Pro Bono Volunteer of the Month – March 2016

Emily McFarling of McFarling Law Group

Emily McFarling began her legal career in 2003 after opening a solo practice in Las Vegas with a focus in family law.  She received her J.D. from Northeastern University School of Law in Boston, Massachusetts.  She has gained the credential of Certified Family Law Specialist by the State Bar of Nevada and has been accepted into the International Academy of Family Lawyers and the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers.

Since Emily began volunteering with Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada in 2013, she has accepted 9 pro bono cases in a range of areas, including appeals, domestic violence, guardianship, probate, divorce and custody. Emily also participates in Legal Aid Center’s Partners in Pro Bono program in which lawyers and law students are matched up to work together on a pro bono case.

Law student mentee, Michael Burton, who has assisted Emily on three pro bono cases says, “Fighting for these people who cannot fight for themselves–believing in them and their cause, is what Emily is about.”

Emily says she performs pro bono work due to the number of people who lack the financial resources to afford legal representation.  She is particularly sensitive to issues of domestic violence, such as when victims are cut off from the finances, making it very difficult for them to leave their abuser and especially difficult to have the assistance to do so.

When asked about a memorable pro bono client, Emily said, “I was referred a pro bono case in which a biological father filed a paternity action prior to his child’s first birthday only to have it dismissed because the mother had placed another man on the birth certificate.”  Emily represented the father on appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court in which she succeeded in getting the dismissal reversed and on remand was able to get the other man’s voluntary acknowledgement of paternity set aside and joint physical custody established for her client.

For her commitment to representing pro bono clients and dedication to inculcating a pro bono ethos into our future generation of lawyers, we honor Emily McFarling as the March Pro Bono Attorney of the Month.