Editor's note: Read about Soraya Morales Nuñez, who participated in MoFo’s 2024 Summer Associate Program in our Los Angeles office, in this installment of our MoFo Stories series.
As a 1L Keith Wetmore Fellow in MoFo’s Los Angeles office, I was excited to delve into the firm’s various practice areas and its pro bono program. Before attending law school, I worked at a general practice law firm in Boston and a children’s rights public interest organization in the Bay Area. In both settings, I supported different attorneys on immigration, direct representation, and impact litigation matters. As I contemplated where to spend my 1L summer, I knew I wanted to join a firm with a deep commitment to pro bono advocacy and community involvement. MoFo’s pro bono program stood out to me, and my work with partners, associates, and community organizations this summer gave me helpful insight into the firm’s dedication to giving back to different communities.
This summer, I had the privilege of working on two case teams representing clients seeking immigration relief in the United States. Alongside Los Angeles associate C.B. Rome, I contributed to an asylum case with the firm’s longtime pro bono partner, Oasis Legal Services. Oasis provides legal and social services to LGBTQ+ immigrants in the San Francisco Bay Area. As a former Bay Area resident, I was excited to collaborate with Oasis and help continue serving a community that is important to me. Under C.B.’s supervision, I interviewed the client and drafted his declaration in support of his affirmative asylum petition. One of the most important lessons I learned in my professional experiences before law school is that developing rapport and earning a client’s trust are the building blocks of compassionate and effective advocacy. This lesson guided my conversations with Oasis’ client as we discussed sensitive topics to prepare his declaration. Moreover, C.B.’s thorough feedback after each client meeting and declaration draft allowed me to hone my interviewing and persuasive writing skills, skills that will continue to serve me well in my legal career.
With the support of our partnering organization, Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice (LACLJ), I also collaborated with partner Whitney O’Byrne, associate Natalie Fox, and my fellow summer associate Lydia Zicker to prepare Adjustment of Status petitions for a family. The LACLJ attorneys provided the MoFo teams with robust training and resources, a testament to the organization’s commitment to its clients and its relationship with the firm. Whitney allowed me to take the lead on our case, an empowering experience that demonstrated the trust and respect attorneys at the firm have for summer associates.
In addition to the pro bono matters I helped support this summer, I sought out opportunities at the firm to gain exposure to different skills used in civil litigation practice. In June, I joined portions of a two-day deposition skills bootcamp held for mid-level associates in the Los Angeles office. Attending the lecture sessions and listening to current MoFo associates share deposition strategies allowed me to gain further insight into the role and importance of depositions in the discovery phase of litigation.
MoFo’s robust pro bono practice and associate training programs are a testament to the firm’s commitment to community involvement and the professional development of its attorneys at all stages of their careers. I am excited to take the experiences and skills from this summer into my next year of law school as I continue training to become the best advocate I can be.