Akin Gump/SunPower Pro Bono Partnership on Family Reunification Profiled by CCBJ

In the article “Teaming Up to Reunite Families,” Corporate Counsel Business Journal spoke with Steve Schulman and Lauren Connell, pro bono partner and counsel, respectively, at Akin Gump, and Whitney Mack, senior litigation counsel at SunPower Corporation, about their recent collaboration during the immigration crisis along the southern U.S. border.

Schulman discussed how Akin Gump and SunPower first came to work together on the reunification of families. He said it began with a presentation he gave to the company last year, describing some of the work the firm had already been doing at the Karnes Detention Center in Texas and noting how SunPower could assist. When the opportunity then arose in El Paso, SunPower quickly jumped in to help, he said.

Mack said the training the firm provided “was incredibly helpful.” She described a follow-up video conference as “a really effective way to get us prepared to go to the border.”

Connell then spoke of the collaboration between Akin Gump and SunPower, remarking at how quickly it came together. She described the individuals they would be helping, which “centered on five different parents who remained separated from their children.” The result, she said, was that all five families were reunited. Seeing two of them reunited in person, Connell added, “was one of the most emotional experiences” she has ever had as a lawyer.

Mack echoed those remarks, saying that the work she did for the families “was one of the most rewarding things” she has done with her law degree. Akin Gump made the process “seamless” for SunPower’s attorneys, she said, and she hopes to continue to do more pro bono immigration work in the coming months.

To read the article in its entirety, please click here.