O'Melveny's 2018-2019 Pro Bono Review

O’MELVENY PRO BONO PROGRAM REVIEW 2018- 2019 38 O’Melveny and Bank of America Collaborate with Immigration Equality to Represent LGBTQ and HIV-positive Immigrants Seeking Asylum M.G., a 36-year-old woman from Hungary, was attacked, beaten, and humiliated in her native country because of her sexual orientation and ethnic origin (she is Roma). Police ignored her pleas for protection. High-ranking Hungarian government officials have openly denounced Roma and LGBTQ Hungarians, and such statements have emboldened right-wing groups. After Immigration Equality referred M.G.’s case, the O’Melveny–Bank of America team worked for more than a year conducting interviews, collecting evidence, drafting briefs and memoranda, and preparing a comprehensive submission to New York Immigration Court. At the end of a two-and-a-half-hour hearing, the immigration judge granted M.G.’s application for asylum. The three-way partnership among a law firm, a corporate legal department, and a legal services organization is a new and highly effective approach to delivering pro bono legal services to communities in need. O’Melveny Hosts Citizenship Clinic with Bank of America O’Melveny joined with Bank of America and Asian Americans Advancing Justice–LA for a second annual Pro Bono Citizenship Clinic. The attorneys and staff guided 40 qualified permanent residents through the US citizenship process, assisting with documents, applications, and fee waivers. O’Melveny Hosts KIND Clinic O’Melveny hosted its third clinic with Kids In Need of Defense (KIND), an organization dedicated to ensuring that no child is unrepresented in the immigration court system. Firm lawyers paired with attorneys from Warner Bros. and Oaktree Capital to help 29 families. Fellow Citizens. In partnership with Bank of America and Asian Americans Advancing Justice, O’Melveny guided clients through their citizenship applications at a clinic in Los Angeles. The Bronx Defenders honored O’Melveny with a 2018 Collaborator In Pursuit of Justice Award for its participation in a habeas corpus representation project for detained immigrants.