Pro Bono Spotlight

Amanda Milgrom (pictured above left) and Alex Kimata (right) both came to care about immigration issues for different reasons. Alex went to law school to study international law and human rights law and remained invested in social justice issues after his studies. Amanda was a special education teacher before becoming a lawyer and continued to care deeply about working with disadvantaged children and using her degree to help those who face challenges in accessing the justice system.

Amanda and Alex took the case of a 17-year old teenager from East Africa. When the two lawyers got the opportunity to meet with their new client and learn details of her case, they were both in awe of their client's resilience and courage to escape the extreme violence at home and make the journey alone from East Africa through Central America to the southern U.S. border. "She had done so much already," says Alex. "Our work is really just about getting the system to do what it is supposed to do and we're here to make sure people know what their rights are and help them navigate the system."

When their client finally got the notification that her asylum petition had been granted, she reached out to Amanda and let her know the good news. Amanda couldn't contain herself. “This was by far the most rewarding moment of my legal career thus far,” she said.

Amanda encourages other lawyers to take a pro bono case with RMIAN: "It may seem like a lot of time, but in the grand scheme of things, it is such a small thing to do for someone. And by doing this work, you have the opportunity to impact someone's life. The course of our client's life is altered for the best forever."

"This is why you go to law school!" exclaims Alex. Once the paperwork for their current client is wrapped up, Amanda and Alex plan on taking on another asylum case with RMIAN.