Pro Bono Victories in Asylum, Adoption Cases

Steptoe's pro bono team has achieved two important victories, one in an asylum matter and the other in an adoption case.

Steptoe attorneys succeeded in obtaining political asylum for a 21-year-old Rwandan man referred to the firm by the Washington Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights.  The client is the nephew of one of Rwanda's most prominent businessmen and a long-time critic of President Paul Kagame's regime, who has spoken out against government corruption and in favor of more serious efforts at reconciliation between Tutsis and Hutus. Although the Lawyers' Committee identified the case as one that might prove challenging, Paul Mickey, Alyssa Dragnich, and Katie Herman  were able to persuade the Immigration Judge that our client would likely face persecution because of imputed political opinion if he were forced to return to Rwanda.  The key factor in the decision was the compelling testimony about government brutality and reprisal in the years following the genocide offered by the former speaker of Rwanda's Parliament, who offered a first-hand account of the Kagame regime's determination to punish our client's family. 

Susan Koegel and Gretchen Miller are celebrating a long-awaited victory in a highly contested adoption case.  The case involves a little girl who, after being born in a jail hospital where her mother was serving time on a drug charge, was shipped off to the biological father, who also had a history of substance abuse, and within a few days had abandoned the newborn. 

The baby came to live with our clients as a foster child. However, even after the birth mother was released from jail, it was clear she would not be capable of caring for her daughter, and our clients petitioned to adopt the little girl.  At that point, the biological father resurfaced.  He decided, and the birth mother agreed, that his adult son from a prior relationship should adopt the child.  Despite the fact this adult son had also served years in prison on drug charges, he and his wife waged a fight for the little girl. 

The case went to trial right after the new year.  All indications, especially given the unequivocal testimony of the court's mental health expert, were that there would be a quick, favorable ruling.  However, issuing a decision in these emotionally charged cases can be difficult.  Close to nine months passed before the judge finally ruled in favor of our clients, who cried with joy when they got the news.