Vedder Price is pleased to announce that a team of its attorneys has secured a significant pro bono win leading to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) granting asylum to one of the firm’s pro bono clients.
Our client fled Afghanistan when the Taliban assumed control and was granted asylum, along with her husband and baby, less than one year after working with the Vedder Price team. Additionally, the firm was able to secure this victory without having to go to court, as the asylum application was approved by the USCIS upon submission.
Our client is a female Afghan Security Forces combat veteran who currently resides in Virginia. She entered the United States in August 2021 as part of the U.S. airlift out of Hamid Karzai International Airport following the United States’ withdrawal from Afghanistan. The client and her family (including her one-month-old baby) were forced to flee Afghanistan because they were threatened by the Taliban due to their nationality, race, religion, political opinion and our client’s status as a former member of Afghanistan’s Female Tactical Platoon (FTP). The FTP was a group that was tasked with supporting Afghan Special Security Forces during counterterrorism operations, specializing in searches, interrogations, and medical assistance.
The Vedder Price team was engaged to represent this client in 2022, only six weeks before the one-year deadline for filing an asylum petition after an asylum seeker enters the United States. As part of its strategy, Vedder Price’s team engaged in fact gathering, working with the client and a translator throughout the process, in order to get the most complete information possible to include in the application. Adding to the pressure was the need to ensure all factual details were scrupulously verified and translated to ensure the application was completely accurate. At all times, our client’s fear of future persecution if she were returned to her home country weighed heavy on the team’s mind.
“We feel very honored to represent our client and her family, who endured huge risks and exhibited enormous bravery on behalf of Afghanistan and in support of the U.S. military in its efforts against the Taliban,” said Vedder Price Associate Tamara Droubi. “Our client is greatly relieved with this outcome, and we are thrilled to see this happen for her considering the challenges she and her family have faced.”
The winning Vedder Price team consists of Shareholder Amy Bess and Associate Tamara Droubi. The team also worked with Sisters of Service, a non-profit organization made up of American female veterans helping to resettle and empower the Afghan women who fought alongside them.
About Vedder Price
Vedder Price and our 315 lawyers serve a global client base from offices in Chicago, New York, Washington, DC, London, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Singapore, Dallas and Miami. We deliver high-value, best-in-class legal counsel in the areas of M&A/private equity, banking and commercial finance, complex litigation, executive compensation, employment law, investment management and other business-critical corporate matters.
