pro bono spotlight

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Keydel (we are using only his first name to protect his anonymity) was repeatedly abused by his father physically, verbally and emotionally. Seeking safety, Keydel fled Guatemala for America. He was detained at the border, where the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORSORR), a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, took initial custody of him. Keydel explained that he has a sister in New York, so ORSORR released him to her care. When he arrived in New York, he was put into removal proceedings to send him back to Guatemala. That’s when Rivkin and KIND got involved. The firm appeared at Immigration Court with Keydel for his removal proceeding and advised him of the charges against him and his possible avenues for relief.

At the time the firm began work on the case, Keydel was 19 years old. The team determined that Keydel’s best chance of remaining in the U.S. legally was to obtain special immigrant juvenile status. Establishing juvenile status requires dealing with three different administrative bodies: Family Court, Immigration Court, which is part of the U.S. Department of Justice, and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. And the paperwork required to establish special juvenile status must be filed before Keydel turns 21.

But first, the team needed to secure guardianship for Keydel in Family Court since he is a minor. That involved enlisting a family member to personally serve his parents in Guatemala with the guardianship petition and motion for special findings.

The Rivkin Radler team also had to convince the Court to make a finding that it has legal custody over his care in New York since he is a minor, which relied on the Court finding that he was abused, neglected or abandoned by his parent and unable to remain in the parent’s care.

The week of October 24, the team filed a petition with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security asking the agency to qualify Keydel, who is now 20 years old, for special immigrant status. The agency could take up to a year to make its determination.

This was a true team effort. Jennifer, Laura and Sean interviewed Keydel and his sister, prepared affidavits and the guardianship petition, drafted the motion for special findings and presented the case before Family Court. Since Henry is the most familiar with the system, he quarterbacked the process, assigning the tasks, reviewing our attorneys’ work, appearing before the Immigration Court and then appearing with the other three attorneys at Family Court. Evelyn acted as translator and provided emotional support to Keydel.

The team’s next step is to return to Immigration Court and ask it to close Keydel’s case until Homeland Security decides whether to grant him special immigrant juvenile status, which will temporarily end the removal proceedings. Once Homeland Security grants the petition, Rivkin Radler’s pro bono team will help Keydel apply for his green card so that he can be in the U.S. as a lawful permanent resident.

The law firm of Moran Reeves & Conn PC in Virginia prioritizes pro bono, pledging sponsorship dollars and volunteering time to help close the justice gap.

The firm sponsored the Fresh Start breakfast in September 2022, raising awareness of the impactful work of the Central Virginia Legal Aid Society.

Taylor Brewer, Stewart Pollock, Lisa McMurdo, Katherine Morley, Shyrell Reed (pictured L-to-R)

• Moran Reeves Conn (MRC) pro bono chair Taylor Brewer serves on the board of directors of the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation, which connects volunteer attorneys with pro bono opportunities. She serves as the triage champion for pro bono protective orders, pairing volunteer attorneys – including several from MRC – with Richmond residents who need representation seeking protective orders.

• Taylor Brewer and Stewart Pollock are Moran Reeves Conn’s (MRC) representatives for Firms in Service, a network of private law firms and corporate law departments that work to increase the availability of pro bono legal services. Each member firm, including MRC, has committed to providing and reporting the hours its attorneys spend on pro bono work, which the Ethical Rules suggest should be 2% of the attorney’s total billable hours.

• Stewart Pollock, along with Katherine Morley, has helped people navigate the legal process of obtaining a final divorce decree, often bringing finality to those who have been physically separated for years, if not decades.

• Lisa McMurdo serves on the Legal Services Advisory Committee for the Black Family Land Trust. She and other volunteers have developed intake forms, attorney engagement and placement letters, and referral request forms, and currently are assisting with the hiring of a full-time legal services director.

• Shyrell Reed spends up to eight hours every month assisting congregations of Jehovah’s Witnesses with real estate matters, such as resolving boundary line disputes, conducting research and providing advice about collecting on promissory notes, drafting real estate agreements, handling trusts and estate matters, and defending adverse possession claims