CBA Record October 2016

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PRO BONOWEEK 2016– CARING, ONE PERSON AT A TIME
The Chicago Bar Association & The Chicago Bar Foundation
2016 Pro Bono Week Oct 24-28
“Yes, it is time to retire, but first find something that
interests you,” my wife replied.
Good advice leading me to pro bono.
I could still practice law plus I had a sense of the
goodness of the work—relieving a debt problem,
caring for an aged parent,
correcting a property interest and
so many other issues.
One becomes filled with a sense
of well-being, personal pride and
respect for the importance of law
to our society. Leo Feldman
Retired attorney
40 OCTOBER 2016
Asylum
By Samina A. Kapadia
Living in fear of going home is a terrible
thought. Even worse is not being able
to rely on the support of your own family
and friends when facing the deepest of
personal struggles. As a new lawyer, I
met a young man who was afraid to leave
Chicago and return home due to his fear
of persecution.
He grew up shouldering an immense
burden–a secret that he was a homosexual.
He hid his homosexuality from his
family and friends while growing up
because homosexuality was illegal in his
home country. It was not until his father
allowed him to attend graduate school in
Chicago that he had the opportunity to
embrace his true self. He finally felt liber-
ated and found supportive friends. He left
any semblance of shame behind. But as he
approached graduation, he had to face the
looming anxiety of having to return to a
life of shame and fear.
His journey through asylum is howwe met.
I was eager to learn about his roots and
what led him here. We spoke the same
language and shared the same culture, but
I soon learned just how different our child-
hoods were. He was bullied, raped, harassed
and abused by all those around him.
I soon realized the battle his asylum
application would be. I needed to convince
the U.S. Government that he deserved to
remain because of his well-founded fear of
being persecuted by his government and
family. I shuddered to think what would
happen if I failed–if he had to return home
only to face abuse or even death.
After months of preparation, we walked
into the asylum interview together. I
watched as he carefully and confidently
answered the asylum officer’s questions–
having no doubt in mind that this man
deserved protection.
At the end, the asylum officer asked me
to give a closing statement. I recited a list of
reasons why he was entitled to asylum, but I
more so emphasized that I myself knew what
terrors he would face if he were forced to return
home–unable to live openly as a gay man.
After the interview, we waited patiently
for months. Then came the news. “I got
asylum!” he exclaimed over the phone. I
remember feeling so relieved. But I did not
truly appreciate the impact this case had
on me until months later. I was walking in
my winter coat to the train station, after
having had a long and stressful day at work.
I suddenly saw a familiar face walking
towards me, a young man holding hands
with his boyfriend. He stopped to hug me
and began telling me of about his new job
and new apartment with his boyfriend.
As I walked away, I thanked him for
making my day. He simply smiled and
said that he was happy he was able to do
something for me. That moment made all
the difference, and was a simple but much
needed reminder of why I became a lawyer
in the first place.
Samina Kapadia supports clients during
complex construction and real estate disputes
at Faegre Baker Daniels LLP.