A 10-year-old girl who was abused and abandoned by those entrusted with her care can now find safety and stability in a loving home, thanks to her two dedicated pro bono lawyers at Lowenstein Sandler.

Christine Boyle, a corporate associate at Lowenstein Sandler, and Catherine Weiss, Director of Public Interest Advocacy at the firm, represented the young girl, Elizabeth*, in immigration proceedings and helped her get a green card - which just arrived!

The case was complex, but Elizabeth was in good hands. Lowenstein Sandler has made pro bono a key part of its work. The firm established the Lowenstein Center for Public Interest in 2009 to reaffirm its commitment to the poor and disadvantaged and to bring greater strategic direction to the firm's pro bono program.

As part of her role in the Center, Catherine works with the firm's closest pro bono partners, including KIND, to assess the mentoring relationships between the nonprofit organizations' pro bono coordinators (PBCs) and the firm's volunteer attorneys. Elizabeth's case has helped Catherine better understand what it takes to have effective and efficient mentoring. "Both Wendy [Wylegala] and Morgan [Alen]," -- KIND's PBCs in New York and New Jersey, respectively - "were extremely helpful at answering questions and giving advice," Catherine noted.

Elizabeth's story

Christine and Catherine met Elizabeth for the first time about a year ago, after they attended a training hosted by KIND and agreed to take the girl's case.

They had to work hard to build trust with their young, fragile, and traumatized client. Christine reported, "At first Elizabeth was very quiet and hesitant to tell us anything. She would answer yes or no questions but would not elaborate at all." Elizabeth had not been allowed to attend school and was illiterate. She did not recognize letters or numbers. "If we asked her, 'how often did you see your father?' she did not have a sense of time. Eventually, though, she started to open up more and we were able to get more details from her," Christine added.

Catherine and Christine learned that Elizabeth had come to the United States alone when she was nine years old. She came to escape severe abuse and neglect and to be with her mother, Ana*, who had come to the United States when Elizabeth was about four years old, fleeing violence and threats by Elizabeth's father and his family.

Ana had given birth to Elizabeth when she herself was very young - 13 years old. Ana was in a coercive relationship with Elizabeth's father, who was 18 years old at the time. When she got pregnant, he took Ana to an isolated cabin in the mountains, far from her family. He began to hit her soon after Elizabeth was born. In the wake of a particularly severe beating, Ana summoned the courage to escape, and made it on foot to her home village carrying 18-month-old Elizabeth. A week later, Elizabeth's father abducted her and deposited her with his parents. His parents did not provide for Elizabeth's basic needs. They never sent her to school and failed to obtain basic health care that she needed. Moreover, her grandfather hit and kicked Elizabeth during alcoholic rages.

Ana tried more than once to get her daughter back, but she and her family were violently threatened by the father's family. Fearing that the family would carry out their threats, Ana fled to another village. At age 17, she made her way to the United States.

As the years passed, Ana never gave up on retrieving her daughter. She worked hard and saved her money. She was able to send for Elizabeth just after the girl's 9^th birthday.

Elizabeth was apprehended by Department of Homeland Security officials soon after she crossed into the United States. She was released to her aunt, who brought her to KIND. KIND introduced the family to Christine and Catherine.

After learning more about Elizabeth's story and consulting extensively with KIND, Catherine and Christine concluded that Elizabeth should qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS). The first stop was family court, where they were seeking a dependency order as a predicate to filing for SIJS.

"At family court, Elizabeth was understandably very nervous and didn't expand on her answers," Christine said. "Her mother and aunt did most of the testifying. Ana explained the circumstances surrounding Elizabeth's conception and birth, how Elizabeth was stolen from her, and how she successfully reclaimed her daughter." Catherine continued. "This is a story of incredible courage. Ana made her way to the U.S., escaping violence and abuse. She saved her money to reunite with her daughter. Against all odds, she did what was necessary to rescue her child from violence and neglect," Catherine stated. The family court awarded sole legal custody to Ana.

Both Christine and Catherine have expressed confidence that the family has what it takes to succeed in their new life here in the United States. Elizabeth seems to have inherited her mother's resilience. She is now in school and doing her best to catch up. "When she comes to our office," Christine says, "Elizabeth draws us pictures and writes us sweet messages in English. Yet, just a year ago, she could not read or write in any language." "And Ana is happy, proud, and relieved to know that she can keep her daughter safe with her here in the U.S.," Catherine adds.

"It's amazing to me that we have a system that places people, including children, in complex removal proceedings without the assistance of a lawyer. To put children, who often don't speak or read the English language, in this intricate, and often confusing, process is detrimental to their well-being," Christine said.

Both Catherine and Christine said that they would definitely take on another KIND case, given their positive experience. Catherine noted, "I am delighted to assist in KIND cases with other Lowenstein Sandler lawyers; I love the cases and the clients." And Elizabeth has a special place in both their hearts.

Christine and Catherine exemplify both KIND's and Lowenstein Sandler's belief that children like Elizabeth deserve competent and caring counsel.

*Name changed to protect identity