Debevoise Team Honored for Securing Parole Release for Survivor

Naina Rasheed

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is thrilled to honor an outstanding team from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP for successfully obtaining parole for an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence who will be released this October.

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is thrilled to honor an outstanding team from Debevoise & Plimpton LLP   — partner and Sanctuary Board member Steven Slutzky and associates John Jacob, Grace Anna Li, and Amy Pereira — for successfully obtaining parole for an incarcerated survivor of domestic violence.

The Debevoise team went “Above and Beyond” in its representation of an incarcerated woman, Ms. D, a survivor of domestic violence for whom they successfully obtained parole at her initial interview in June. Ms. D will be released this October.

Debevoise has been a strong pro bono partner of Sanctuary for Families for decades, but this was the first matter (but not the last!) that the lawyers on Ms. D.’s team had done with Sanctuary for Families. In February 2025, after being briefed by lawyers from Sanctuary’s Incarcerated Gender Violence Survivors Initiative (IGVSI), the team immediately jumped into meeting with Ms. D and talking to her friends and family to prepare a compelling advocacy letter and parole packet for submission. This entailed weekly calls and regular visits to Ms. D at the correctional facility and obtaining letters of support from family, friends, and reentry organizations.  It was not always easy to schedule visits given the staff shortage at the correctional facility, resulting in delayed responses to requests for calls and visits.

Hours were dedicated to preparing Ms. D for her parole interview, and the team worked with her to become confident and ready for the interview.  Ms. D took ownership of her actions which empowered her to share her transformation while she was incarcerated.  Ms. D explained to the parole board that she was focused on reuniting with her family, working on her mental health and moving on with her life.  The Debevoise team developed a close relationship with Ms. D, expressing that she was “lovely to work with”.  The team also developed relationships with others with whom they worked to prepare for the parole interview.

“Partnering with Sanctuary for Families to represent Ms. D in her parole application was deeply rewarding. Through our work together, we saw Ms. D’s resilience and commitment to building a better future for herself and her family. We are thrilled that her application was successful and proud to have played a part in this important milestone.” – Debevoise team

“The team at Debevoise showed us what true advocacy looks like: skill, empathy, and trauma-informed practice working seamlessly together for the good of our client.” – Sanctuary’s IGVSI team

Sanctuary is extremely honored to present the “Above and Beyond” Pro Bono Award to the Debevoise team.

Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2025, as we honor Debevoise & Plimpton’s outstanding pro bono work.

PURCHASE TICKETS

If your firm is interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to Geny Kimbrell, Director of Special Events, by email at gkimbrell@sffny.org.

Naina Rasheed is a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council.

Latham Wins Rare Nunc Pro Tunc Asylum, Protecting Survivor’s Disabled Daughter

Irina Sivachenko

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is honoring a stellar team from Latham & Watkins for their extraordinary pro bono work in securing a rare nunc pro tunc asylum for a severely disabled client. 

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is thrilled to honor a stellar team from Latham & Watkins LLP — Joshua A. Tinkelman, Hyeon Min “Mina” Kim, Lauren Mastronardi, Alexandra J. Kustra as well as former Latham attorneys Sohom Datta, and Sami El-Kebbi — for their extraordinary pro bono work in securing a rare nunc pro tunc asylum for a severely disabled client. 

More than a decade ago, the Latham team began representing Anne*, a survivor of female genital mutilation (“FGM”), who fled The Gambia. Anne, determined to protect her young daughters from the FGM procedure, left her home country after enduring violence and death threats from her husband’s family. The Latham team successfully secured asylum for Anne, reunited her with her children in the United States, and later helped Anne and her children obtain lawful permanent residency.

The immigration process proceeded predictably until 2022, when Anne’s disabled adult daughter, J.M.*, received a devastating denial of her adjustment of status application from USCIS. J.M., who is severely disabled and nonverbal, was undergoing cancer treatment when the denial letter arrived in the mail. Because Anne had become a U.S. citizen by the time J.M.’s case was reviewed, J.M.’s derivative asylee status had expired. The denial had grave consequences: not only was J.M.’s presence in the U.S. at risk, but she also faced losing her critical Medicaid and SSI benefits. Without her benefits, J.M. would be left without access to life-saving care.

The Latham team immediately mobilized, working closely with Sanctuary for Families to pursue a nunc pro tunc asylum application – a rarely used and complex legal remedy. They prepared an expedited request, guided Anne and J.M. through the hearing process, and tirelessly advocated to protect J.M.’s rights. Weeks after the hearing, J.M. was granted asylum and her medical benefits were secured. The Latham team’s efforts provided a lifeline for J.M. to remain in the United States and continue receiving critical medical care, and the team has since filed for J.M.’s green card.

The attorneys describe this case as both challenging and deeply meaningful. Over the years, they developed a close bond with Anne and her children. Sami, a corporate lawyer, reflected that he always wanted to become involved in immigration matters and seeing his legal work make a real difference “felt very special.” Alexandra and Sohom recalled the family’s resilience and were touched by their support for one another. For Alexandra, a corporate attorney, helping J.M. secure medical assistance and being able to continue her cancer treatment as well as preserve J.M.’s right to remain in the United States was “a very powerful experience.” Years later, Sohom still calls this as “one of the most impactful matters” he worked on.

Pooja Asnani, Senior Program Director of the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary, supervised the matter. She praised the Latham team for their “undaunted” advocacy, noting that their persistence over more than a decade exemplified their skill and their “really big hearts.” The team was zealous, tireless, and truly went above and beyond to protect their client, she said.

*Not a real name

Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2025, as we honor Latham &Watkins’ outstanding pro bono work.

PURCHASE TICKETS

If your firm is interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to Geny Kimbrell, Director of Special Events, by email at gkimbrell@sffny.org.

Irina is a Senior Attorney at Ropes & Gray and a member of the firm’s Anti-Corruption and International Risk practice. She focuses on cross-border investigations and anti-corruption diligence and her work so far spanned over 25 countries. She is also a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council and a Co-Chair of this year’s Above and Beyond Pro Bono Awards and Benefit.

Duane Morris Champions Survivors in Hague Convention Cases

Nyla Samee

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is honoring an incredible team from Duane Morris who readily took on the challenge of representing two Sanctuary clients in their respective Hague Convention cases.

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is honoring an incredible team from Duane Morris — Partner Mark A. Bradford, Senior Associate Tiffany E. Alberty, and Associates Bernadette Coyle and Jessica Santacroce — who readily took on the challenge of representing two Sanctuary clients in their respective Hague Convention cases.

When survivors of domestic violence face international child abduction proceedings under the Hague Convention on International Child Abduction, the legal battle can feel daunting. Oftentimes, survivors are wrongly portrayed as “kidnappers,” even when they fled to safeguard themselves and their children. For many survivors, the courtroom becomes yet another site of fear and traumatization—and an opportunity for their abuser to continue controlling them. But the unwavering support of trauma-informed counsel can help survivors to reclaim their voices and strength.

This is exactly what happened when the Duane Morris LLP team, comprised of Partner Mark A. Bradford, Senior Associate Tiffany E. Alberty, and Associates Bernadette Coyle and Jessica Santacroce, readily took on the challenge of representing two Sanctuary clients, LP and BL, in their respective Hague Convention cases.

BL’s case, filed in 2024, involved her abusive partner in Greece confiscating her and her son’s passports, and refusing to let them leave the apartment to return to their home in the United States. With the help of law enforcement, BL and her son were eventually able to travel back to the U.S. and her ex-partner filed a Hague petition seeking to force their son’s return to Greece. The Duane Morris team swiftly secured a dismissal of the petition filed against BL, sparing her the trauma and burden of undergoing a full trial.

Fresh off that success, the team began working on LP’s case, which went to trial in June 2025 and involved months of intensive preparation. LP had endured years of physical and psychological abuse. Terrified at the outset, LP drew strength from Duane Morris’ advocacy and support, sharing how empowered she felt after testifying in court. In September 2025, judgment was entered in LP’s favor, with the court denying the Hague petition filed against her – an outcome that further affirmed the courage she found in standing up with the support of the Duane Morris team.

Lesley Johannsen, Senior Staff Attorney in Sanctuary’s Narkis Golan International Child Abduction Initiative, supervised the team, and was impressed by their eagerness to take on these demanding cases as well as the empathy in their legal approaches. “Hague matters can be incredibly complex. From the inception of the case, the survivor is often fighting an uphill battle as she is immediately perceived as a kidnapper instead of a protective mother. But Duane Morris does not shy away from a challenge. I appreciate the team’s sensitive, trauma-informed approach to every case we partner with them on,” she shared.

For Mark, practicing trauma-informed lawyering meant recognizing both their human and legal dimensions: “With LP’s case, as with any Hague Convention case, the challenges are dealing with both a survivor who has had to move across borders in often expedited and exigent circumstances, while also unravelling a foreign body of law…We are privileged as attorneys to get to represent our clients, especially those who might otherwise crouch in the shadows, or be left in the dark, to give them voice.”

Tiffany emphasized the importance of setting expectations and guiding survivors throughout the process: “With BL, one of the biggest things with client advocacy in working in this sensitive community is explaining that this is going to be a long, arduous, and difficult process. When the case was dismissed so quickly, BL was through the moon as were we. To be able to deliver that relief to a client under such grave circumstances was amazing.” In reflecting on the broader meaning of such representation, Tiffany shared, “I think sometimes, you forget the impact you can have on somebody’s life. It’s humbling to know how much power you can yield for good – to alleviate someone of that type of stress is so powerful to watch as an attorney.”

For Bernadette, stepping into family-centered advocacy was a profound shift from her day-to-day practice: “In our normal course of practice, we are a dealing a lot with corporate clients. I think you have to adjust your approach and your goals for the fact that there is a lot of trauma involved in these cases, and these are real families facing real risk. Learning to communicate with LP based on meeting her where she is, while explaining the legal proceedings, was so important.”

Jessica, who worked closely with LP’s children, underscored the need to create a safe space. “For this case, I interviewed the two minor girls. It was about learning how to set a safe space so they could share their story effectively without retraumatization. LP expressed that she felt very seen and heard by us, and that was important both legally and personally,” Jessica recalled.

In both cases, the survivors spoke of how supported they felt. LP praised Mark for his steady positivity and Tiffany for her tenacity, saying she walked into the trial amazed at her own strength with such a dedicated team by her side. By combining legal strategy with compassion, the Duane Morris team ensured that LP and BL were not just defended in their legal cases, but empowered as survivors. The team’s work underscores that trauma-informed lawyering is not only possible, but instrumental in high-stakes international Hague Convention cases.

Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2025, as we honor Duane Morris’ outstanding pro bono work.

PURCHASE TICKETS

If your firm is interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to Geny Kimbrell, Director of Special Events, by email at gkimbrell@sffny.org.

Nyla Samee is the Project Assistant for Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Project.

McDermott Will & Schulte Secures Safety and Sets Key Precedent for Survivors

Elena Rizzo

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is proud to recognize an exceptional team from McDermott Will & Schulte for their remarkable efforts to secure a long-term order of protection while setting an important precedent for survivors of gender-based violence.

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary for Families is proud to recognize an exceptional team from McDermott Will & Schulte — Senior Partner Taleah E. Baez and Associate Priyadarshini Das — for their remarkable efforts to secure a long-term order of protection on behalf of Ms. L while setting an important precedent for survivors of gender-based violence.

In September 2023, Sanctuary for Families and Ms. L sought the assistance of McDermott Will & Schulte’s Taleah E. Baez (Senior Partner) and Priyadarshini Das (then a second-year associate) to obtain long-term protection for Ms. L against her abuser.

Despite Ms. L having suffered years of emotional and physical abuse, including second-degree assault, and the presence of “aggravating circumstances,” the Family Court declined to grant the five-year order of protection that was warranted, and instead issued a two-year order of protection. Sanctuary’s legal team urgently required appellate counsel.

Erin Mears, the Sanctuary Senior Staff Attorney who nominated McDermott Will & Schulte’s team for the Above & Beyond Award, recalls:

“Taleah and Priyadarshini immediately offered to assist in representing Mrs. L in this compelling case. They were incredible to work with and extremely collaborative. I knew Mrs. L.’s case was being handled with the utmost care and attention. I was extremely grateful for their excellent lawyering and zealous advocacy for our client.”

Their work unfolded over 17 intense months: perfecting the appeal, drafting a cross-appeal, and coordinating with multiple parties, including the attorney for the children. On January 13, 2025, Priyadarshini made her first appearance before the Appellate Division, supported by Sanctuary attorneys and firm colleagues, including partners who volunteered their weekend time for mock arguments.

In February 2025, the Appellate Division issued a five-year order of protection, giving Ms. L. the long-term security she deserved and correcting the trial court’s error.

This case further strengthened the longstanding pro bono partnership between Sanctuary for Families and McDermott Will & Schulte.

For Taleah, the case was a natural extension of a long relationship with Sanctuary:

“I am impressed by the work that Sanctuary does. When they call, I answer—especially when a precedent-setting issue is on the line.”

Taleah serves on Sanctuary for Families’ President’s Council and is a member of its Legal Advisory Council, having worked on numerous matters—including appeals—alongside Sanctuary attorneys.

Priyadarshini’s commitment to pro bono work began as a student with Sanctuary’s Courtroom Advocates Project:

“That first order-of-protection case showed me the power of legal advocacy. As I was finally able to step into the courtroom, I could not pass on the opportunity to improve my advocacy skills to make a difference.”

By securing a five-year order of protection, Taleah and Priyadarshini provided critical stability for Ms. L., while also establishing persuasive precedent to support future petitions for long-term protection in cases involving “aggravating circumstances.”

Join us at our Above & Beyond Awards Ceremony on October 21, 2025, as we honor McDermott Will & Schulte’s outstanding pro bono work.

PURCHASE TICKETS

If your firm is interested in a sponsorship opportunity, please reach out to Geny Kimbrell, Director of Special Events, by email at gkimbrell@sffny.org.

Elena Rizzo is a Senior Associate in the International Arbitration team at DLA Piper’s New York office. Elena is also a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council and is co-chairing this year’s Above & Beyond Awards event. Elena has worked alongside Sanctuary attorneys on numerous matters since 2017.