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Happy New Year!
We begin 2026 with gratitude and energy for the year ahead. Thank you for standing with survivors and children as volunteers, donors, and compassionate members of our community.
Read on for new volunteer opportunities, exciting news, upcoming trainings, and more ways to get involved.
| | Volunteer Opportunities & Updates | | Admitted to the Bar Outside of DC or MD? You’re still covered! If you have active membership in another US state, you may practice in DC under the current Rules of Professional Responsibility and in MD under MD Rule 19-218. | | Use your legal skills to help survivors and children build safe, stable futures. Every Volunteer Legal Advocates pro bono lawyer receives training, resources, and 1:1 support from a Supervising Attorney throughout your case. | | Volunteer at a Legal Clinic | Provide brief legal help to survivors and families in need in community spaces or virtually. Our free weekly walk-in legal clinics are a vital first step for clients seeking safety, stability, and support. Every volunteer receives 1:1 support. | | |
Legal Clinic Update
Beginning 1/9, our Friday Legal Clinic previously at Bellevue Library will now be held virtually to better meet our clients' needs. Want to volunteer? Reserve your spot today!
An Important Expansion
Volunteer Legal Advocates' Domestic Violence Protection Order Clinic (DVPOC) is now in court five days a week! Through DVPOC, our attorneys provide free legal advice to survivors as they appear in court, helping cases move forward smoothly and swiftly toward justice and safety. From the start, judges have asked for more DVPOC days because the clinic makes a real difference. Thanks to new grant funding, we’re now there every day.
Summer Internships for Law & LLM Students & Recent Grads
Applications are open for our Summer 2026 Domestic Violence & Immigration Legal Internships! Interns support survivors of violence and vulnerable children through legal research, client engagement, and trial prep. Part-time or full-time | $500 stipend or academic credit | Spanish proficiency preferred. Cover letter and resume with “Summer 2026 Legal Internship” in the subject should be submitted by January 25 to Internships@VolunteerLegalAdvocates.org.
| | | All Volunteer Legal Advocates pro bono attorneys are paired with an experienced Supervising Attorney who co-counsels on every case to provide support and backup. | | |
Serve as Spanish-speaking Guardian ad Litem for 13-year-old
Status hearing: 3/6/2026 | 12:00 PM
Do you speak Spanish and/or are you willing to use language line? Advocate for the best interests of a 13-year-old in a mom versus dad custody case.
Dad alleges Mom has taken the child out of the DC area and is concealing where she is. Dad lives in GA. GALs requested for the limited purpose of locating the child and appearing at the next status hearing. Both parties are pro se.
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Serve as a Guardian ad Litem for 4-year-old
Status Hearing: 3/10/2026 | 12:00 PM
Advocate for the best interests of a 4-year-old in this dad versus mom custody case. Mom has primary custody. Dad has weekly daytime visitation.
There is a history of Dad physically abusing Mom, and mom currently has a CPO against dad. Both parties live in DC. Dad is pro se, Mom is represented.
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Assist Unaccompanied Young Adult with USCIS Applications
Represent a 22-year-old man from Guatemala in Adjustment of Status and Employment Authorization applications with USCIS. The client is a Spanish speaker with some proficiency in English. Volunteer Legal Advocates successfully assisted him in petitioning for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) based on abandonment and neglect by his parents.
He has been waiting several years to move forward with the next steps and would benefit from assistance with preparing his adjustment of status application, which can be filed per the January Visa Bulletin update. He also needs assistance preparing an associated work permit application for pending status adjustments, given his inability to renew his current SIJS Deferred Action work permit.
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Volunteer Spotlight: Abigail McDonough
Junior Board member and volunteer attorney Abigail McDonough brings a deep commitment to pro bono service.
From taking on child advocacy cases as a Guardian ad litem to deepening Volunteer Legal Advocates’ connection with her firm, Hughes Hubbard & Reed, Abigail exemplifies the compassion, leadership, and community-centered spirit that make our volunteer network so impactful.
Get to know Abigail
| | | | Upcoming Trainings & Events | | We welcome all current and prospective volunteers to our trainings. Whether you're new to this work or a seasoned litigator, your voice and commitment to justice are vital. For even more opportunities, visit our Online Training Hub for Volunteers! | | Kudos to our December Volunteers | | We proudly celebrate the volunteer attorneys whose dedication brings justice and support to survivors. Please join us in thanking our December volunteers! | | |
Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson LLP: Molly Diamondstein, Valeria Komarov, Morgan Kurst, Jonathan Picado, Kate St. Romain, Charlie Schmidt
George Washington University Law School: Ashley Carter
Hogan Lovells LLP: Lexi Clark, Hadley Dreibelbis, Sydney Fay, Matthew Marchiori, Fleur Oke, Sebastian Van Bastelaer
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JMIN Intellectual Property Counsel: George Marcou
White & Case LLP: Lindsey China, Dana Foster, Michael Mahaffey
Unaffiliated: Linda Dreeben, Varsha Chandra, Jon Pifer, Sherry Rhodes, Whitney Taylor
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Capital One: Sarah Parker
Covington & Burling LLP: Emily Pehrsson
Dechert LLP: Rachel Harney, Theresa Hyatte, Summer Oh, Rebecca Pan, Grey Pappas, Morgan Shields
DLA Piper LLP: Quentin Ashley, Selase Buatsi, Tamara Lentini, Hayley Ostrin, Stacey Weber
Ericsson Inc.: Jenna Stern Ross
Fenwick & West LLP: Kanome’ Jones
Hogan Lovells US LLP: Hanson Causbie, Adaugo Chukwu, Colby Dickinson, Natalie Lake, Hao-Kai Pai, Allison Pugsley, Elizabeth Shneider
King & Spalding LLP: Zachary Coots, Lauren Roth
Latham & Watkins LLP: Vanessa Le, Mahika Narula, De Vann Sago
McDermott, Will & Schulte LLP: Marissa Hill Daley
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Medtronic: Ashley Zborowsky
O’Melveny & Meyers LLP: Kimberly Sudakow
Paul Hastings LLP: Elisabeth Ryan
Perkins Coie LLP: Joshua Perez
Rubiner Strategies LLC: Laurie Rubiner
Rutgers University: Matthew Wexler
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP: Kirin Gupta
The Data Privacy Lawyer: Olufunmilayo Owolabi
Troutman Pepper Hamilton Sanders LLP: Kevin Kuhn
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale and Dorr LLP: Josh Mogil
Unaffiliated: Jenny Brody, David Kanstoroom, Jon Pifer, Colleen Robbins, Matthew Wexler
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