Spring break in Miami conjures images of sand, sun, and relaxation. However, for the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, it is a time to send students near and far to engage in pro bono work with agencies they may have yet to get the chance to work with during the school year. This year, a committee of students planned and fundraised for three alternative spring break trips – a local opportunity to assist survivors of domestic violence in Broward County, Florida, with Women in Distress, a trip to assist upholding constitutional rights of indigent defendants with the New York County Defender Services in New York City, and a trip to San Diego, California and Tijuana, Mexico to assist refugees and asylum seekers at the border with the non-profit Al Otro Lado. LAFAC generously funded the two trips that involved travel with support from private donations and fundraisers throughout the year.
Six students and one Miami Law graduate volunteered with Women in Distress, a full-service domestic violence center working to end domestic abuse through advocacy, education, and intervention. After first being trained, the group volunteered under the supervision of attorneys to interview clients, draft pleadings and motions, observe court proceedings, and speak with judges.
"Volunteering with Women in Distress was a very eye-opening experience to the great work that family law attorneys do every day,” said 2L Estefania Hernandez. “I witnessed tremendous emotional intelligence and perseverance amidst traumatic cases involving domestic and sexual abuse. I learned invaluable skills that I can put into practice to assist in domestic violence cases in the future."
Five Miami Law students traveled to New York City to spend the week volunteering with New York County Defender Services, one of the premier public defender offices in the country. NYCDS's lawyers represent New Yorkers accused of crimes in Manhattan Criminal and Supreme Court. Under the supervision of an alumna who had participated in a legal advocacy alternative spring break opportunity as a student, Maria Camila Rodriguez, J.D. '19, the group had a complete and well-rounded experience. The students were trained and supervised to complete a report on jury bias that required them to conduct research and observe court proceedings.
"I first became interested in working with NYCDS when I heard Rodriguez speak at a HOPE Public Interest Lecture Series event in the fall,” said 2L Kira Mikes, one of the trip organizers and leaders. “Her story hit home for me as she spoke candidly about the unique challenges and rewards of pursuing a public interest legal career for those of us who are the first in our families to achieve a college education. As soon as I heard about the opportunity to coordinate a pro bono trip with NYCDS, I knew that I wanted to be involved.”
"We are thrilled to have worked with new minds who were not only extremely thoughtful, but also creative, personable, and caring,” said Supervising Attorney Rodriguez. “Everyone fit right into our office and was a delight to host. The very impressive manual they produced will help our office challenge the courts for a more diverse jury pool."
Traveling even farther was a team of four students who flew to San Diego to spend the week volunteering with Al Otro Lado in San Diego and Tijuana. Al Otro Lado is a non-profit organization that provides holistic legal and humanitarian support to refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the U.S. and Tijuana through a multidisciplinary, client-centered, harm reduction-based practice.
1L Amy Mantilla found the experience to be incredibly meaningful.
"There are not enough words to express the gratitude I have for the mark this trip left on me,” she said. “In Tijuana, our clients were likely at the lowest points of their lives. Some facing death threats and others being victims of violent crimes, all of our clients shared a common goal: to flee from the dangers of their country and gain legal admission into the U.S. In San Diego, we met individuals who had finally made it to U.S. soil but were still experiencing difficulties as some were separated from their loved ones and most arrived with very little money and belongings. It was eye-opening to see the reality of how the U.S. immigration system is affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every day and I am so grateful that I got the opportunity to see it firsthand."
Pro bono opportunities are available to Miami Law students throughout the year, but fall, winter, and spring breaks provide an opportunity to become immersed in an area of law in a new community for a week or more. If you are interested in learning about, engaging in, or sponsoring future opportunities, email the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center at umhope@law.miami.edu.
Read more about Miami Law’s HOPE Public Interest Resource Center.
