Dear friend,

The 100% pro bono project Attorney on the Move was created to intentionally go where many of us haven’t been—or where we are not “supposed” to go.

These last five months, supporters of this project have witnessed and learned from migrant farmworkers who aren’t receiving full due process rights in rural California; detainees (most without a criminal record) who are indefinitely held in a federal immigration detention center in Tacoma, WA; and members of the Blackfeet tribe in northern Montana who have been navigating a difficult legal system involving federal, state, and tribal governments. I know we all want to do more to help.

And there’s BIG NEWS: I am opening a longer-term Virtual Law Office (VLO) to increase legal services access to those who need it the most. The first step in launching this new law office is to extend Attorney on the Move until the end of 2016 and provide urgently needed legal services into America’s most impacted communities. This upcoming year’s work will not only indicate what the areas of highest need are, but will also enable me to build the infrastructure for a new, virtual legal model to reach more clients—wherever they may be.

Can you chip in for legal services to those who need it most?

At times, this journey has been uncomfortable. Challenging. Empowering. Heartbreaking. Our most marginalized communities are often hidden from mainstream view: forgotten, left behind—in a place that can be very dark. And together, we can cast some urgently needed light into that darkness.

As I am writing this to you in Salt Lake City, I am couchsurfing and making my way south to Arizona—so we can continue to see more places that need help. With your support, more immigration detention centers, reservations, and other impacted communities will receive pro bono legal support.

Can you contribute and show support for providing legal access to more of our friends across the country?

Together, we can stand with our friends in the light—and out of the darkness. One step at a time, we can help change our communities, our country, and our world. Peace and love to you and yours this season—I am sending you thoughts of solidarity here in the Southwest. And as always, I hope we cross paths along the way!

Yours in peace, Melanie

PS: If you are one who celebrates the season, you may also make a donation in honor of someone special who has impacted you in your life’s journey. I’d love to write a note to your loved one to let them know about the gift made in their honor—and how it’s making a difference.

PPS: To read more about Attorney on the Move, click here to see a list of blog posts & press coverage since this project was launched in July.