mintz
pro bono portfolio
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2023
© 2024 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo. P.C.
Collaborating to Improve
Lives and Communities
Pro bono service is at the heart of Mintz's culture and identity. Together, we provide individuals with life-changing assistance and support the nonprofit organizations that care for our communities.
Learn More
In the heart of New York City, Sanctuary for Families is the leading provider and advocate for survivors of domestic abuse, sex trafficking, and related forms of gender violence. In partnership with Mintz and other pro bono attorneys, the organization provided vital support to more than 7,200 adults and children in the past year.
Providing Sanctuary for Survivors
Learn More About This Important Work
View the 2022
Pro Bono Portfolio
Among those was “Maria,” a mother grappling with profound grief who found herself entangled in a struggle with alcohol and substance abuse. Maria’s path took a tragic turn with her involvement in a fatal car accident that led to her incarceration. Undeterred, Maria immersed herself in a personal transformation within rehabilitation programs and her church community from prison.
Seeking parole, Maria turned to Sanctuary for Families in May 2023. Mintz attorneys Todd Rosenbaum, Jessica Goudreault, and Kristen White worked to prepare Maria for her chance at parole, helping her draft a personal statement, and collecting over 20 letters of support that vividly portrayed her journey towards rehabilitation. As Maria prepares for her parole hearing in January 2024, her story demonstrates great resilience in pursuit of a better future.
Supporting Second Chances
Witnessing the profound impact Maria has had on so many lives reinforces the importance of our work. It’s incredibly rewarding as an attorney to contribute to an individual’s journey toward a better life and make a positive impact on the broader community. In pro bono cases like these, everyone comes out a winner.
Member
kristEn
white
Nick has also represented several other survivors seeking protective orders, working closely with Mintz Member LisaMarie Collins and Law Clerk Bianca Bernadi. In conjunction with Sanctuary for Families, Nick and Bianca are drafting a motion to dismiss a proposed change in custody agreement, citing the history of violence perpetrated against their client.
I’m so proud to work with Sanctuary, to represent these strong and brave individuals, and to support them as they use their voices, tell their stories, and secure their right to feel that they and their families are safe.
Associate
nick butto
Volunteer Spotlight
Providing Critical Protection
There are so many opportunities Sanctuary offers to us, and I think we have an ethical obligation as attorneys to make sure that for all of the work that we do for our billable clients, we also provide resources for those who can’t otherwise afford it.
Associate
jessica
goudreault
Adding another layer to this narrative is an asylum case, handled by Mintz attorneys Jessica Goudreault and Chris D’Aliso. Joining the case in early Spring of 2023, they represented a client victimized by her husband in El Salvador, enduring years of control, physical abuse, and rape. She fled to the US to ensure her children’s safety, though the case remains on hold due to a matter within the family.
Fighting For Asylum
In a city where vulnerabilities persist, Sanctuary for Families, alongside dedicated pro bono attorneys, stands as a force for positive change. Each story of transformation and empowerment contributes to the collective effort in renewing hope and offering survivors the opportunity for a fresh start.
Pro Bono Team
kristen white
Member
jessica goudreault
Associate
lisamarie collins
Member
bianca bernardi
Law Clerk
nicholas butto
Associate
kaitlyn crowe
Member
christopher d'aliso
Associate
todd rosenbaum
Member
Mintz attorney Nicholas Butto engages in protective order cases through Sanctuary for Families, offering aid to survivors of physical, verbal, and psychological abuse from past intimate partners. Currently, Nick is involved in three protective order cases, each involving courageous female survivors seeking legal protection. Collaborating with attorney Kaitlyn Crowe on the first case initiated in August 2023, the case has progressed to trial testimony, where Nick presented evidence of aggravated abuse, a pivotal step in securing protection for the survivor.
© 2024 Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C.
View the 2022
Pro Bono Portfolio
Collaborating to Improve Lives and Communities
Pro bono service is at the heart of Mintz's culture and identity. Together, we provide individuals with life-changing assistance and support the nonprofit organizations that care for our communities.
Learn More
The vast majority of survivors do not have an attorney to represent them, and when litigants show up alone, many are completely intimidated
by the judicial system.
If they’re going up
against a lawyer who understands the process, they’re immediately at a
disadvantage. Our work
is very important to even that playing field.
Beginning at age five, “Diana”
endured daily physical, sexual, and mental abuse while in the custody of her grandparents. Throughout her childhood, Diana’s grandfather sexually assaulted her, sold explicit photos
of her, and eventually began
trafficking her.
Despite this trauma, Diana was a straight A student in high school and, after graduating, moved to attend a prestigious university. Tragically, the threats and abuse from her grandfather did not stop and even escalated to include harming the people
Diana loved.
Diana eventually summoned the strength to file a restraining order, and with the help of the Victim Rights Law Center (VRLC), which provides legal assistance to sexual assault survivors, secured a one-year order against her grandfather. As the order was due to expire, Diana was connected with Mintz, and a team of attorneys and project analysts prepared a detailed supplemental affidavit for the court advocating for a permanent
restraining order.
2023
Providing Sanctuary for Survivors
mintz
pro bono portfolio
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Pro Bono Team
