Anu Thomas, executive director of Esperanza Immigration Legal Services. Courtesy photo
In the year I have been the executive director of Esperanza Immigration Legal Services (EILS), I have witnessed something here that I had not seen before either in the private or public legal sector: clients who say they feel like family. We have heard time and time again from clients that they feel EILS handled their case with the care and attention one typically affords a family member. Turning an introspective eye to who we are and what we do, I distilled what I believe are the core factors that have created this environment of belonging.
A Team That Reflects the Clients Served
Juana Perozo, legal coordinator at Esperanza Immigration Legal Services. Courtesy photo
The single most effective tool to creating spaces where clients feel like they belong is to have people on the other side of the table that look like them. In fact, due to our intentional recruitment and retention of diverse talent, in our practice we see the day-to-day manifestations of the outcomes predicted in the Philadelphia Bar Association’s statement of diversity and inclusion principles: “increased diversity enables law firms, legal departments, and other legal organizations to better understand their diverse client base, fostering better communication and representation.” Our legal coordinator, Juana Perozo, is an attorney from Colombia. As more than 80% of our clients are from the Latinx community, she brings a vital perspective. In addition to being an excellent legal mind, her cultural aptitude translates into more effective and nuanced communication with clients, insightful identification and anticipation of client actions and reactions, and culturally informed responses.
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