Law Firm Partner Helps Immigrant Children

Kids in Neeed of Defense has a nice blog story about Douglas Doskocil, a partner in Goodwin Procter LLP’s Litigation Department, where he concentrates on intellectual property litigation. Doug’s clients are often major systems engineering and technology development corporations based both in the United States and abroad. Doug also represents a very different type of clientele from abroad – children who migrated to the United States without a parent or legal guardian.

In his role as coordinator of Goodwin Procter’s Unaccompanied Minors Pro Bono Program, Doug oversees the firm’s work on KIND cases, which currently consist of child clients from Belize, El Salvador, Guinea, Honduras, and Mexico. Though the children – who range in age from 13 to 18 years old – hail from different countries in the world and experienced unique upbringings, they each came to the United States alone because they had been abused, abandoned, or neglected, or were fleeing from persecution in their home country. Each of the cases that Doug oversees involves a vulnerable child who did not speak English before coming to the United States, was unfamiliar with the laws and customs of this country, and who made the dangerous journey with the hope of finding protection. One of these children is 16-year-old Walter.  Click the link above for more information.

KJ