Volunteer of the Month – June 2024
Saira Haseebullah – Kelleher & Kelleher, LLC
Saira grew up in Las Vegas, moving here when she was just a few months old. She received her B.A. from UNLV in Psychology in 2011 and graduated from the William S. Boyd School of Law with her J.D. in 2014. Now, Saira gets to raise her three kids in Las Vegas. Her work in domestic law started in 2011, and she has enjoyed it ever since. After clerking for the Honorable Judge Frank Sullivan, she became interested in dependency law, taking pro bono cases representing children while she primarily practiced in domestic court. She now practices domestic and dependency, representing both children and parents in dependency cases, and in 2022, she became a certified specialist in Child Welfare.
As an attorney at Kelleher & Kelleher, Saira stated that she is lucky enough to work at a firm that has always encouraged a balance of private and pro bono cases. When she came on board several years ago, both partners were familiar with Saira’s prior experience working with Legal Aid and encouraged her to continue.
When asked why she does pro bono work, Saira said the work is interesting as it requires a mix of legal knowledge and creativity. She continued that it is one of the few areas where what is being protected, a relationship between families and helping children, cannot be replaced with any amount of money. Because she sees that children are often left out of critical decisions that impact their future more than anyone, Saira values that pro bono counsel gets to give these children a voice. With Nevada’s model, it is invaluable to Saira that attorneys do not simply advocate for what they think is best for clients, but they listen to their clients and provide them the ability to be heard.
Recalling a memorable client and how she helped them, Saira told us about when she represented a little girl who was 7 at the time, and there was dispute over which relative placement was most suitable for her client. This case was one of only two pro bono cases she took that year, as Saira had just finished clerking, had entered private practice, and was juggling to take care of a new baby. While determining which relative placement, Saira recalled that one looked better on paper than the other. However, after speaking with the little girl, Saira saw the not-so-great-on-paper placement was the one who called the girl on her birthday, helped her find a used guitar when she wanted to play, took her shopping for back-to-school clothes, and done all the things that made her feel safe and loved. She was able to argue against the Department’s recommendation, have her client placed where she wished, and they ultimately entered a guardianship with that placement with my client thriving in her home.
While it may not seem memorable as a routine dispute in dependency court, Saira remembers thinking at the time, “I am so busy already, why did I take on a pro bono case?” However, the end result, knowing her client went to a home where she felt safe, loved, and happy, made it 100% worth the time and effort. It was a reminder that even if she is juggling different matters in life, helping with something as small as one case is worth it. This has continued to stick with Saira, and even with a much heavier private practice case load, 3 kids, and a boat load of activities, she still makes sure she carves out time to do what is meaningful.
For her dedication and commitment to pro bono, we honor Saira as our June 2024 Volunteer of the Month.