Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022 - 31

SPECIAL SECTION
Passion to Public Interest Work
stationed in Kyrgyzstan, a place
she'd never heard of.
" That experience was formative
in helping me see that there is
vast inequality in our world in
terms of resources and who has
access to medical care, food, and
shelter, " says the Georgetown
University Law Center graduate.
" I knew I wanted to do something
about that, and to use my education
to help with creating a more
just and equal society. I thought
a law degree would be a tangible
tool to use to work on behalf of
people who don't have access to
justice. "
Working right in her own community
led Hii to immigration law. As a
requirement for her Peace Corps
mission, she had to complete 30
hours of volunteer work, which she accomplished by teaching English to
local Spanish-speaking students. After listening to their experiences at the
border, Hii wanted to do more to help immigrants thrive.
" It was incredible to hear what they'd been through and then to get here
and still be struggling, " Hii says. " They gave up everything, and now they
don't have access to a lot of things
still. That's when my interest in
immigration law sparked. "
KELLY HII
SHAVANNIE BRAHAM
At Ayuda, which provides legal,
social, and language services to
low-income immigrants in the
Washington metropolitan area, Hii's
cases involve clients who suffered
a crime or are seeking asylum.
Trafficking, child abuse, and neglect
cases also come her way. Of late,
she's been working with many
clients from Honduras, Guatemala,
and El Salvador who are fleeing
gang violence and want to stay in
the United States to live, work, and
raise their families in safety.
" I love that I'm able to do something
tangible for them, " Hii says.
" Just to be able to help someone get a work permit has a huge impact on
their lives. "
FROM HOUSING TO HEALTH CARE
As a law student at Howard University, Shavannie Braham was exposed
to housing discrimination law and decided it was the space she wanted
to plant her feet on. Volunteering at the Fair Housing Clinic for nearly a
year, Braham helped investigate discriminatory housing practices, and
that sealed the deal for her.
" That really routed my trajectory into the field of housing and fueled my
continued interest in law, " says Braham, who was born in Jamaica and
lived in Miami, Florida, before moving to Maryland to attend the Washington
Adventist University for her undergraduate studies. " [The clinic]
was a great start, working with clients and seeing the impact that you
can make in people's lives. I loved that I could put a face to a condition or
concern, intervene, and really help that person. It showed me how the
law is useful and can create real change. "
Braham worked at the Legal Aid Society of the District of Columbia representing
low-income residents with eviction and housing issues for two
years before becoming attorney advisor at the D.C. Office of the Tenant
Advocate. There, at the height of
the pandemic, she advised tenants
in matters involving Tenant Opportunity
to Purchase Act rights, rent
control, housing conditions, security
deposit return, lease agreement
concerns, and eviction. After
three years Braham moved back to
Miami, where she works in a similar
capacity.
Molly Prothero has developed a
passion for health care and the law
as a staff attorney with Bread for
the City and as a fellow with the
Skadden Fellowship Foundation. In
this dual role, she has brought legal
services to Bread for the City's new
southeast D.C. medical clinic, providing
direct representation in
housing conditions and public
benefits cases.
MOLLY PROTHERO
Prothero helps clinic visitors obtain insurance or works on housing
condition issues when, for example, mold or mice may be exacerbating
asthma or other respiratory issues and a landlord needs a nudge to re -
solve the problem. In many cases, she says her clients do well advocating
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2022
* WASHINGTON LAWYER 31
Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Washington Lawyer - November/December 2022
