Attorney of the Week

Safe Passage, February 24, 2017


The Safe Passage Project is proud to recognize Steven Kent as our Attorney of the Week! Over the past 2 years, Steven has become an invaluable part of our pro bono team. His hard work and dedication have had a profound impact on the lives of his clients, who are now on their way to obtaining legal status and achieving their dreams of leading happy, healthy lives in the United States.

Steven, a graduate of Georgetown University and St. John’s Law School, has been working at Wilson Elser in New York City for over 30 years. Steven’s legal specialties include legal malpractice defense and commercial litigation. In 2015, Steven started volunteering with Safe Passage through a program established with Wilson Elser. After learning about the incredible need for attorneys to represent child immigrants, Steven felt motivated to offer his assistance and legal experience to help further Safe Passage’s mission.

Steven found his initial experience with Safe Passage so rewarding that he decided to continue volunteering with us. Steven stated that he was really impressed with the quality of representation as well as the dedication of Safe Passage employees. To this date, Steven has represented five immigrant children with the Safe Passage Project. All of his cases have involved helping his clients obtain Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (“SIJS”). One challenge that Steven said he has encountered in this work has been the language barrier, since all of his clients come from Central America and speak Spanish. He said it was a really humbling experience because in all his years of being an attorney, the ability to easily communicate with his clients was something he took for granted. He really appreciated Safe Passage’s assistance with interpreting during his client meetings, and wanted to especially thank Elizabeth and Marilyn for their time and effort with these cases.

Finally, Steven wants to encourage all attorneys to volunteer with the Safe Passage Project and get involved in immigration and asylum law. He stated that this type of work is more important now than it has ever been. He finds the work not only personally fulfilling and intellectually stimulating, but also views it as a way to use his legal skills to help the country.

Thank you Steven for your continued dedication to your clients and for setting an example for all attorneys to follow and strive for!