Daiana Kostova is an associate at Davis, Polk & Wardell LLP in the Finance group. She is a member of the VOLS Pro Bono Advocates Council, a group of private attorneys who promote and provide pro bono services to New Yorkers who need free legal services. With VOLS, Daiana works with the Senior Law Project, which provides crucial life planning documents for the aging community. We sat down with Daiana to discuss her motivations to pursue pro bono work, as well as the fulfilment it can provide.
What interested you in volunteering with the Senior Law Project?
Before I moved to New York in the Fall of 2021, I had a personal experience navigating the probate process. I was surprised by how complicated it was, even for someone with legal training, to untangle the bureaucratic steps that come after someone passes. The complexity of these processes is made even more challenging by the flood of emotion and grief that naturally overwhelm family members at these difficult times. However, I saw firsthand that there are ways one can make this process easier for their grieving family, such as by having their documentation in order.
As soon as I learned that Davis Polk works with VOLS on this Project, I was eager to get involved. Working with clients to prepare their life planning documents helps people age with dignity and provides a sense of relief that they are not leaving a burden on their family. Preparing certain documentation like a will or healthcare directive can be challenging because it raises difficult questions, but advising clients through this process has shown that it can significantly ease the client’s and their family’s experience.
How has your experience as an attorney been enriched by volunteering?
Working with VOLS clients really adds a new and fulfilling element to the work that I do. I get the opportunity to understand the clients on a personal level, hear about their lives and act as a trusted advisor in making hard decisions that impact them personally. It allows me to exercise different skills than I do as a corporate attorney and adds variety to my day-to-day practice.
In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, why do you think this type of work is particularly important today?
It’s a well-documented reality that the pandemic has further marginalized certain communities and has widened historical social inequalities. Offering free legal assistance in the form of life planning services to low-income seniors is one piece that helps bridge that access to justice gap. Furthermore, although initiatives like the Senior Law Project serve a limited purpose of preparing life-planning documents, getting to know clients that might otherwise be isolated or lack support allows us to help them gain access to other services they might need (such as veteran’s services, which VOLS also offers).
If you had a colleague who was on the fence about volunteering, how would you engage them to pursue volunteering with VOLS?
If someone is considering taking on a pro bono matter, I would tell them that there is absolutely nothing to lose and everything to gain. The time commitment and pace for a Senior Law Project matter is flexible. And in case Senior Law doesn’t interest you, VOLS has a myriad of other programs that are equally as impactful and rewarding to work on. Give it a try—I think you will be pleasantly surprised by how much you enjoy doing this work!