“I’ve always dreamt of being an attorney. Law just made sense to me. While in school, I was offered an externship in the family court; I accepted, despite knowing very little about what it entailed.

Family law fascinated me. Surprisingly, there seemed to be many opportunities for second chances. You can receive a court judgment about custody, but if one of the parents changes, the judgment can change too.

While waiting for the results of my bar exam, I wanted to keep giving back to my community. A friend told me about Open Door Legal– it sounded like a perfect fit! I started working on family law cases with Anna.

In one case, we helped a grandmother who was trying to become her granddaughter’s guardian. Her daughter was a drug addict, and the child’s father lived with a sex offender.

Our client had struggled with addiction in the past, and she didn’t want her granddaughter to grow up in that environment. This was her opportunity to give her a better life.

After we won, the client pulled us aside. ‘Never forget,’ she told us, ‘that you saved a little girl’s life.”

I thought I knew the legal world like the back of my hand. Open Door Legal showed me I was wrong. The work we do here changes lives.

You really have no idea what sort of impact you’re making until you’re there, listening to people tell you what this work has meant to them. We give people second chances.”

Photography © Kimberly Pye