Washington, D.C. – The DC Volunteer Lawyers Project (DCVLP) recently honored five Wilkinson Stekloff associates as DCVLP’s Domestic Relations Branch Volunteers of the Year, recognizing their dedication on behalf of victims of domestic abuse and their children. The DCVLP honorees were Wilkinson Stekloff associates Hal Brewster, Cali Cope-Kasten, Ash Jamali, Meg Loftus, and Kirsten Nelson. Ash, Meg, and Kirsten were honored for a significant trial victory earlier this year. Working with DCVLP and under the supervision of partner Jeremy Barber, they prevailed in securing for their pro bono client full physical and legal custody over her two young children. Wilkinson Stekloff’s client divorced her husband in 2015 after suffering months of domestic abuse. In January 2017, her ex-husband (the plaintiff) filed a lawsuit seeking primary custody of their two children, falsely claiming that she had effectively kidnapped the children when she moved from the District of Columbia to Maryland. At …
Wilkinson Stekloff Secures Victory in D.C. Child Custody Trial
Washington, D.C. – On August 11, Wilkinson Stekloff associates won a pro bono custody case in D.C. Superior Court, securing primary residential custody and tiebreaker legal custody for our client over her two young children. Wilkinson Stekloff’s client separated from her husband two years ago after suffering months of domestic abuse. In January 2017, her ex-husband (the Plaintiff) filed a lawsuit in which he sought primary custody of their two children, falsely claiming that she had effectively kidnapped the children when she moved from the District of Columbia to Maryland without giving him notice. Wilkinson Stekloff took on this representation as part of its ongoing partnership with the D.C. Volunteer Lawyers Project. At trial, the Wilkinson Stekloff team developed an evidentiary record proving that it was not in the children’s best interest for the Plaintiff to have primary custody. Wilkinson Stekloff presented five witnesses, including an expert, who established that the …
Pro Bono Asylum Victory for Wilkinson Stekloff
Wilkinson Stekloff celebrates an asylum victory today for a sixteen-year old client fleeing persecution in Honduras. Our client suffered persecution in Honduras after his father, a member of a local taxi driver’s cooperative, defied a powerful international gang by refusing to make extortion payments. The gang stalked, threatened, and attempted to kidnap our client from school. Associate Max Warren led the case under the supervision of partner Brian Stekloff. Associates Norman Pentelovitch, Cali Cope-Kasten, and Meg Loftus, paralegal Youlan Xiu, and assistant Kat Phillips assisted with the case. The team worked in collaboration Human Rights First, a non-profit international human rights organization. We are proud of our client for the enormous bravery he has demonstrated in the face of adversity, and know he will be a model citizen in the United States.