MEET CARMEN
A self-proclaimed adrenaline junkie, Carmen Rojo left a fast-paced nursing job in pediatric oncology to pursue a career in family law, another area requiring quick thinking and grit. She felt driven to make a difference in children’s lives, especially in high stakes family cases, where she could be most impactful. Carmen earned her certification in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization, and in addition to working with children, she sought to help victims of domestic violence by helping them acquire protective orders.
Carmen volunteered as a mentor with the Community Justice Program (now SALSA) in CJP’s Family Law clinics, and she recently completed her first protective order case through SALSA’s Protective Order Project in conjunction with TRLA.
WHY PROTECTIVE ORDERS?
When asked about her interest in helping victims of domestic violence obtain protective orders, Carmen stated that she has personally lost friends to domestic violence. She had attended a seminar about protective orders where she learned a statistic that protective orders actually make a difference for the victims. They’re not a guarantee, but there are abusers that respect that they can be prosecuted and put in jail if they violate the order. That’s where the difference begins. For those attorneys who are thinking about volunteering but have never worked a protective order case, Carmen believes that this type of work can be completed by any attorney who wants to make a huge impact on a client’s life. “New attorneys can absolutely do this. Doing this kind of work raises sensitivity and awareness to the issue. Knowledge is power,” she says, “and the more people who have the knowledge, the better we are to serve those in need.”
Carmen has generously offered to provide mentorship to attorneys who volunteer with SALSA/TRLA’s Protective Order Project so that anyone taking one of these cases is successful.
THANK YOU!
Join us in applauding Carmen’s commitment to providing equal access to justice for San Antonio’s most vulnerable populations!