Pro Bono Spotlight: Sheryl Saavedra
Written by Stella Sommer, a 2021 NMILC Intern
Sheryl Saavedra, a family law attorney, has graciously offered her time and expertise pro bono to NMILC for the past three years. Sheryl has a love for legal research and writing, a passion for educating and mentoring law students and other young people, and extensive experience in family law. She lives in Albuquerque, but is originally from Roswell. Sheryl has always been deeply committed to pro bono work and has jumped feet first into this continuing commitment. We are grateful to have her as part of NMILC’s pro bono network, where she takes on custody, paternity, and kinship guardianship cases, to name a few, and in the legal community at large in Albuquerque, where she sits on UNM’s alumni board, leads clinics, and more.
NMILC coordinates a network of pro bono attorneys to provide representations in family law proceedings to low-income New Mexicans as the first step of obtaining green cards for immigrant youth who have been abandoned, abused, or neglected by one or both of their parents.
In a statement on the significance of pro bono work, Sheryl remarked:
“The whole time that I was practicing family law I was always very cognizant that the area of family law is an area that requires that we do more than just make money—because every person in the world needs our services at some point...everybody needs support for their children. And so that was a continuing concern, and I always felt like we owed it to our community to offer a little bit of what we did for free. I always try to really provide as much information and time as I can. [Why NMILC?] I don’t know a whole lot about immigration law but I know a whole lot about custody. And that’s my story!”
As it happens, there is more to the story. Sheryl’s identity and experiences as a foster child and Hispana permeate her work. For many years, Sheryl served Roswell as one of two, and then the only Hispanic attorney among over 100. “We were sort of an anomaly in that town.” And as much as she loves teaching law, Sheryl is also passionate about teaching foster children what it took to arrive at law school in the first place. She told NMILC, “If you look at me, you’d never know that I was raised in foster care. I look like I belong here. Well, I didn’t grow up here. And it’s about teaching [foster children] that they have the ability to place themselves where they want to be, but they have to see it first. They have to be able to see what they’re capable of, and they have to believe it.”
NMILC is thrilled to have Sheryl as part of our pro bono network, forwarding our goals of making both legal services and the legal profession accessible to all. Our work could not be sustained without the contributions of our community of volunteers, pro bonos, and partner organizations. We’d love to have you volunteer with us as well!
