Today we’d like to introduce you to Pamela Peynado Stewart.
Pamela, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a partner at Lee & Peynado Immigration Law Group and we represent cities, top 500 companies, hospitals, churches, athletes, entertainers and some of the best restaurants here in Atlanta. However, my greatest joy comes from helping individuals and children fight their deportation cases. We make it a point to take on unwinnable cases and we don’t rest until we win them. Along with my passion for helping others, I am an immigrant and I have personally witnessed family members in ICE custody, making this field a perfect fit for me.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
Being an immigration attorney is tough but being an immigration attorney in Atlanta is another beast. The laws are highly complex and designed to make it extremely difficult to win deportation cases. On top of things being difficult for us and cases taking years to be resolved, now COVID 19 has delayed everything even more. Immigration offices and courts are closed and there is a lot of frustration and uncertainty. Given that many of my cases are not moving forward, I decided to take this time to start a non-profit organization called the Love Project 404 to help individuals that are being detained without court hearings.
So let’s switch gears a bit and go into The Love Project 404 story. Tell us more about it.
With my law practice, I have always made sure to give back to the community and we have provided over $100,000 worth of pro bono services so far in 2020.
With the Love Project 404, we took it a step further. We seek to provide a voice to the voiceless by helping the underserved members of our community who are facing incredible hardships rooted from systemic racism and cultural biases with access to resources and financial assistance. We are an all-women cohort very successful in our careers who have come together to serve and do what we can to assist those stuck in our broken criminal system.
Since its inception on 6/4/2020, we have bailed out 22 young men and one young woman who were sitting in jail without court dates solely because they could not afford to pay their low bonds. Not only do we bail them out, but we wait for them outside of the jail with goodie bags and words of encouragement. We stay in touch with them, offering resources as needed and we also ask them to enroll in the Next Level Boys Academy; a pretrial diversion program that offers the mentorship and guidance that these young boys desperately need. We will also mentor young High School Students and sponsor families who need financial assistance during these difficult times.
Has luck played a meaningful role in your life and business?
I have been extremely lucky and blessed to partner up with the right people in my business and now with the Love Project 404. Everyone involved is deeply committed to being of service to our community.
Contact Info:
- Address: Lee & Peynado Immigration Law Group: 100 North Point Center Suite 530 Alpharetta GA 30022
- Website: www.leelawusa.com; www.theloveproject404.org
- Phone: 404 333 2464
- Email: ppeynado@leelawusa.com; info@theloveproject404.org
- Instagram: @
atlantaimmigrationlawyer; @theloveproject404 - Other: https://youtu.be/bx2E_Mw_KKc
Image Credit:
Holland Reid & Dane Darden
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