Pro Bono Client Profile

Hello and good day!

I’m so glad you can join me again for this week’s addition of ‘The Divorce Whisperer.’

Last week, I reached out to one of our clients, Brittany Cammon, for an exclusive, one-on-one-interview. The topic: pro bono cases. Brittany was more than happy to share her thoughts, opinions and experience as a pro bono client with Janko Family Law, Colorado Springs divorce and child custody law firm.

A pro bono case occurs when an attorney will take on a case for little or no cost to the client. At Janko Family Law, we obtain most of our pro bono cases from The El Paso County Justice Center, located in Downtown Colorado Springs. Brittany found her way to us through The American Bar Association Veterans Pro Bobo Project. We take our cases via direct referral from pro bono agencies and do not take them through direct calls to our office. Here is her story:

Las Vegas is known for fine dining, exciting casinos and amazing nightlife. It’s also the birthplace of Brittany Cammon. One moment, her mom was taking a bath, the next moment, Brittany entered this world three months early! Since then, Brittany grew up real fast. She met her spouse at 16, married at 17, had her own kids at 18. Being a stay-at-home mom was a joy, but all the while she dreamed of being a nurse. That had to be put on hold for the kids. However, it wasn’t until her son was in kindergarten, that she decided to volunteer at the school’s library. Brittany told me it wasn’t just about being a librarian. It was more in depth than that. In a nerd out moment, Brittany told me she loved speaking to the guest authors that would visit the library. It is then she got a chance to pick their brain and ask questions about their writing.

Being a military spouse did have its advantage and one of those is moving around the world. While stationed in Japan, Brittany fell ill. It was the nurses that made a big difference. She even stated that they made a bigger difference than the doctors. The nurses were with her every step of the way and that is when she decided it was time to give back and help others. So, she decided to go to school, especially since the kids were old enough at this point.

As time progressed, life wasn’t without its issues. Brittany and her spouse had fallen upon hard times. She didn’t want a divorce initially, but her special victims attorney advised her that it was for the best and things just weren’t going to get better. With no funds for a divorce, she took a shot in the dark and submitted a packet to the American Bar Association Military Pro Bono Project, suggested by her special victims attorney.

She forgot about it and thought that she wouldn’t be approved. Then she received an email from Sabra Janko, Sabra had introduced herself in the email and said that she was willing to take her case for dissolution of marriage and child custody. Brittany was in shock and cried tears of joy!

This was great for Brittany, but it wasn’t without its challenges. Being the parent who didn’t make a lot of money, she felt it was a challenge to prove that she is capable of providing for her children. Brittany had expressed frustration with being a victim of domestic violence, always having to prove herself and the preparator was the one getting options. She felt that The victim always had to play by the rules and the other party gets to ‘play dirty.’

She shared a moment during mediation when the other attorney asked their client, ‘do you really want the children?’ Brittany thought it odd for a person such as the opposing party be asked that question, when it was clear he shouldn’t have the kids. And while Sabra and Brittany were ready the entire time, the other side didn’t have their stuff together. For instance, the opposing party would not provide required information or ask for a continuance because they were not ready. In turn, she felt as if the court system had failed her. Brittany described it as saying that the opposing party had convinced everyone he is a good person, but she felt like domestic violence doesn’t show up on paper. This has been her ultimate frustration with the justice system.

Despite this, Brittany said that the one thing she respected about Sabra, in that she sometimes challenged her to do her own research and in turn made Brittany better in that aspect. Also, she praised the fact that Sabra always took the time to break things down and explain the process to her. Brittany describes Sabra as dedicated, straightforward and very responsive. Even joked to say, ‘her brain doesn’t shut down, she’s always thinking. Does she ever sleep?’ That’s pure dedication.

Brittany’s main goals was to protect the kids and she wanted to walk away with no property and not ask for anything. In a transparent moment, Sabra said ‘if that’s what you want, then I can’t represent you.’ It was a huge eye opener for Brittany hearing those words. Because everything they worked hard for would be for nothing. From that moment on, Brittany felt like she wasn’t just a pro bono case. Whether she was paying or not, Sabra and her team put in a lot of effort, and she was treated as if she was paying our firm a million dollars! In the courtroom, she described Sabra as a ‘bad mamajama.’ You can tell her brain was different, she had her exhibits outlined and prepared and that she was processing the information, telling Brittany, ‘you got this!’

Everything has positives and negatives. Brittany felt that the court system is not for the victims, and someone needs to change that. She feels victims are not being heard so they need to fight harder. She feared that it was possible she could lose the children, even though the facts supported her custody. The proceedings have to be about the children because they are victims too. Brittany feels that the military can hide things and that there is a perception servicemen and women can do no wrong because of the fact they serve our county.

But this experience taught her to be a stronger person, it showed her at her worst, but it helped with her endurance to keep going, thus making her grow in many aspects.

• Keep an open mind, don’t be stuck in your way of thinking.
• Trust the process. Trust your team.
• Trust Sabra’s judgement. If you thought about something, Sabra already did, she anticipates.
• It’s scary but trust your team.
• You may be naïve at first, but you’ll learn a lot.
• Time was not wasted with getting a CFI.
• It took a moment to build that trust, as with anything in life, but once you get that trust, things went smoother and there was no second guessing.
• Understand you may not get everything you want, and nothing is guaranteed so be flexible with wants and needs.

Please feel free to contact us for a free consultation about Colorado Springs divorce, child custody and family law at 719-344-5523.