My Pro Bono Story

I was a first-year associate, a few months into my life as a lawyer, when I first got involved in pro bono work. I took on a TAPP trial, litigating a misdemeanor on behalf of the city of Hermosa Beach. It was a three-day jury trial that I tried by myself. The only trial experience I had under my belt at that point was through the Kirkland Institute for Trial Advocacy (KITA) program. The experience was exhilarating and one that I still speak of fondly 15 years later. Obviously, I won the trial!

I tell junior attorneys that taking on pro bono work is the best and fastest way to develop their litigation chops, with the bonus of helping people along the way. At first, pro bono matters helped me jump-start my trial experience and got me the early, on-my-feet experience that would have taken years longer to obtain in paying-client cases. Now that I’m later in my career, I take joy in doing meaningful work that helps the underserved people in my community and inspiring the next generation of lawyers to do the same.

My favorite and most impactful pro bono case was a litigation we did on behalf of the tenants (mostly families and including children) of a slum apartment building in East Los Angeles. The conditions these clients lived in was horrific and they were so brave to come forward and testify, both in deposition and at trial, against the slumlord. We retained housing, damages and physician experts and were in the middle of the jury trial when the defendants offered to settle at an amount we couldn’t turn down. The settlement was life-changing for our clients, and we had a wonderful time litigating against “the bad guys” on their behalf.