Blogs

Survivors of sex trafficking. Taliban targets whose lives are in danger after supporting U.S. missions in Afghanistan. Immigrant and refugee children. Low-income New Jerseyans facing consumer issues, divorce, bankruptcy and eviction.

Thanks to the recipients of this year’s New Jersey State Bar Association Pro Bono Awards, these individuals—from some of society’s most vulnerable and underserved populations—have been able to face their legal challenges with a professional advocate by their side.

The New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) will celebrate the important work of pro bono attorneys at the annual Pro bono Conference on Oct. 24. The evening program will include a continuing legal education presentation on pro bono opportunities related to prisoner re-entry, featuring former Governor James E. McGreevey, U.S. District Court Judge Madeline Cox Arleo and U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael A. Hammer; a cocktail reception; and an awards ceremony. For more information and to register, click here.

The Individual Award
The child of Cuban immigrants, Jason Scott Camilo has long been a strong believer in immigrant rights. His New Brunswick law practice specializes in immigration law, and he has worked for many years on a pro bono basis with organizations like Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) and the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey (ACLU-NJ).

“Jason Scott Camilo is a steadfast advocate for immigrants’ rights in New Jersey, and his tireless work has and continues to provide access to justice for many who would be otherwise without council,” wrote the ACLU-NJ in nominating Camilo for the NJSBA award.

Among the clients Camilo has represented is Abdul, an Afghan man who risked his life and became a target of the Taliban after he helped American troops in his home country. But when he arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport in March 2017, a special humanitarian visa in hand, U.S. immigration officials tried to send him back to Afghanistan. Camilo and others were able to prevent Abdul from being deported, and continued to represent him in immigration proceedings as he was detained in Elizabeth.

In May, Abdul finally won his freedom. “I flat-out cried when he got out,” Camilo said. “It’s very rewarding, if you do it well. They get to stay here for the rest of their lives.”

Noting that it’s been a difficult and busy time for immigrants in the United States, he said: “In the future, I know I will look back on this period and at least be happy that I did something about it instead of just complaining. It is small—it is all one person at a time. But if there’s enough of us, then it actually helps out.”

The New Attorney Award
Brian N. Biglin knew, even as a law student, that he wanted to make pro bono work a part of his professional life. When he arrived at Duane Morris in April 2015, part of the trial practice group, he was thrilled that the firm had a dedicated pro bono team.

He praised that team for finding the diverse, impactful cases that he has been able to work on. Among them: a prisoner civil rights case before the U.S. District Court in New Jersey where Biglin represented an inmate who spent considerable time pretrial in a county jail that had so few accommodations for his wheelchair that he suffered a number of infections that exacerbated his medical condition.

Biglin is also representing, through the International Refugee Assistance Project Chapter at Rutgers University Law School, an Afghani man who served as a tactical interpreter for the United States Marines. Now in danger in his home country, he has applied for a special visa.

In addition, according to the nomination letter submitted by Duane Morris, Biglin has also volunteered for several years in the firm’s efforts to aid survivors of commercial sexual exploitation and trafficking.

Pro bono work is rewarding on many levels, Biglin said. Not only is it essential to the clients you represent, but it also “creates additional opportunities to reinforce your own practice skills.”

“Just about any junior first- and second-year associate will have a full plate,” Biglin said. “You will feel really busy, but it’s still worth it, and if you try and carve out that space, you’ll thank yourself.”

The law firm/corporate legal department award
This year’s corporate legal department award will go Prudential Financial in Newark. In nominating Prudential Financial, Volunteer Lawyers for Justice noted that the legal department “exemplifies a commitment to and passion for helping some of the most underserved populations in New Jersey.” In all, 71 Prudential attorneys took part in nearly 50 clinics in 2017.

Prudential attorneys worked in consumer law, divorce, bankruptcy and tenancy cases, Volunteers Lawyers for Justice wrote. “Prudential is the perfect example of a group of attorneys who have demonstrated a long-lasting commitment to assisting some of the most underserved populations in the state.”