The Florida Bar Foundation

Corporate attorney helps abandoned teen blossom

In corporate finance attorney Rebekah Grover’s world, people talk in hushed tones, click their heels on a well-polished marble floor, and sip cafe Cubano in between closing multi-million dollar deals.

Although Grover and her 15-year-old client, “Antonio,” lived in the same city, their worlds could hardly have been farther apart when she first took on his case pro bono.

When Antonio’s case was referred to Lawyers for Children America, a national nonprofit organization supported by The Florida Bar Foundation, the Nicaraguan teen -- who fled from his mother’s life of drug addiction and revolving prison sentences -- had been sleeping in the attic, sharing the cramped space with rodents, roaches and dust mites.

Grover, a third-year associate with White and Case, had worked pro bono on a previous LFCA case, and was eager to help another child.

Antonio might have continued living there had it not been for a police officer who noticed the youth was hanging out near a beauty salon, instead of attending school.

When authorities discovered that Antonio had no parents, they turned him over to the Department of Children and Families. From there, he entered an emergency foster home until his needs could be determined.

The child welfare system in the Miami area had recently been the focus of a statewide investigation. Grover said this development made those in the bureaucracy more open to her involvement in the case.

But Antonio was more than just a “case,” Grover said. “He wanted to start his life again.” Grover was determined to help the self-effacing youth get on the right track.

Antonio’s stepfather was a “coyote,” someone who smuggles people across the U.S. border from Mexico. Antonio would accompany the coyote on his missions. Antonio’s mother -- who Grover said never contacted her son during his court proceedings -- was a drug addict who was in and out of prisons throughout Antonio’s life.

Despite his tumultuous upbringing, Antonio was well-mannered. He always said, “Yes, ma’am” and, “No, ma’am.”

“Antonio is a good kid,” Grover said. “He doesn’t do drugs, he is polite, and he is very smart.”

One of Grover’s first responsibilities to her client was to find him a safe place to live, and to enroll him in school.

For nearly three years, Grover and a colleague worked through the many different court proceedings, made phone calls, and performed a diligent search for Antonio’s parents.

The clock was ticking because Antonio would soon turn 18. At that age, DCF effectively washes their hands of those on their roster. And, Grover said, “Deportation would have been a possibility if we had not gotten the 'best interest order' before he turned 18.”

Antonio eventually graduated from a Miami high school with a 3.9 grade-point average and began classes at Miami Dade Community College, with plans to attend Florida International University.

Grover encourages other attorneys to volunteer to help a child like Antonio. “It’s a great opportunity to try something new,” she said. Like most transactional attorneys, Grover rarely gets to meet her paying clients face-to-face. But in the pro bono world, she said “You get to spend time with your clients. It’s a great experience.”