At that point, I did not need to return to work for financial reasons, but felt the need to do something constructive with my law degree, so I started taking pro bono cases, representing victims of domestic violence. I found the work to be very compelling; and also, became aware of the enormous unmet need for legal services in this area.
In 2008, I joined with two other lawyers, who were also on career break to care for their children, and we started a nonprofit legal services organization, the DC Volunteer Lawyers Project, DCVLP, specializing in representing domestic violence victims and at-risk children. The organization grew rapidly, and today has 20 employees and is one of the largest providers of legal services to domestic violence victims in the District.
In 2016, I took a leave of absence to work full-time on the Clinton campaign, and then joined with another DCVLP lawyer, Virginia Kling, to start a law firm, Brody Kling PLLC. The firm was started in response to another unmet need: at DCVLP, we had to turn down many clients who were not eligible for free legal services, because they did not meet federal poverty guidelines. These clients could not afford "market rates" for private legal services, and so had few resources. Brody Kling PLLC started with a goal of providing high-quality family law services to people of moderate means, charging on a sliding scale.
We now have another partner, and an associate, and provide a full range of family law services to clients of all income levels, with a specialty in domestic violence. I find my work to be rewarding as well as meaningful, and love co-owning our firm with my partners.
Click here for a profile of Jenny and her advice for today's relaunchers.
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