Editor's note: Read about Jenna Kwak & Tara Coughlin, who participated in MoFo’s 2024 Summer Associate Program in our San Francisco office, in this installment of our MoFo Stories series.
This summer, we had the opportunity to work on a meaningful pro bono case alongside Avokids and Adam Brausa. Our task was to help prepare for an evidentiary hearing regarding San Francisco Human Services’ request to remove two children from their maternal aunt’s care and place them elsewhere. We represented the maternal aunt, who was fighting to preserve placement in her home and to be designated as a de facto parent.
Notably, the agency had not only recommended the aunt’s care previously but had often praised the aunt’s caregiving—until abruptly changing its stance.
The stakes for the hearing were very high for the aunt and the children: if the agency’s request for removal had been approved, this would have been the children’s fourth uprooting in just two years; this family’s stability and unity hung in the balance of this hearing. After an intense seven-hour hearing featuring testimony from eight witnesses, the aunt prevailed and the judge ordered that the placement be preserved.
When we first expressed interest in assisting with this hearing, we were uncertain how we could contribute to the case, especially because this was our first time working with Adam. Not to mention, we understood that this was a complicated and sensitive case, with removal of children from their caretaker’s home being one of the most drastic examples of how the family regulation system can harm families.
However, Adam’s response was welcoming and supportive. He immediately invited us to join the case team, breaking down barriers that might typically exist. He dedicated hours on the phone with us and explained to us the intricacies of the case and answered numerous questions. He entrusted us with substantive legal research, while breaking down complicated legal concepts into digestible pieces, ensuring that we could fully grasp and contribute to the case. This is not to say that our involvement was purely academic; we also helped serve three same-day subpoenas to witnesses who could testify to our client’s caregiving. Adam’s approach of integrating us into the case team not only facilitated our meaningful participation, but also showcased his dedication to the case and to mentoring summer associates.
We also received valuable mentorship and support elsewhere at the firm. The paralegal teams, both in our home office in San Francisco and the New York office, were invaluable in ensuring service of these subpoenas. Camille Framroze connected us to these paralegal teams within five minutes of us asking. Mamie Tabet showed us which case documents to prioritize reviewing. Umeet Sajjan shared exemplars of work products and offered to review anything we wrote.
We feel incredibly fortunate to have received all this support and mentorship and to have contributed to such a positive outcome for our client. This experience has demonstrated to us that impactful pro bono legal representation and advocacy undoubtedly thrive at MoFo.