At HSPRD, our commitment to providing pro bono legal services goes beyond what is simply expected of today’s law firms. We take on numerous pro bono matters at all levels because doing so aligns with our mission and values to represent individuals and organizations in the pursuit of justice and fairness. Recently, immigration attorney Kendra Scheuerlein, spent a week volunteering her time with the Dilley Pro Bono Project in South Texas. Ms. Scheuerlein shared her experience helping families at the detention center:
“Last week my law firm, Hughes Socol Piers Resnick & Dym, fully supported me in a week-long trip to Dilley, TX, where I volunteered with the Dilley Pro Bono Project at the South Texas Family Residential Facility. There, I assisted detained women and their children in preparing for the first step in the long process of seeking asylum in the US: the “credible fear interview” (CFI). So far, this has been my most difficult trip to the detention center. Since my last trip to Dilley in 2016, there have been many changes in the rules governing asylum law and CFIs. Most of the rules have been implemented over the last few months. The net effect has been that the grant rate for CFI interviews decreased from 98% to 10% in just the last two months. I am hopeful that advocacy work by HSPRD, and other firms and non-profit agencies like us, will change this tide for the better, so that these decisions will more accurately reflect our country’s asylum laws and values. This is the second time HSPRD has supported me on such a trip, and I am incredibly grateful to work for a Firm with such humane values.”
HSPRD attorneys dedicate their pro bono time in a variety of areas, from asylum and refugee cases, to human rights and criminal justice matters, to representing local and national advocacy organizations.
For more information, please contact Kendra Scheuerlein.
Learn more about the Dilley Pro Bono Project.
