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.

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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.

Schulte Roth Attorneys Help Domestic Violence Survivor Through Complex and Challenging Custody Battle

Elizabeth Buckel

At this year’s Above and Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP for their dedicated and powerful advocacy on behalf of their client, “Macey,” throughout a complex and challenging custody battle.

Elizabeth Buckel is a senior associate in the Litigation and Trial Practice group at Alston & Bird LLP and a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council.

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At this year’s Above & Beyond Pro Bono Achievement Awards and Benefit, Sanctuary for Families is honoring a team of attorneys from Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP for their dedicated and powerful advocacy on behalf of their client, “Macey,” throughout a complex and challenging custody battle.  We are pleased to honor this incredible team consisting of former associate Cara David, partner Taleah Jennings, and associates Thomas DeFranco, Thomas Przybylowski, and Elizabeth Sullivan.

In early 2015, Macey and her children were locked out of their family home by Macey’s violent and controlling abuser, the father of her children, following incidents where he threatened Macey and destroyed her belongings in fits of rage. Seeking to protect her children, Macey went to Family Court to file a family offense petition. Once there, Macey was assisted by Sanctuary’s Courtroom Advocates Project (CAP). 

Sanctuary senior staff attorney Sadie Diaz took on Macey’s cases and helped her secure temporary custody of her children, and then continued to navigate a trial on cross-custody petitions in Family Court. During trial, Sadie was able to obtain key testimony and evidence showing the father’s violence, destruction, and abusive control (exerted at times in the children’s presence) and establish that he was completely unwilling to take care of the children’s various medical and educational needs. However, in August 2017, mid-trial and before Macey had completed presenting her evidence, the Family Court inexplicably granted the father’s motion for temporary custody of the children pending a final determination of the proceeding.

That’s when the pro bono team from Schulte stepped in. According to Sadie, who nominated this team,

“The Schulte team immediately went to work on an interim appeal to the Second Department, digesting the extremely complex record, which included three years of multiple orders, transcripts from approximately 10 days of trial, and multiple exhibits, and working tirelessly to draft persuasive briefing.”

Due to the Schulte team’s gold standard work in briefing the case and impressive advocacy at oral arguments by Cara David, the appellate court reversed the grant of temporary custody to the father, and the children remained with Macey for the remainder of the Family Court proceedings.

As the Family Court trial continued in 2018, the Schulte team remained dedicated to Macey and her children. They attended trial to lend moral support and advice, and witnessed the procedural and systemic challenges of Family Court and the father’s abuse of the litigation process.  At the end, the Judge once again transferred custody to the father despite the additional evidence that had been presented in favor of Macey, issuing her decision at the eleventh hour before the 2018 Labor Day weekend to make it difficult to appeal the decision and obtain a stay before the start of school.

The Schulte team immediately dove back into the case. The team worked over the holiday weekend to try to obtain a stay of the final custody order, and continues to handle the ongoing appeal. The team described that they wouldn’t have it any other way—

“We saw a Family Court that wasn’t getting it right and was therefore failing the people who needed its protection the most. Here, we have an opportunity to try and correct these errors.”

The team remains steadfastly devoted to the case, and to Macey and her children. As Sadie highlighted,

“The Schulte team has been genuinely concerned about Macey and her children throughout this process, and is truly dedicated to obtaining the best possible result for this family.”

The team noted that it is Macey who deserves the credit for keeping them going:

“It is a huge honor to represent Macey. Macey simply cannot be more invested in the day-to-day lives of her children. Despite this challenging process and devastating judicial determinations, Macey is fiercely committed to her children and is doing everything possible in her power to make sure they are safe and protected.”

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Join us at our Above & Beyond celebration on November 12, 2019, at the RUMI Event Space, 229 W 28th St, New York, NY as we honor the outstanding pro bono work by the team from Schulte. You can buy tickets here. 

If you can’t join us, but would like to support Sanctuary for Family’s work, please consider making an Above & Beyond donation here.