Volunteer Lawyers for Justice is pleased to recognize Jason Scott Camilo as October’s Volunteer of the Month. Jason is the founder of the Law Offices of Jason Scott Camilo, LLC, a law practice focusing on immigration and nationality law. Born to parents that were Cuban refugees fleeing communist Cuba, Jason was raised with a deep appreciation for American democracy and has devoted his entire career to this area of law.
Jason has volunteered with VLJ for the last three years, first learning about VLJ in the aftermath of the Trump administration’s travel ban in 2017. Although he is constantly kept busy with his private practice and the challenges of the ever-changing immigration landscape, Jason values pro bono work. In fact, he highlights the ability to take on more “bite-sized” volunteer commitments as one of the benefits of volunteering through VLJ. Jason frequently volunteers at VLJ’s Divorce Program’s legal clinics, advising other attorneys assisting pro se clients in the divorce process on any immigration implications. He also takes full representation cases from VLJ’s Human Trafficking Program, serving clients with various immigration needs. He is most amazed by the resiliency of these clients who have experienced horrific human trafficking and are in need of immigration-related assistance, remarking that “their will to be here is amazing.”
Jason is no stranger to pro bono work, having long committed himself to helping those in need, first starting with Kids in Need of Defense (KIND), a national organization advocating for the rights of unaccompanied migrant and refugee children in the United States. In recognition of his extensive volunteerism, the New Jersey State Bar Association awarded its prestigious Pro Bono Award to Jason in 2018. In addition to providing direct client services pro bono, Jason also served as the American Immigration Lawyers Association’s (AILA) Pro Bono Committee Chair in 2017 and currently serves as its Treasurer.
For Jason, pro bono work is part and parcel of his work as an attorney, simply explaining, “everyone deserves decent legal representation. As an attorney, doing pro bono work is one of the ways we can ‘stand up’”. Thank you, Jason, for standing up!
