Richmond lawyer Megan E. Kaufmann has been named Pro Bono Attorney of the Year by the Tahirih Justice Center in Falls Church. The nonprofit recognized Kaufmann for her work in an asylum case for a family seeking to escape religious and other forms of persecution in Guatemala.
The center said in a statement that the award went to Kaufmann for “her willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty” for a woman and her family. This is the second year that the Tahirih Justice Center, founded in 1997 to address legal services needs of immigrant and refugee women who have fled to the U.S, has recognized a lawyer for this award. Kaufmann will be recognized and honored at the center’s annual benefit in May.
She took over the case after the mother was granted withholding against removal. After hundreds of hours donated by Kaufmann and waiting 16 months to learn the final outcome, all five of the women’s children were granted asylum.“It is so rewarding professionally and personally to help this family begin a safer life here in the United States,” said Kaufmann, whose practice focuses on general corporate matters.
Last year, Hunton & Williams LLP, one of the state’s largest law firms, donated nearly 70,000 hours to pro bono service.
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