National Pro Bono Month Spotlight: Alyssa Mclean

Moore & Van Allen (MVA) is proud to highlight Commercial Real Estate Paralegal Alyssa Mclean for her commitment to public service and pro bono work. In this spotlight, Alyssa reflects on why pro bono service is meaningful to her. 

Describe the public service or pro bono work you participated in. 

• I assist with the firm's Human Trafficking ("HT") practice in my role as a member of the HT Intake Team. The Intake Team corresponds with referring agencies seeking pro bono legal assistance on behalf of HT survivors, receives intake requests for potential new survivor-clients, and connects HT clients with their amazing pro bono legal teams. Recently, I've also been involved in several HT debt bondage repair matters and have acted as a consultant to equip and empower other firms nationwide in hosting their own credit repair clinics to serve impacted survivors. I also helped start MVA's Child Sexual Abuse Materials ("CSAM") practice. Since 2023, our CSAM Team has prepared over 1,300 court filings requesting restitution on behalf of our clients and has obtained over $2.4 million in court-ordered restitution. I also serve on MVA's Public Service Committee.

Why is public service or pro bono important to you?

• I recognize that I live a very blessed and fortunate life. Unfortunately, so many others in our community have experienced, and continue to experience, some of the most terrible traumas imaginable. As a result of their harsh experiences, our clients often lose trust in humanity; they feel trapped and hopeless, and they do not have the resources to overcome the barriers that restrict them from reaching their full potential. Thanks to the support of Moore & Van Allen, I am in a position to help these survivors, and it is important to me that I do what I can to ease some of their burdens so that they can heal and begin to imagine a life of freedom and independence. 

Do you have a favorite moment, meaningful takeaway, or story from your experience you'd like to share?

• It has been so rewarding to witness the positive impact of MVA's efforts in the lives of our survivor-clients. The money recovered from received restitution is absolutely life-changing for our clients. One client in particular has gone from a horrible, co-dependent living situation to complete financial independence with her own home and vehicle. However, even greater than the money is the small sense of renewed hope and faith in mankind that some of our clients have experienced knowing that they have a legal team to help support them as they heal from their immense traumas. I am very grateful to MVA for valuing and encouraging service and allowing me to allocate a significant amount of my work hours towards this meaningful work.