June's Amicus Mundi Award goes to a lawyer who helped 32 transgender/gender nonconforming inmates.
Every month, We The Action gives the Amicus Mundi Award to an outstanding lawyer in our community who donates their time to projects they believe in.
June is Pride Month, and it’s only fitting that this month’s award go to a lawyer who has been working with incarcerated transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people to help them live full, healthy lives.
** Congratulations, Neva Wagner!
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The big picture: A lawyer from Chicago, Neva volunteers with Transgender Law Center (TLC) to help TGNC people in jails and prisons access information or resources to support their legal cases or improve their living conditions.
* Through TLC’s project, Neva was assigned letters from TGNC inmates asking for legal help or advice to solve a challenge facing the incarcerated person.
* In all, Neva has already corresponded with at least 32 inmates on issues ranging from name changes to educating inmates on prison housing policies to make their incarceration safer.
* TLC is currently recruiting for a similar project open to lawyers barred in any state. Click here to sign up! ([link removed])
Seeing the need firsthand: A queer person themselves, Neva first saw how difficult life in incarceration can be for transgender and gender nonconforming people during their time working as a jail clerk in Utah.
* “It’s a messed up situation,” Neva says. “The homophobia and transphobia that already exists within law enforcement is rough. But it only gets worse when guards have total authority over inmates.”
* After seeing the circumstances that incarcerated TGNC people face, Neva says they felt they had to find a way to help.
* That’s why Neva jumped at the chance to volunteer with TLC to help inmates connect with the support and resources they need.
A dedication to service: Neva says that as a child their mom made volunteering a foundational part of their lives and usually dedicated time each week to volunteering at a local soup kitchen or participating in other local service projects.
* Having grown up in a working class family, Neva says that they feel compelled to use their education to help however they can.
* “The experience of volunteering stuck with me and became a norm in my life,” Neva says. “Once I graduated law school, I knew I had to use my newfound privilege to help people.”
Leadership through empowerment: Neva says that while they enjoy their work at Perkins Coie, volunteering to support incarcerated TGNC people is rewarding in a different way.
* “I’m not saving them, I'm empowering them to have the best life possible while incarcerated,” they say.
* Neva has begun working with TLC to explore an expansion of their partnership with Perkins Coie to include more direct advocacy on behalf of TGNC inmates.
* Neva has even recruited junior associates to volunteer with TLC, since TLC has volunteer opportunities for attorneys of all experience levels.
You can help too: Neva says one of their favorite aspects of this project is that each letter only takes a couple of hours, so a lawyer can volunteer as much or as little time as their schedule allows.
* “By volunteering, you can experience parts of the law you otherwise wouldn’t have experienced,” Neva says.
* The Transgender Law Center is still looking for volunteers for a project open to lawyers barred in any state. Click here to sign up to help TGNC inmates! ([link removed])
** On behalf of more than 40,000 We The Action volunteer lawyers: Thank you, Neva!
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Want to join Neva and help advocate for transgender and gender nonconforming inmates? Sign up here! ([link removed])
From all of us at We The Action: Happy Pride Month!
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