COSTA MESA, Calif., July 12, 2012 – Serving as a volunteer attorney for the Public Law Center (PLC), Taylor Dalton, an associate at Rutan & Tucker, LLP, recently helped a woman who had been physically and mentally abused to obtain a U visa allowing her and her son to live and work legally in the United States.
Dalton’s client had sought legal help from the PLC, known as Orange County’s pro bono law firm, after coming to California from Mexico with her abusive boyfriend and her two children. The U visa she was granted as a crime victim is a nonimmigrant visa that also includes her son. Only 10,000 U visas are issued every fiscal year.
“We thank Taylor for helping his client feel more secure in this country and making it possible for her to have new opportunities, including access to public benefits, that will better her life,” said Kenneth W. Babcock, the PLC’s Executive Director and General Counsel.
HIV positive as a result of her abusive relationship, Dalton’s client has since become active in her community, assisting others who are coping with being HIV positive. She is thankful for everything that Dalton did on her behalf and cried when he personally handed the immigration card to her.
“While it goes without saying how important pro bono work is, how very appreciative our pro bono clients are, and how grateful we are for the firm’s encouragement and support for handling such matters, Taylor’s recent achievement serves as a reminder of the good things we can do with a relatively modest investment of time and energy,” said Rutan partner Philip Kohn, the firm’s pro bono coordinator and a longtime member of the PLC Board of Directors.
Dalton earned law degrees from Cornell Law School, where he was a student organizer for the law school’s alternative spring break trips to the Gulf Coast in the wake of hurricanes Katrina, Rita, and Ike.
About The Public Law Center
The Public Law Center, Orange County's pro bono law firm, is committed to providing access to justice for low-income Orange County residents. Through volunteers and staff, PLC provides free civil legal services, including counseling, individual representation, community education, and strategic litigation and advocacy to challenge societal injustices. Last year alone, the Public Law Center ‘s work benefitted more than 20,000 Orange County residents. It did so in large part through the efforts of over 1,000 pro bono lawyers, paralegals, law students and an array of others who, together with the center's staff, provided over 52,240 hours of free legal services worth over $15.8 million.
About Rutan & Tucker LLP
Rutan & Tucker is California’s largest full-service law firm headquartered in Orange County, California with offices in Costa Mesa and Palo Alto. Primary practice areas include business and real estate litigation, corporate and securities law, labor and employment law, intellectual property, real estate, municipal and government agency law, land use law, bankruptcy condemnation and property valuation, environmental law, and taxation and estate planning. Detailed information about the firm is available at www.rutan.com.