social justice

Helping More Families Through Pro Bono

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When a young child faced the possibility of losing the only real home he'd ever known, our pro bono volunteer Yilan Bryant, from Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP stepped in with help and expertise from Law Foundation attorneys.

Daniel* lived a happy and secure life with his grandmother, Charlotte*, who began taking care of him when his biological parents became absent while he was an infant. However, Daniel's safe and peaceful life was jeopardized when his biological parents, whose lives were still not very stable, threatened to take Daniel away from his home. Fearing losing her grandson to an unstable living situation and overwhelmed with the complicated legal process of guardianship, Charlotte turned to the Law Foundation.

Thanks to our team and pro bono attorney, Yilan, Daniel's grandmother was able to navigate a complicated legal system to ensure that Daniel's best interests were protected.
"It was immensely gratifying to help my client navigate the legal process and paperwork and ultimately get to a result that was in the best interest of the child. My client was able to secure guardianship of her grandson, receiving both temporary and general guardianship for the child. To help my client receive legal assurance that her grandchild will grow up in the security and comfort of her care gave me a great deal of satisfaction, both personally and professionally.  I look forward to handling additional family law matters." says Yilan, who succeeded in safeguarding Daniel's stable home life with his grandmother. 

We're grateful for our pro bono volunteers who allow us to serve even more families and individuals each year.

*Name changed to protect identity.

In Case You Missed It

It's here! Law Foundation Supervising Attorney, Nadia Aziz, and Buena Vista Resident Association member, Maria Martinez, spoke to Silicon Valley Community Foundation Program Officer Vu-Bang Nguyen a few months ago about what it was like to save a small, low-income community in Palo Alto and what other communities can learn from the experience.

Click here to listen to SVCF Philanthropy Now's episode on Buena Vista Mobile Home Park. 

School Walkouts & Student Rights

Protests in schools are taking place across the country as students participate in national gun-violence walkouts.  Many districts and schools are tolerating, if not encouraging, student participation in the walkouts to draw attention to gun violence prevention. It's important that youth know their rights to freedom of speech or expression, especially when at school.

For more information on student rights, click here.

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