VLJ is proud to recognize Suemyra Shah as our April Volunteer of the Month. Suemyra is Senior Corporate Counsel at Audible, where she oversees the development, licensing, and production of original content. She is also a fierce advocate for social, racial, and economic justice on behalf of VLJ’s ReLeSe (Reentry Legal Services) program. Her commitment to serving the most vulnerable in our community makes her most deserving of this recognition, especially as April is Second Chance Month.
Suemyra shares, “Second chances are important for everyone because we’re human. A second chance is the opportunity for someone to come into their best self. And not just a second chance, but a third and fourth one too. I have benefitted from multiple chances and wouldn’t have accomplished what is most important in my life without them.”
A dedicated volunteer at monthly advisory expungement clinics, Suemyra loves to be a reliable source of support for VLJ clients and help them problem solve. What stands out most to her is how despite the legal right to have their criminal records expunged, clients still face an uphill battle, often right from the very beginning with difficulty obtaining old record information. “I should be used to it by now, because it’s so common, but it’s still very jarring,” she shares.
The client experience is not lost on Suemyra. Her insight helped identify multiple points along VLJ’s service timeline where clients can become confused and lose momentum with their legal cases. This led to Audible’s customer care team undertaking an extensive review of ReLeSe’s intake process and developing a customer journey map to identify areas in need of improvement. This critical feedback will vitally enhance access to justice not only for ReLeSe clients, but all clients VLJ serves.
Suemyra astutely recognizes the “deep, institutional racism, systemic injustice and long-standing, layered issues that have historically excluded BIPOC constituencies. Looking at the pro bono work by itself, you don’t always see the connection to that, but I think it’s important.” With such keen understanding, one would think Suemyra was a full-time legal services attorney, but thanks to pro bono opportunities that Audible has forged, she has an outlet to channel her public interest passion.
“People make mistakes, but everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. To be able to work together is an honor,” she says. Suemyra, it is VLJ’s honor to collaborate with you and Audible. Thank you for being a champion of second, and third, and fourth chances.