Courageous Family from El Salvador Granted Asylum with Team’s Help
News
April 17, 2024
A pro bono client and her three teenage children have an optimistic future in United States after being granted asylum through efforts of a partnership between Jenner & Block, JPMorgan Chase, and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
The story of our client, identified as R., and that of her children, reveals why Jenner and our partners commit themselves to pro bono service: securing justice for vulnerable clients.
- endured over a decade of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of two men in her life. In 2007, she fled from El Salvador to escape her dangerous and possessive husband but then fell victim to another abusive partner who brought her to Mexico under false pretenses. She eventually escaped from that partner with her two young daughters. Her oldest child and only son, K, grew up in El Salvador surrounded by members of that country’s most notorious gangs, and after resisting attempts to join the gang, fled from El Salvador and reunited with his mother and two sisters in Mexico. The three escaped from Mexico into the United States.
Upon being referred to R.’s case in January 2024, the team moved quickly to beat fast-approaching deadlines. Within two months, they compiled affidavits, medical records, and other documents that helped them build a persuasive brief to support the asylum application.
After a merits hearing on April 17, the immigration judge granted R. and her children asylum. Given the short time frame the team faced, and the current political climate surrounding asylum, the outcome was a major victory.
The team representing R. and her children included Annette Isaacson and Michelle Munoz Durk from JPMorgan Chase; Geoff Cebula from the NIJC; and Jenner Partners Dawn Smalls and Wade Thomson, Special Counsel Jon Skladany, Associate Sierra Paskins, and Lead Lawyer Support Assistant Aimee Piatek.
Related Lawyers
Related Locations
© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
News
April 17, 2024
A pro bono client and her three teenage children have an optimistic future in United States after being granted asylum through efforts of a partnership between Jenner & Block, JPMorgan Chase, and the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC).
The story of our client, identified as R., and that of her children, reveals why Jenner and our partners commit themselves to pro bono service: securing justice for vulnerable clients.
- endured over a decade of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse at the hands of two men in her life. In 2007, she fled from El Salvador to escape her dangerous and possessive husband but then fell victim to another abusive partner who brought her to Mexico under false pretenses. She eventually escaped from that partner with her two young daughters. Her oldest child and only son, K, grew up in El Salvador surrounded by members of that country’s most notorious gangs, and after resisting attempts to join the gang, fled from El Salvador and reunited with his mother and two sisters in Mexico. The three escaped from Mexico into the United States.
Upon being referred to R.’s case in January 2024, the team moved quickly to beat fast-approaching deadlines. Within two months, they compiled affidavits, medical records, and other documents that helped them build a persuasive brief to support the asylum application.
After a merits hearing on April 17, the immigration judge granted R. and her children asylum. Given the short time frame the team faced, and the current political climate surrounding asylum, the outcome was a major victory.
The team representing R. and her children included Annette Isaacson and Michelle Munoz Durk from JPMorgan Chase; Geoff Cebula from the NIJC; and Jenner Partners Dawn Smalls and Wade Thomson, Special Counsel Jon Skladany, Associate Sierra Paskins, and Lead Lawyer Support Assistant Aimee Piatek.
Related Lawyers
Related Locations
© 2026 Jenner & Block LLP. Attorney Advertising. Jenner & Block LLP is an Illinois Limited Liability Partnership including professional corporations. This publication, presentation, or event is not intended to provide legal advice but to provide information on legal matters and/or firm news of interest to our clients and colleagues. Readers or attendees should seek specific legal advice before taking any action with respect to matters mentioned in this publication or at this event. The attorney responsible for this communication is Brent E. Kidwell, Jenner & Block LLP, 353 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60654-3456. Prior results do not guarantee a similar outcome. Jenner & Block London LLP, an affiliate of Jenner & Block LLP, is a limited liability partnership established under the laws of the State of Delaware, USA and is authorised and regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority with SRA number 615729. Information regarding the data we collect and the rights you have over your data can be found in our Privacy Notice. For further inquiries, please contact dataprotection@jenner.com.
News and Insights
Event
Amanda Shafer Berman to Speak on Energy and Administrative Law at WEN-DC Webinar
As the Supreme Court's new Term begins, Jenner & Block Partner Amanda Shafer Berman will join a Women's Energy Network of Washington, DC (WEN-DC) webinar on how the Court's decisions are shaping the energy sector.
October 14, 2026
Publications
Partner Amanda Shafer Berman Quoted in Bloomberg Law on Senate Permitting Overhaul Bill
Partner Amanda Shafer Berman was quoted in an October 5 Bloomberg Law article, "Permitting Deal Gives Projects Defense Against Litigation Delays," on the Senate's new permitting overhaul package and its expected impact on litigation over federal permitting reversals.
October 2026
Event
Partner John Storino to Speak at Sandpiper Partners' “AI and Outside Counsel Guidelines Roundtable”
On October 8, Partner John Storino will serve as a panelist at the “AI and Outside Counsel Guidelines Roundtable,” hosted by Sandpiper Partners in Chicago.
October 8, 2026
Event
Partner Meghan Greenfield to Speak on Supreme Court Climate Case at Edison Electric Institute's Fall Legal Conference
On Wednesday, October 7, Partner Meghan Greenfield will speak on a panel titled "Boulder County v. Suncor Energy: What the Supreme Court's Climate Case Means for the Energy Industry" at the Edison Electric Institute's Fall Legal Conference in Salt Lake City, Utah.
October 7, 2026
Publications
The Form Rules Everything: A Seventh Circuit Ruling on ERISA's Substantial Compliance Doctrine
Partner Joseph Torres and Special Counsel Jennifer Beach authored an article for Employee Relations Law Journal examining the Seventh Circuit's decision in Packaging Corp. of America Thrift Plan for Hourly Employees v. Langdon, a ruling that addresses both the standard of review in ERISA interpleader actions and the continued viability of the substantial compliance doctrine for changing plan beneficiaries.
October 5, 2026