Cristina Baragona, Esq.
“Even if you donate an hour of your time or do one clinic a year, you really are making an impact on someone’s life. It doesn’t have to be a Supreme Court case or make the news to make a difference. An hour or two in a clinic can impact someone’s life in a positive way. It definitely makes a difference.”
There is a saying that veterans are generally the first to volunteer, so much like the veterans VLJ serves, our June 2023 Volunteer of the Month was one of the first volunteers when VLJ launched its Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic in 2017. For her compassionate dedication to serving those who served, VLJ honors Cristina Baragona, Esq. as this month’s Volunteer of the Month.
Cristina is currently Assistant General Counsel–Compliance, Employment, and Privacy at BASF. Prior to joining BASF, Cristina was an associate at Lowenstein Sandler. At BASF, Cristina is responsible for employment law and supporting HR and managers with matters ranging from recruitment, onboarding, employee issues, through retirement and resignations. In short, Cristina often sees the lifespan of one’s employment journey at BASF. Cristina received a Bachelor of Arts in English and Political Science from Lehigh University and her Juris Doctor from Seton Hall Law.
As part of her onboarding with BASF, Cristina was told about VLJ’s Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic and she jumped at the chance to volunteer, doing so at the first Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic at the East Orange VA on January 26, 2017. Since then, she has been a regular volunteer with VLJ’s Veterans Legal Program, meeting with veterans to complete holistic intakes to identify what civil legal issues they may have, which is an important first step on working toward a resolution. Over nearly seven years, Cristina has donated more than 45 hours of her time and met with over 50 veterans needing help with civil matters including consumer debt, criminal record expungement, driver's license restoration, child support, estate planning, and more.
Volunteering for veterans is a major focus of Cristina’s pro bono efforts. Sometimes her efforts involve VA disability claims, sometimes employment law. In fact, Cristina started working on VA disability claims at Lowenstein Sandler, an experience that has since seen her help veterans on all stages of disability claims. Anyone who works in the VA disability claims sphere knows they are in it for the long haul, which makes victory even sweeter when her veteran clients finally receive the disability benefits they deserve. Cristina remarked, “The reward for volunteering is eventually succeeding, even if taking a decade. It really is the best work you can do. When I get those approval letters from the VA, I am over the moon when it finally pans out for someone.”
Fortunately for VLJ, Cristina’s experience with veterans only increases her impact, and VLJ’s Veterans Legal Wellness Clinic offers Cristina a range of ways to help: “I really love the diversity of legal issues you get in the clinic format. I love the ability to get a spread of who I will see and interact with. It can be VA disability benefits, expungements, or family law. I love the ability to walk a veteran through all the issues. For a lot of veterans, they just want someone to listen to them and start them on the path. I love that you can help them with a number of things in a short amount of time.”
While legal clinic settings may not always offer the opportunity to develop long-term relationships with clients, it most certainly has impact. For anyone considering pro bono in a legal clinic setting, Cristina offers, “I would express that it is impactful. Even if you donate an hour of your time or do one clinic a year, you really are making an impact on someone’s life. It doesn’t have to be a Supreme Court case or make the news to make a difference. An hour or two in a clinic can impact someone’s life in a positive way. It definitely makes a difference.”
For our June 2023 Volunteer of the Month, the nearly seven years and over 45 hours of pro bono are proof the impact is real and makes a difference in the lives of both clients and volunteers. To Cristina, thank you for being an incredible champion of those who served and for continuing to ensure access to justice for people experiencing poverty!
Connect with Cristina on LinkedIn