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Pro Bono
At Ross, Dixon & Bell, we have a deep commitment to our community, and the strength of our pro bono program reflects this. Our work has included high profile matters such as our representation of DC firefighters fired for wearing their hair in accordance with their religious beliefs. That case came to us from the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, and was covered extensively by regional and national press.
We also have strong relationships with many local legal services organizations such as the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program, through which we provide advice and representation to indigent clients on a regular basis; the Public Law Center of Orange County, which refers us everything from foreclosure and student loan matters to adoption and guardianship; the Midwest Immigration and Human Rights Center, through which we handle asylum and citizenship cases pending before the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the Board of Immigration Appeals, and federal courts; the Children’s Law Center, which refers us cases involving prospective adoptive parents; and the Legal Counsel for the Elderly in DC, for which we handle home visits for individuals in need of wills and powers of attorney.
American Civil Liberties Union
The ability to legally represent clients who face challenges to their basic civil rights is one of the great rewards of being an attorney. Through our solid relationships with several local chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union (“ACLU”), RDB attorneys have such opportunities.
Representing a variety of local political figures, the American Civil Liberties Union of the National Capital Area, and several civic and political organizations, RDB successfully challenged extremely low campaign contributions caps that were imposed by voter initiative on candidates for office in the District of Columbia. Following a week-long bench trial, the United States District Court for the District of Columbia concluded that the caps violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution. For this and other cases, RDB received the 2002 Alan Barth Volunteer Service Award for exceptional service to the ACLU. It was the first time in fifteen years that the award had been presented to a law firm.
Our Orange County office handled a case on behalf of a man who was told he was required to register as a sex offender for a crime he allegedly committed 48 years prior. At the time of the incident, our client was engaged in conversation with another man while parked outside of a bar frequented by gay men. The men were approached by two police officers and though the men had committed no crime and were not involved in any sexual behavior, they were arrested and charged. The criminal complaint was later reduced to a misdemeanor, and our client, fearful of the consequences of not accepting a reduced charge, pled guilty. He also registered as a sex offender as he was told he was required to do. When, in 2004, he was contacted again by the police and told that he would have to re-register as a sex offender, he took his case to the ACLU. The ACLU sought assistance from RDB Orange County. Together, the ACLU and RDB Orange County resolved the case with the Department of Justice. Our client’s name has been removed once and for all from the California Sex Offender Registry.
Child Advocacy
We have a long record of successful pro bono efforts for children and their families. Over the years, RDB has handled a variety of adoption, neglect, and custody cases through numerous organizations, including the DC Bar Association’s Pro Bono Program, the Children’s Law Center, and others. Our attorneys take very active roles in these matters. For instance, several attorneys working on adoption cases have made regular court appearances, drafted pleadings, negotiated contracts with DC agencies, and met with their clients on a regular basis. Summer associates have joined in client meetings, interviewed witnesses, and attended court hearings in neglect and adoption cases. An attorney working on a contentious custody dispute has litigated in DC, Pennsylvania, and Oregon to protect the rights of her client.
Immigration and Asylum
When a Eritrean woman was presented with an opportunity to travel to the United States, she saw the chance to permanently escape her native country, where she was tortured and imprisoned for participating in meetings hosted by the Eritrean Liberation Front, or ELF. She fled Eritrea for a neighboring country at the age of 25, after she was forcibly circumcised at the request of her husband and family and after beatings she received as the result of speaking out against female genital mutilation in her community. Several years later, she returned to Eritrea and was arrested, beaten, threatened, and imprisoned because of her attendance at the ELF-sponsored meetings in the neighboring country. After her family paid to have her released from the Eritrean jail, she again fled Eritrea and was eventually able to secure transit to the United States. She subsequently made her way to Chicago, where our attorneys researched the case and assisted her in filing her application for asylum. The application was granted after several months, ensuring her future safety and freedom.
RDB also represented a Zimbabwean woman in her request for asylum in the United States. While in Zimbabwe, our client was employed by a non-governmental organization that provided assistance to rape victims, including victims of politically motivated rapes by government supporters. As a result, our client, who herself a member of the opposition party, was threatened, harassed, and assaulted by government supporters. She then came to the United States with her husband and two children. When the political situation in Zimbabwe deteriorated, she applied for asylum. Working with Human Rights First, RDB agreed to represent her after her first application was denied. After a lengthy factual investigation, application process, and hearing, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recommended her asylum request for approval.
Legal Counsel for the Elderly
In cooperation with Legal Counsel for the Elderly (“LCE”), our DC office provides legal counsel for elderly individuals who need help drafting wills and advance directives, such as powers of attorney. Many elderly people have never composed a last will and testament or would like to revise an existing version, but do not have the financial means to pay for legal assistance. Wills and powers of attorney are often critical, particularly for individuals facing the prospect of having their assets turned over to the government rather than to surviving family members. Moreover, a power of attorney is particularly necessary for individuals facing declining health in their later years. RDB attorneys and staff handle LCE’s requests for services for individuals who cannot leave their homes, which allows the LCE to handle more matters for those who are able to visit their offices. Several staff members have been involved in the project and some even became notaries to assist in finalizing the documents.
Public Law Center of Orange County
Our Orange County office maintains a partnership with Orange County’s Public Law Center (the “PLC”), which serves as a clearing house for pro bono cases from groups such as the Legal Aid Society. We have handled a variety of cases through the PLC, including a case where we were instrumental in preventing foreclosure on an elderly woman's condominium, and one where we were able to discharge a student loan for a disabled student who could not attend classes because his school was no longer wheelchair-accessible. Summer associates in Orange County have the opportunity to take on pro bono cases, and in that connection have worked on matters involving adoption and guardianship, among other things.
San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program
Our San Diego office regularly provides legal assistance to area citizens through the San Diego Volunteer Lawyer Program (“SDVLP”). In addition to litigating a wide-range of cases on behalf of clients, the office has staffed the SDVLP booth at “Stand Down,” a two-day event providing information and services, including legal advice on a variety of issues, to homeless veterans. We also have assisted the SDVLP Public Law Library clinic, which screens pro bono clients for referrals to law firms and agencies, and participated on the Task Force for the annual Women’s Resource Fair, which provides legal and other services to low-income women.
On behalf of the RDB pro bono committee, I would like to thank you for your interest in Ross, Dixon & Bell. Enjoy our Web site, and please feel free to contact us if you have questions.
- Stacey McGraw, Chair, RDB Pro Bono Committee
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