Paul Hastings and Goldman Sachs Come Together to Help Sanctuary’s Clients

Tushna Gamadia

At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Hastings LLP and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. for their compassionate pro bono assistance on behalf of twelve Sanctuary clients and their families.

Tushna Gamadia is a member of Sanctuary for Families Pro Bono Council and an Of Counsel in the Real Estate Group at Morrison & Foerster LLP. She works on a number of family law and immigration cases pro bono, including for Sanctuary for Families clients who have inspired her with their courage, determination and hope.

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At this year’s Above & Beyond Awards, Sanctuary is honoring a team of attorneys from Paul Hastings LLP and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. for their compassionate pro bono assistance on behalf of twelve Sanctuary clients and their families. The team consisted of Susan Wade, Of Counsel at Paul Hastings; Justin Capozzi, Associate at Paul Hastings; Colleen M. O’Brien, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Goldman Sachs; and Juan Castano, Legal Analyst at Goldman Sachs.  

A group of dedicated volunteers from Paul Hastings LLP and The Goldman Sachs Group, Inc. teamed up in April 2019 at a clinic at Paul Hastings LLP to help 12 Sanctuary for Families’ clients and their family members adjust their status from U Nonimmigrant Status to permanent resident status before their U-visas expired.

This day was a significant milestone in our clients’ journeys toward a safe, secure and hopeful future. Each of them and their families had survived domestic violence and trauma and with great strength and courage came forward to cooperate with law enforcement to seek justice against their abusers. As a result of this cooperation, they had been granted U-Visa status by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”), a status that allows survivors to live and work in the United States and makes them eligible for permanent resident status after four years.  The goal of this clinic was to help the clients complete and submit their permanent residency applications to USCIS before their U-visas expired in October 2019, thus allowing them and their families to continue to live and work in the United States on a permanent basis.  Securing permanent resident status also puts them on the path to one day obtaining U.S. citizenship.

The success of the clinic in helping so many clients so efficiently and skillfully would not have been possible without the extraordinary leadership of Susan Wade, Of Counsel at Paul Hastings; Justin Capozzi, Associate at Paul Hastings; Colleen M. O’Brien, Vice President and Associate General Counsel at Goldman Sachs; and Juan Castano, Legal Analyst at Goldman Sachs.

Susan, Justin, Colleen, and Juan recruited a large number of volunteers to represent clients, interpret for clients, and make sure the clinic day ran smoothly.  Colleen and Juan organized a training session at Goldman Sachs in advance of the clinic so that volunteers were prepared and knew what to expect, especially in terms of understanding the trauma their clients have experienced and had to relive during the process of obtaining their U-Visa.

After the training, Paul Hastings and Goldman Sachs volunteers formed teams and reviewed the clients’ files in advance of the meeting so that they were fully prepared to assist each client with completing the bulk of their application at the clinic.  Paul Hastings’ attorneys completed any necessary follow up and finalized the applications for submission to USCIS.

“Paul Hastings and Goldman Sachs really mobilized a tremendous amount of resources, pro bono attorneys and volunteers, conference rooms, and positive energy to make this happen,” said Sanctuary Immigration Intervention Project (IIP) attorney Anne-Cecile Raphael.

The Sanctuary IIP attorneys who assisted with the clinic were impressed and excited by the level of energy and enthusiasm from the volunteers, who refused to allow the current anti-immigrant climate to have a chilling effect on their clients’ ability to apply for immigration benefits.

“The level of professionalism and care they displayed really impressed us all. Susan, Justin, Colleen, and Juan really created a unique opportunity for Sanctuary clients to spend time together and interact with each other, as well as with the volunteers. Having the support of others who have gone through similar experiences as well as knowing that they each had a team of 3 or 4 committed and compassionate volunteers to help them submit their application for a green card really helped the clients feel comfortable and confident in taking this step forward,” said Raphael.

“Susan and Justin are incredibly knowledgeable, organized, and trauma-informed. Their commitment to Sanctuary’s immigration clients is inspiring, and we were so happy that they were leading the charge to ensure so many clients got help with applications that, given the current anti-immigration climate, were really causing our clients a lot of anxiety,” said Sanctuary Pro Bono Director Nicole Fidler.

The volunteers, like the clients, were a diverse group in terms of background, ages and experience levels, but they were all committed to helping their clients achieve an important step towards their American dream of safety, opportunity, dignity and a chance at happiness for their families. For many of the volunteers, assisting in the clinic felt close to home because they came from immigrant families. For others, it was a great introduction to pro bono work or a way to dedicate a finite amount of time from their hectic work schedules to make a big and significant impact in the life of a brave survivor. For others, it was an extension of their commitment to pro bono work, including years of on-going commitment to Sanctuary’s clients or an extension of their work on Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council. The diligent team work of these volunteers is an inspiration to other law firms and companies as a great way to come together to help make a positive impact in the lives of courageous and inspiring people and learn a great deal in return.

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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 Paul Hastings’ and Goldman Sachs’ outstanding pro bono work. 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.

Davis Polk Team Changes Lives of U-Visa Applicants with Impact Litigation

Alexandra Davidson

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP has been a pro bono partner of Sanctuary for Families for more than 25 years, assisting Sanctuary on a variety of matters. When Sanctuary asked for help pursuing precedent-setting impact litigation on behalf of crime victims facing excessively long processing times when petitioning for U-nonimmigrant status (also known as “U-visa applications”), Davis Polk stepped up again.

Alex is an associate with Pollack Solomon Duffy LLP and a member of Sanctuary’s Pro Bono Council.

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Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP has been a pro bono partner of Sanctuary for Families for more than 25 years, assisting Sanctuary on a variety of matters.  When Sanctuary asked for help pursuing precedent-setting impact litigation on behalf of crime victims facing excessively long processing times when petitioning for U-nonimmigrant status (also known as “U-visa applications”), Davis Polk stepped up again. 

U-visa applicants forced to wait 2 years for employment eligibility

The Davis Polk team, led by associate Scott Wilcox, with Special Counsel for Pro Bono Sharon Katz, and associates Caroline Stern and Surya Gopalan, represented a group of Sanctuary clients with pending U-visa applications. Over the past 10 years, Sanctuary and its pro bono partners (including Davis Polk) have filed hundreds of U-visa applications on behalf of some of Sanctuary’s most impoverished and marginalized clients.

U-visa applicants now typically face processing times by United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) of approximately two years.  During that time, applicants are often not granted Employment Authorization Documents (EADs).  Without EADs, it is difficult for victims (many of whom are survivors of domestic violence) to support their families and rebuild their lives free of abuse.  Facing a 22+ month processing time before they are eligible to receive EADs, clients remain in fear of removal and vulnerable to homelessness, ongoing abuse, and poverty.  Sanctuary reached out to Davis Polk to help these clients obtain EADs while their U-visa applications were pending. 

Davis Polk team gets to work

The Davis Polk team quickly got to work. The team conducted extensive legal research and developed a litigation strategy to maximize the likelihood of a positive outcome for the clients. The Davis Polk team prepared a federal complaint and motion papers, engaged in extensive settlement negotiations with the United States Attorney’s Office (which represented the various government agencies involved), and ultimately reached a favorable resolution for all of the plaintiffs.

Thanks to the team’s efforts, the clients, who had been forced to live in fear while USCIS held their applications in abeyance, have received considerable protection, solace, and comfort. Many of the plaintiffs already have obtained full-time employment and are now able to support their families in the United States.  For Surya, working on the case was a stark reminder of the importance of being part of a community that is compassionate and provides support where it’s most needed—in this case, to crime victims struggling for the basic right to work and support themselves and their families.

Reflecting on a successful outcome

Scott, who also serves on Sanctuary’s Legal Advisory Council, is thankful for the continued opportunity to collaborate with Sanctuary, noting that Sanctuary’s “team of professionals has proven time and time again that they’re amazing to work with, and this experience was no exception.”  Carolien Hardenbol, Co-Director of the Immigration Intervention Project at Sanctuary for Families, praised the Davis Polk team:

“They left no stone unturned in preparing the strongest possible case for our clients.”

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Join us at our Above & Beyond celebration on October 17, 2017 at the Highline Ballroom as we honor Davis Polk’s outstanding pro bono work.  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.