By Christopher Champine
Duane Morris LLP
Meet University of San Diego Law School (“USD”) graduate Ashley Fasano, an employment law attorney originally from Manalapan, New Jersey. Having always dreamed of living in California, Fasano moved to San Diego in 2015 and now considers it her home. San Diegans should be glad that she does, as she’s been instrumental in starting and running the USD Transgender Name and Gender-Marker Change Clinic. As a self-identifying LGBTQ-person, the clinic is near and dear to her heart.
Fasano, then-president of the law school’s Pride Law organization, helped start the clinic in 2018. Now she remains regularly involved as a supervising attorney.
The clinic partners with the San Diego LGBT Community Center in Hillcrest to assist transgender and non-binary individuals with petitioning the San Diego Superior Court for a name and/or gender-marker change. Clinic volunteers prepare the necessary court filings for every clinic participant, including fee waivers for eligible participants. The clinic also provides advice and resources to participants to help them navigate the name and gender-marker change process after receiving a court order updating their birth certificate, driver’s license, and other identifying documents.
Fasano’s favorite part of working with the clinic is meeting the participants and law students and getting to connect on a personal level. She said: “The students who oversee the operation of the clinic devote countless hours to running the program and ensuring its sustained existence. Without them, the clinic would not have evolved and succeeded to the extent that it has, and I am so thankful for their unwavering commitment over the years.”
Since its formation, the clinic has served over 500 clients and the community’s response has been “overwhelmingly positive,” in Fasano’s words.
“We have an incredibly dedicated pool of student and attorney volunteers, who truly do form the foundation for the clinic’s success,” Fasano said. “I am inspired by the community we serve. Trans people face numerous obstacles to living their authentic lives, from access to healthcare, education and employment, to violence and discrimination. It seemed like a no-brainer that if we can relieve their stress even a little bit by making the court petition process easier, then we should work to do that. I am still inspired at every clinic by the participants that we meet and their everyday lived experiences.”
Despite all the good she has done for our community in the short but significant time she’s been an attorney, Fasano didn’t always think she would be an attorney. Her undergraduate degree was in Hotel, Restaurant, and Institutional Management, so she worked as a kitchen manager after graduating. She eventually transitioned to a role performing store-level accounting and human resources activities that got her interested in the law, specifically wage, hour, and benefit matters.
As an associate at Berger, Williams & Reynolds LLP, Fasano practices employment law on both the plaintiff’s and defense side. She says that what she enjoys most is helping people with real problems.
“Whether it’s representing a single plaintiff in a wrongful termination case or advising an employer how to comply with current law, it is great to be able to use my skills to make a meaningful difference in the lives of our clients,” she said. “I also love that the law is constantly evolving, especially in the employment arena. It keeps me on my toes and forces me to push myself to keep learning and understanding the law better every day.”
On July 13, New Lawyer Division attorney volunteers are invited to participate in a special virtual clinic event with the USD Transgender Name and Gender-Marker Change Clinic. The clinic sessions are mostly led by the student volunteers who prepare a name and/or gender-marker change petition beforehand (and fee waiver, as needed) for each of their assigned participants. On July 13 at 6 p.m., student volunteers will be paired with NLD attorney volunteers via Zoom, where they will meet with the participants to review their petitions. Students share their screens with each participant to review their petition, ensure the information entered is correct, and instruct the participants on how to file their petitions.
Attorney volunteers are there primarily to oversee each appointment, lend a second set of eyes to the petition review, and ensure participant questions are answered accurately. Attorneys interested in volunteering on July 13 are required to attend a one-hour attorney training on July 7 at 6 p.m. via Zoom. Register here, as space is limited.
Interested attorney volunteers who cannot attend on July 13 may volunteer at future clinic sessions, which take place on the second Tuesday of every month. Contact volunteer.transclinic.sandiego@gmail.com to join the clinic’s mailing list, or contact NLD executive committee member Stephanie Pengilley at stephaniepengilley@bickelsannipoli.com for additional information. No minimum time commitment is necessary to volunteer.