WSGives

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, our Salt Lake City, Austin, and San Diego offices held various events to learn about the contributions and influence of Hispanic Americans. Our Salt Lake City office hosted a presentation by Centro de la Familia de Utah Communication & Reporting Director Peters Teri and Community Programs Coordinator Jameson Moevanu. Employees learned about the myriad ways they can support the local community and why Centro De La Familia programs are critical. They also enjoyed lunch from a local Salvadorian-owned business, Pupusería y Taquería El Don, and had conchas, a traditional dessert, from Pasteleria Cakes by Edith. Centro De La Familia is dedicated to promoting educational success for children and families and fostering healthy and engaged communities. Our Austin office screened a short documentary, Lights, Camera, Acción, highlighting Latinos’ significant impact on Hollywood—past, present, and future. Employees enjoyed a delicious lunch from Hispanic-owned restaurant Que Divino Cocina. In addition, the office wrapped up Hispanic Heritage Month with a live performance by a high school mariachi band, with 15 students performing for employees and family members. Our San Diego office presented videos featuring information about Hispanic heritage and Hispanic entrepreneurs while employees enjoyed lunch from a local Latinx-owned restaurant, El Nopalito. In addition, the office partnered with Bridge of Hope San Diego for a project benefiting a children’s shelter, with employees assembling 411 snack bags. Bridge of Hope San Diego is a nonprofit organization dedicated to strengthening families through transition, of which a significant number are of Hispanic descent.

?? Justice is a foundational element of a functional society. But justice is only served when all parties can stand on equal footing, regardless of resources. ? Everlaw for Good aims to create a fairer legal system by removing the financial and operational barriers to equitable access to justice. ?? Learn more about Everlaw for Good here > https://lnkd.in/eDS_6mRw #EverlawForGood #LegalTech Joanne Sprague Colleen Haikes

Last week, our New York, Austin, and Seattle offices held projects for local LatinX organizations in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Our New York Office assembled 150 adult care kits and 60 kits for Mixteca. They kicked off the project with an overview presentation from Shirley Chacon, Director of Operations, and Ana Galeana, the Community Advocate at Mixteca. Employees also enjoyed delicious treats from a local Latinx-owned bakery. Team Wilson Sonsini included Rachel Borok, Emily T Campbell, Jane Chen, Ph.D., Teresa Colmenares, Frances Cookenboo, Debora Lott, Janet Marcelo, Gregory W. Mitchell, Jason Sacks, Cathleen Salvant, and Danica S. You. Mixteca’s mission is to empower the Mexican and Latin-American immigrants of the New York area by providing them access to services that enhance their quality of life and will allow them to reach sustainable social and economic development. Our Austin office assembled 100 care kits for Casa Marianella. Two representatives from the organization joined the team for the project and took the kits with them to distribute to individuals and families served by Casa Marianella. Team Wilson Sonsini included Tiffany Carter, Abigail Doty, Michael Kamer, Varun Lella, Elizabeth Pond, Atique Rehman, and Alexandra Stebbins. Casa Marianella is a non-profit organization that provides shelter and support services for displaced immigrants in Austin. The Seattle office made care kits and collected items for the children, youth, families, and seniors served by El Centro de la Raza. Employees also enjoyed delicious churros and flan from a local Latinxowned business, Los Agaves at Pike. Team Wilson Sonsini included Kristina Almeda Travaillot, Angela Gonzalez-Curci, Heidi Haslip, MBA, Samantha Hussey, Duane Knox, Nicole Marshall, Samantha P., Ashley Peterson, Michelle Savey, McKinney Voss Wheeler. El Centro De La Raza’s mission is to build the Beloved Community through unifying all racial and economic sectors; to organize, empower, and defend the basic human rights of our most vulnerable and marginalized populations; and to bring critical consciousness, justice, dignity, and equity to all the peoples of the world.

Last week, the Palo Alto office celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month with a festive luncheon. Employees listened to live music from a local mariachi band, Mariachi San Carlos, while enjoying churros, chips and salsa, empanadas from El Sur, and tacos from Lilo’s Kitchen Food Truck. Well over 150 employees attended the celebration!

We are pleased to announce that a Wilson Sonsini pro bono team recently secured asylum for Patricia (name changed to protect privacy), an El Salvadoran woman. Patricia endured repeated physical and emotional abuse by her father and ex-partner in her native country due to her membership in numerous identifiable social groups, including El Salvadoran women who are viewed as property by virtue of their status in violent domestic relationships and El Salvadoran women who refuse to be subservient in domestic relationships. After Patricia’s efforts to remain safe from her ex-partner and obtain protection from the El Salvadoran government failed, she fled to the United States in 2016 to escape the abuse and imminent threat of serious bodily harm at the hands of her ex-partner. She reasonably feared being returned to El Salvador because there was a high probability that she would be physically harmed upon her return by her ex-partner or others that subscribe to El Salvador’s “machismo culture.” Patricia applied for asylum, withholding of removal, and relief under the United Nations Convention Against Torture. In light of the threat posed by her ex-partner, the failure of the El Salvadoran government to adequately protect her from him, and her country’s documented record of apathy toward domestic disputes, Immigration Court Judge approved Patricia’s application for asylum. Many thanks to the team that provided representation to Patricia in the matter, including Rohena Rajbhandari, Matt Katona, and Kaleigh Hawkins-Schulz, with assistance from Sissel Browder, Ruben Ceja, Delilah Crim, Melisa Desperak, Rodolfo Munoz and Michael Lamb. Additional thanks to Tahirih Justice Center for their guidance on this matter and partnership in pro bono.

In celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, our San Francisco, SOMA, Wilmington, and Washington D.C. offices created kits for local LatinX organizations. In San Francisco and SOMA, employees assembled 24 holiday gift bags for La Casa de las Madres, containing PJ sets, slippers, and lotion. They enjoyed lunch from Balompie Café and heard from La Casa’s Development Manager, Angie Aguirre. Team Wilson Sonsini included Julie Du, Debbie Faszholz, Tori Fong, Nicole Gambino, Parris Greenwood, Hedvy Gregg, Tina Hanson, Dennise Martinez, Grace Nilsen, Elia Perez Villamarin, Pamela Villarin, and Annie Xu. La Casa offers strengths-based support services in times of crisis, and work with survivors to increase their access to resources and tools that will help them build lives free from fear and abuse. Our Wilmington office packed 200 snack bags for children at the Latin American Community Center, following a presentation by Kelly Scanlan, Director of Development and Communications at the Center. Team Wilson Sonsini included Jacqueline Conner, Jordan Cramer, Lauren DeBona, Janai Dixon, Carley Felzer, Robyn Finnimore-Pierce, Beth Gallagher, Sarah Hand, KiAn Harris, Allurie Kephart, Catherine Lyons, Joshua Manning, Helen Martin, Lynzy M., Meghan Park, Sara Pollock, Heather Smillie, and Philip Watson. The Latin American Community Center mission is to empower the Latino Community through education, advocacy, partnerships, and exceptional services. The Washington D.C. office assembled 120 journal kits with notes of encouragement for youth at the Latin American Youth Center. The kits included journals, pens, and stress-relief items. Team Wilson Sonsini included Hannah Allebach, Grace Beck, Amanda Carroll, Keranie Chery, Jordan Hecht, Kim Quinteros, Nikki Smith, Seamus Taylor, and more. The Latin American Youth Center empowers a diverse population of youth to achieve a successful transition to adulthood through multi-cultural programs that address youths’ social, academic, and career needs.

One thing I love about Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati is that you don’t have to look far for inspiration - we have such stellar teammates across the board. One is Rodolfo Munoz. To me Rodolfo exemplifies what it means to live purposefully through serving others. Over the years he has been instrumental in obtaining immigration relief in dozens of cases, changing the lives of hundreds of clients. These are survivors - single mothers and families that have endured unimaginable danger and often violence. Rodolfo treats every single one of them as if their legal journey is his own - with heart, kindness and relentless purpose. So many times he has not only been instrumental in changing their future, but also providing support in the present - pointing folks in need to resources, connecting them in communities, always going above and beyond, setting an example of what can be. My one beef with Rodolfo is I think my mom (pictured with us) now likes him more than me after we all traveled to D.C. together last Spring and had a wonderful time - she always asks me specifically how Rodolfo is doing. ??????????

A huge THANK YOU to all of the sponsors, attendees, awardees, and friends who joined us for the Justice For All Celebration on September 19! ?? Your presence and support mean the world to us and help fuel our mission of providing equal access to justice for those in need. The evening featured beautiful San Diego weather ??, delicious food and drinks ???, great music ??, and a lively atmosphere that made it truly memorable. We are so grateful to everyone who helped make it a success! There is still much to do! You can help support our mission by: Volunteering: https://lnkd.in/gJ6e5DiP and Donating: https://sdvlp.org/donate/ For more information and photos from the event, click here: https://lnkd.in/gMVcy6jP

Our Volunteer of the Week is Alma Vasquez from the Los Angeles office. Alma is an attorney recruiter who has provided interpretation and translation support on several pro bono matters. Her commitment to our pro bono efforts is exceptional, particularly as a translator for a complex asylum case involving a dozen family members. She builds trust with clients, flags critical issues for attorneys, and generously dedicates her time to providing translation on calls and translating important documents for immigration court. Her compassion, attention to detail, and commitment to helping vulnerable families make her an invaluable asset to our team. Here’s Alma on why giving back is so important: I've seen firsthand how clear communication in legal processes can transform outcomes for families facing unimaginable challenges. Helping vulnerable families navigate these difficult situations keeps me grounded and reminds me of the importance of using my skills to give back. One case that genuinely opened my eyes involved an asylum-seeking family who had endured unimaginable hardship, fleeing persecution and leaving behind everything they knew in search of safety. I'll never forget the moment they learned they would no longer be persecuted—the look on their faces was one of pure relief and gratitude. This reinforced for me that what we do isn't just about legal processes; it's about giving people hope, safety, and the opportunity to rebuild their lives. I was fortunate to grow up with amazing and loving parents who instilled in my sister and me the importance of giving back. They taught me that giving back isn't just about monetary donations; it's about giving your time, energy, and compassion. These values shaped who I am today and are a significant part of my commitment to pro bono work. For anyone considering getting involved, I would say this: every effort counts. You never know how deeply you might impact someone's life just by showing up. Congratulations, Alma!

Paralegal Delilah Crim shares some heartfelt words about her grandmother and the impact generations of knowledge can have in building the future. We are proud to share Delilah’s story as part of our Hispanic Heritage Month highlight series!