird for their devoted pro bono representation of “Amber” to obtain a favorable settlement in a complex and highly contested custody case.

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is honoring a team from Alston & Bird, including partner Elizabeth Buckel, and associates Chris Williams, Morgan Meyer, and Ashton Andrews for their compassionate and devoted pro bono representation of “Amber” to obtain a favorable settlement in a complex and highly contested custody case.

“Amber” had previously left an abusive relationship, and the parties agreed to joint custody of their daughter.  Several years later, the arrangement was no longer working and came to Sanctuary for Families as a fraught and difficult custody modification case with a savvy, manipulative pro se respondent.  The hard-working team from Alston & Bird joined the case in 2023.  In addition to filing multiple violation petitions and orders to show cause, the team diligently prepared for trial and had weekslong settlement negotiations with the client’s abuser to work out a custody arrangement that was beneficial to both Amber and her daughter.  Ultimately, the team secured a favorable settlement that gave Amber sole legal custody and primary physical custody of her daughter with limited visitation with the father.

The Alston & Bird team juggled difficult aspects of the case with skill and compassion.  At times, they were simultaneously preparing for trial, engaging in settlement negotiations with an aggressive pro se respondent, and providing ongoing emotional support to their client.  The case was scheduled for trial, so the team started to prepare witnesses, draft direct examination questions, and engage in pretrial discovery.  Settlement negotiations were extremely complicated and, at times, hostile.  The team sent myriad emails, had dozens of phone calls, and – in a three-week span – engaged in five separate settlement talks with the abuser in an attempt to negotiate a custody arrangement.  Associate Chris Williams emphasized the challenge of balancing the various aspects of the case, especially while managing client expectations and ensuring the court system was not being used to work out personal grievances.

This was Chris’ first case with Sanctuary for Families, and he is excited to continue partnering with Sanctuary in the future.  Chris learned a great deal from this case, including key litigation skills like preparing for trial, negotiating settlements, and connecting with clients through empathy and patience.  Chris said this case taught him to be a zealous advocate for his clients, especially after witnessing the systems and institutions survivors interact with.  In this case, the team was able to use their “alternative dispute resolution tools to gain the best outcome for our client, but also for [her] family and future going forward.”

Erin Mears, Senior Staff Attorney at Sanctuary for Families, praised Chris for his continued empathy, compassion, and patience when working with Amber.  She remarked on how empowering it is for survivors to have “a team of fantastic, dedicated, conscientious lawyers” behind them.  It was especially important for Amber and had the crucial effect of shifting the power dynamic in the case – once the Alston & Bird team was brought on, it was no longer a David and Goliath scenario where the abuser could continue to exert control through the litigation process.  Erin commended the team’s dedication throughout the difficult process of preparing for trial: “Elizabeth and the team were responsive, detail-oriented, and hard-working throughout the case.  They were thorough and well-prepared in each document drafting, filing, and court appearance, and they were particularly attentive to the client and her daughter, taking special care of their mental health and well-being.”

Amber expressed her gratitude to the team after they secured her a favorable outcome.  She wrote: “There are no real words that can encompass how grateful and fortunate N and I are to have such an incredible team on our side.  I know that at times I have been one to overreact emotionally and perhaps illogical at times.  My intentions were never to be difficult but know it was always from a place of fear and desperation.  I truly have struggled in the last year the most and lived in a strange dark place where I felt almost not human.  You all have been so kind and generous with your humanity towards me and forever I will be grateful and appreciative.”

Sanctuary is incredibly grateful for the invaluable pro bono work of this amazing and supportive team.

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Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 8, 2024, as we honor Alston & Bird’s outstanding pro bono work.

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Milbank LLP Secures Divorce for Survivor After 4-Year Litigation Battle

Anastasia Regne

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary will honor will honor SA’s dedicated team of Milbank attorneys who have repeatedly achieved remarkable outcomes over the course of their 4 years representing SA in his initially uncontested divorce.

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families will honor SA’s dedicated team of Milbank attorneys who have repeatedly achieved remarkable outcomes over their 4 years representing SA in his initially uncontested divorce.

SA’s Milbank team consists of associates Ashley A. Satterlee, Elizabeth Hamilton, Morgan M. Williams, Alisha Gupta, and Leslie Irwin and partner Stacey J. Rappaport.

While living in Nigeria, where it is unlawful to be gay, SA’s abuser engaged in many methods of abuse, including forcing SA to engage in polyamory despite SA’s protests and to be on heavy medication which dulled SA’s senses.  The abuser constantly threatened to tell SA’s family and friends in Nigeria about SA’s sexuality, which would have put SA’s life at great risk. Subsequent to their marriage, the abuser also attempted to use the United States’ immigration system to control SA.

Lauren Patel of Sanctuary filed for the uncontested divorce in 2020 which turned into a complicated case as a result of the abuser’s litigation tactics.  After the abuser filed multiple interlocutory appeals in 2022, Milbank then offered to co-counsel to help SA.   Over the last two years, Milbank and SA have had to bat away constant filings – including extraordinarily lengthy requests to file counterclaims alleging fraud and demands for punitive payment, and multiple motions and appeals – all part of the abuser’s attempts to abuse the justice system to continue to assert power and control over SA.  These verbose filings (many over 100 pages long) are riddled with insulting jabs at the court and SA’s attorneys and contain slanderous allegations designed to humiliate SA.

However, as Milbank associates Morgan and Elizabeth explained, “The courts have seen straight through the abuser and that he is using the courts to abuse” SA.  SA and his Milbank team have succeeded in opposing a significant amount of relief sought by the abuser, and in February 2024, obtained a judgment of divorce for SA.

Milbank’s team was initially engaged to assist with an interlocutory appeal, but ultimately helped complete the divorce in chief and has remained on to represent SA in multiple subsequent filings including three appeals.  Because the abuser is pro se, the papers and arguments are difficult to understand.  As described by Lauren, Milbank’s pro bono team “constantly goes above and beyond to respond to each and every argument, motion, and paper to zealously advocate and protect SA against this abuse.  It has required a significant amount of legal research, time, and drafting to be able to continue to knock down each attempt, and they continue to be dedicated to doing so.”

The diversity of experience across Milbank’s incredible pro bono team allowed them to jump right in on SA’s case.  Each member of the team is passionate about working with SA: as Elizabeth noted, “everyone puts their whole hearts into it.” Morgan added “Sanctuary has been so amazing, Lauren is such an amazing resource in helping understand this case.”

Though the constant litigation has been arduous for SA and his lawyers, Morgan explained that she has learned a lot about drafting and client advocacy along the way.  She explained it recently occurred to her how much professional growth she’s had while working on SA’s case.  While drafting an outline, Morgan realized “when I was first added to the case, it would have taken me months to draft this,” and now she is able to put papers together much more quickly.  Morgan also said that working on SA’s case has strengthened her understanding of the importance of advocacy for Sanctuary clients.  Elizabeth explained that the team has continued to not only work with SA to defeat the abuser’s constant frivolous filings, but to help work with SA to stay safe by ensuring that SA’s whereabouts and contact information are kept away from the abuser, consistent with the confidentiality order in place in the case.

The Milbank team and SA continue to fight SA’s abuser and plan to defeat him in his third appeal.  Morgan explained that the abuser “might file something wild or crazy, but we are ready to fight it vigorously.” She further provided, “Our firm is committed to pro bono work – the firm recognized us for this case last month.”   Elizabeth added, Milbank knows it’s important to “fight for a righteous cause and take care of other people who need someone to stand up for them.”   Now that the team secured the judgment of divorce this February, Milbank and SA continue to work together on the third appeal, and expect oral argument to be held in October.

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Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 8, 2024, as we honor Milbank’s outstanding pro bono work.

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Anastasia Regne is a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council.