May 2016 Volunteer Spotlight - Osvaldo Garcia

 

 

Osvaldo Garcia 

 

The NYC Pro Bono Center thanks Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP for sharing this volunteer feature on Osvaldo Garcia. Osvaldo is a second year associate and the founder and current director of the Cadwalader Black and Latino Association Immigration Clinic.   

 

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Osvaldo Garcia

 

 

Osvaldo Garcia, an attorney with Cadwalader Wickersham & Taft LLP, is the founder and current director of the Cadwalader Black and Latino Association Immigration Clinic, an internal support network for the firm’s attorneys handling pro bono immigration matters.

The clinic brings together Cadwalader attorneys and other experts to review cases involving undocumented immigrants. In addition, a knowledge database has been established, offering training materials and model samples of briefs and pleadings that help attorneys involved with Special Immigrant Juvenile Status proceedings, asylum applications and Violence Against Women Act petitions, among others.

In 2015, recognizing that the firm had been handling immigration matters for many years, Osvaldo saw an opportunity to tap into the wealth of accrued knowledge by launching the comprehensive clinic that would bolster attorney training, engagement and awareness of immigration issues. With the sponsorship of Cadwalader’s Black and Latino Association affinity group, he pitched the idea to the firm’s leadership and the proposal was met with overwhelming enthusiasm. The concept has also garnered attention in the legal community at large—Osvaldo was recently recognized with the New York State Bar Association's President's Pro Bono Service Award for his work with Immigration Clinic.

 

“My commitment to the immigration cause stems from my personal experience as an immigrant to the United States...”

 

“My commitment to the immigration cause stems from my personal experience as an immigrant to the United States,” says the second-year associate, who arrived in America as a 10-year-old with his family. “This country allowed me to legally become a resident, obtain an education and become a lawyer. I believe these opportunities have bestowed upon me a duty to make a difference in the lives of other immigrants who have not been as fortunate.”

In addition to his Immigration Clinic work, Osvaldo serves as counsel for a young Salvadorian immigrant applying for Special Juvenile Immigration Status and for a Mexican immigrant who was a victim of domestic violence. He also serves as translator for other Cadwalader attorneys in need of his native Spanish. Closer to his area of practice, Osvaldo is structuring a Special Needs Trust for an AIDS afflicted client.

 

 

Osvaldo’s practice focuses on international and domestic estate planning, estate administration, trust administration and family law. He also advises clients in complex commercial disputes. Garcia received his J.D. from Cornell Law School and B.A. from Florida International University, magna cum laude.

 


 

About pro bono at Cadwalader:  Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP is committed to using the resources of the firm to make a difference in our communities and in the lives of people who could not otherwise afford legal representation. This commitment, in all of our locations, is evidenced by the wide variety of pro bono and community service projects undertaken by our attorneys.

As one of the nation's oldest law firms, Cadwalader has a long-standing commitment to professional service in the public interest. From helping found the Friends of the Law Library of Congress in the early 1900s and publishing a practical guide for residents and community groups on using civil laws to combat illegal drug trade in the 1980s, to assisting individuals, families and businesses affected by the September 11 terrorist attacks and implementing a robust high school mentoring program, we are proud of our tradition of giving and dedicated to fulfilling our obligation to assist those with limited access to legal services.

As always, we bring the same unwavering commitment and expertise to our pro bono matters as we do to all other legal work handled by the firm. We are honored to be able to help our clients, all of whom have enriched our understanding of the larger communities of which we are a part. Cadwalader will continue to strive to fulfill our obligation to indigent individuals and organizations seeking guidance in navigating our justice system. We look forward to further enhancing our public service efforts in the years to come and continuing to make a mark on the world around us.

                             

 


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Interested in volunteering?  Start searching for pro bono opportunities by interest area (e.g. family, asylum), community served (e.g. domestic violence victims, children) or location right now by using our interactive NY Pro Bono Opportunities Guide!