Don Quixote has featured in each of the law center’s annual reports. What significance does this have?
Actually, it was an attempt at whimsy. When Casa Cornelia began, I sometimes felt as if we were tilting at windmills and that Sr. Mary Wayne and I were on an ephemeral quest. Looking back, David and Goliath probably would have been more to the point-more apt but no whimsy. We stuck with Don Quixote and named the annual report La Mancha.
What was your dream for Casa Cornelia Law Center?
Actually, there was no dream of a law center. The dream was much more modest-Sr. Margaret Crowley, then the Provincial of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus asked us to consider opening a contemporary Mission in the southwest to serve those in need. We envisioned being a presence in a place where Sr. Mary Wayne and I would ‘ply our trades”. I would take on some pro bono cases; she would do desktop publishing. The quiet life- idyllic!
Casa Cornelia is hardly a quiet place-more a hub of activity-what happened?
I’m not sure really. Sr. Mary Wayne and I both agree that had we known where those first steps would take us, we probably would have demurred. God leads in subtle ways and, as we know, ignorance is bliss. Like most beginnings there was an element of serendipity; in hindsight, it was all predictable. There was and is a desperate need for legal services for immigrants in San Diego and one lawyer can’t do much. Before we knew it we were incorporated and on our way- meeting new needs as they emerged.
Casa Cornelia is now a fairly big operation. You must have a sense of accomplishment.
It’s a yes and no, a good news and bad. Today Casa Cornelia is the biggest and only public-interest law firm exclusively serving the immigrant
population in San Diego. I suppose that’s good, but it is also bad. The needs are so much greater than our capacity to meet them. I find it difficult to believe that we have helped over four thousand individuals over the course of the past fifteen years. It was always one at a time but the victims kept coming. Just to survive you need to focus on the now-one person at a time. There’s rarely time to bask in achievement and growth. The 15th Anniversary Celebration should be fun.
What are some of the “highlights” as you look back?
Well, naturally I remember especially some of my earlier clients. Some, like Sarah from Uganda, I hear from occasionally; others I wonder about how their lives have unfolded. I relish the fact that our staff attorneys provide quality legal work. A number have argued successfully before the U.S. Court of Appeals 9th Circuit-Carmen [Chavez], our current Executive Director, Rose [Kasusky], and Blanche [Maine]. That the poor are getting the very best is very satisfying.
Looking ahead, what do you see?
To be honest, my time horizon for Casa Cornelia has always been the now. Who needs attention today is anyone in danger of being deported today 7 I’m not the best person to look into the crystal ball.
Things have changed significantly since I stepped down as Executive Director. For the better, I must say! Technology and case management systems have been put in place; quantum steps have been taken in program development and the expansion of services and the involvement of volunteer attorneys from the private sector. Hundreds of individuals have been enabled to immigrate legally with Casa Cornelia’s assistance. We have been very fortunate with the leadership of Rose and Carmen. We’ve come a long
way!
In 1998, I told Lisa Kahle that if I had $30,000 I would hire her as a Connelly Associate. She signed on for $15,000 in the hope that we would win the lottery. This year Casa Cornelia’s budget is almost $800,000. I never, never would have thought that possible. I definitely am not the person to ask what lies ahead.
But whatever the future holds, Casa Cornelia Law Center will read the signs of the times and meet the challenge. In order to preserve confidentiality the names of clients have been changed throughout this publication.