Posted March 16, 20231:00 pm
When Cleveland native Hilda Hernandez felt called to serve her community, she knew that joining Legal Aid would empower her to make a difference.
Hilda first joined Legal Aid in 2014 in the Intake and Volunteer Lawyers Program, helping to gather key information to determine if people had a legal case and were eligible to receive help from Legal Aid. Being an intake specialist helped Hilda learn about the variety of cases Legal Aid handles, and gain experience communicating with potential clients. Since 2020, she has worked as a paralegal in Legal Aid’s Health and Opportunity Practice Group.
Hilda shared, “I have been fortunate enough to meet clients from many different ethnic backgrounds, and to learn about their language, culture, and traditions. This has helped me to understand our clients’ views, and to develop more empathy regarding the traumatic events that led to their desire to immigrate to the U.S.” Hilda’s recent work is focused on immigration cases and Legal Aid’s Medical-Legal Partnership Program.
Katie Feldman, Managing Attorney of Legal Aid’s Health and Opportunity group, notes “Hilda is an integral part of our immigration practice: not only is she passionate about Legal Aid’s mission and leaving no stone unturned to assist clients, but she also finds ways to connect her extensive community involvement to her legal work.”
As she celebrates her 9-year anniversary with Legal Aid, Hilda notes “Anyone considering supporting Legal Aid should do so because we have a truly special group of employees that are skilled, kind, and in constant search of new ways to work jointly to reach a common goal: to provide high quality legal assistance to low-income and vulnerable clients, and to make systemic changes for the greater good.”
Originally published in Legal Aid's "Poetic Justice" newsletter, Volume 20, Issue 1 in March 2023. See full issue at this link: “Poetic Justice” Volume 20, Issue 1.