CABA Pro Bono Legal Services is grateful for the many years of volunteer work by attorneys Ryan Thornton, Esq. and Veronica de Zayas, Esq., as well as paralegal Carolina Oquendo and legal assistants Carmen Veguilla and Vivian Alfonso.
“It is amazing to have such wonderful pro bono attorneys that stay on a case for years and build a much-needed relationship of trust with their pro bono clients,” said Lesley Mendoza, Executive Director of CABA Pro Bono Legal Services.
Ryan Thornton and Veronica de Zayas have dedicated their volunteer work to guiding young clients through their legal processes on cases referred by CABA Pro Bono Legal Services. They have advocated for the legal rights of neglected and abandoned youth, assisting children – and in de Zayas’ cases, siblings – in obtaining permanent residency through the Special Immigrant Juvenile Status visa process, a process that can take several years.
De Zayas and Thornton are shareholders in the Litigation Department at Stearns Weaver Miller, and handle complex commercial litigation matters at the trial and appellate levels in state and federal courts throughout the country. De Zayas earned her B.A. from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from the University of Notre Dame. Thornton earned his B.A. from Duke University and his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Both de Zayas and Thornton are proud former law clerks of the Honorable Federico A. Moreno of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida.
Alongside de Zayas and Thornton are Carolina Oquendo, paralegal, and Vivian Alfonso and Carmen Veguilla, legal assistants at Stearns Weaver Miller. “We could not have obtained these results without Carolina, Vivian, and Carmen’s assistance throughout this process, which included frequent contact with our clients,” de Zayas and Thornton said. “We and our clients owe them, as well as CABA Pro Bono Legal Services, a huge debt of gratitude.”
The Stearns Weaver Miller team’s continuous volunteer work on cases referred to them by CABA Pro Bono Legal Services has helped heighten legal advocacy within the Miami-Dade County community. The staff at CABA Pro Bono Legal Services are deeply grateful for their dedication and tireless legal advocacy.