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.
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.
