Sotomayor Applauds Cleveland Legal Aid Society

Justice Sotomayor Applauds Cleveland Legal Aid Society Lawyers for Expanding Access to Justice
Arooj Ashraf, "U.S. Supreme Justice Sotomayor rock's Cleveland," La Prensa, September 11, 2010

La Prensa writes: "United States Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was the guestspeaker at the Cleveland Legal Aid Society's (LAS) annual dinner on Sept. 10, 2010. More than 1,200 members of the Legal Society, Latino leadership, and community members attended the dinner held at the Renaissance Hotel. In the two days Justice Sotomayor spent in Cleveland she met personally with law students from Cleveland State and Case Western Universities, lawyers, community leaders, and the judges of the U.S. District Court. The Hispanic Roundtable also hosted the Judge for a breakfast with prominent Latino leaders, enlightening her about the community's needs and challenges. 'I think I have met all of Cleveland,' she said in her opening remarks, thanking the Legal Aid Society for their invitation, and especially the 1,400 lawyers who offer their services pro-bono. She said LAS plays a critical role in making justice accessible to people who need it the most. She exclaimed, 'You rock!'  Addressing 18-year old Brenda Vera and her family in Spanish, Sotomayor applauded their courage in surviving domestic violence.  Brenda, a senior at Lincoln West High School, had shared the turmoil of living with an abusive father till the age of 15. The turning point in her mother and three sisters' lives came when they escaped one day to seek refuge at the local Domestic Violence Center. With the help of LAS lawyers, they received a restraining order for her father and their legal residence and are carrying on with their lives. Brenda hopes to become a lawyer and thanked her mother for helping her break-free of the shame most victims of violence feel. Sotomayor told Brenda that every professional reaches a point in their lives when they hit a low, question the work they are doing, and wonder why they continue. 'Every time that happens to me in the future, I will think of you,' she said..."

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