Perkins Coie Adds to Pro Bono Department in New York With Sarah Deri Oshiro

NEW YORK (February 1, 2022)—Perkins Coie is pleased to announce that Sarah Deri Oshiro has joined the firm’s Pro Bono department and New York office in the newly created role of pro bono immigration attorney.

Sarah joins Perkins Coie with more than a decade of experience practicing, training, and managing within immigration legal services programs. Most recently, she was the managing director of the immigration practice at The Bronx Defenders. In that role, Sarah managed a team of over 50 advocates who represent indigent noncitizens in all immigration matters.

“Sarah’s addition to the Pro Bono team underscores Perkins Coie’s commitment to our pro bono program and to immigration advocacy. With Sarah advising our attorney teams on their immigration matters, we will better serve our clients and strengthen our practice,” said Leah Medway, firmwide pro bono counsel. “Sarah has dedicated her career to serving the immigrant community and brings a wealth of experience. We are thrilled to welcome her to the firm as our first-ever dedicated pro bono immigration attorney.”

In her new role, Sarah will oversee all of the firm’s immigration pro bono work. She will mentor attorneys, act as a resource for the firm and its pro bono clients, and help grow the firm’s relationships with immigration legal service providers around the country.

“Perkins Coie has a long history of pro bono immigration advocacy both at a systemic level and for individual clients, securing grants of asylum, special immigrant juvenile status, deferred action for childhood arrivals, and visas for survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking,” said Bill Malley, Perkins Coie’s firmwide managing partner. “I am so pleased to welcome Sarah to the firm and am confident she will be a valuable addition to our strong pro bono team.”

Sarah has participated in various coalitions that seek to advance universal representation programs for people in deportation proceedings and to advocate for more just immigration policies. She is a leader in the immigrant rights community and was a 2019 recipient of the New York City Bar Association’s Legal Services Award.

She also previously served as the managing attorney of the Immigrant Justice Corps, a national immigration fellowship program founded by the late Chief Judge Robert Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

Sarah, who is fluent in Spanish, has a Bachelor of Arts from Wesleyan University and a Juris Doctor from New York University School of Law.

Perkins Coie is a leading international law firm that is known for providing high value, strategic solutions and extraordinary client service on matters vital to our clients’ success. With more than 1,200 lawyers in offices across the United States and Asia, we provide a full array of corporate, commercial litigation, intellectual property, and regulatory legal advice to a broad range of clients, including many of the world’s most innovative companies and industry leaders as well as public and not-for-profit organizations.