By Dawn Regner
Free to Thrive began after Jamie Quient, then a busy attorney at Procopio, Cory, Hargreaves & Savitch, began taking on pro bono cases representing human trafficking survivors, and was impacted by the devastation caused by this terrible crime.
Inspired to try and do her part to combat the awful effects of this problem, she joined the Lawyers Club of San Diego, and led the development of the Human Trafficking Collaborative (HTC), which focuses on legal and community support, policy advocacy, and survivor support. One of the many outcomes of the HTC was the passage and signage of the California vacatur law (Penal Code 236.14) which provides a legal vehicle for human trafficking survivors to vacate convictions including prostitution, drug, theft, and other non-violent charges.
As Jamie became more and more aware of the tremendous need, Free to Thrive was born. "My whole purpose in going to law school was that I wanted to help people," Jamie says. Through the efforts of this organization, she and her team are doing that and so much more.
Services offered:
By collaborating with law enforcement, government agencies and other community partners, Free to Thrive seeks to promote fulfilling lives for victims of sex trafficking crimes. They provide legal services that include child custody & family law (including restraining orders), civil litigation, and immigration matters, just to name a few. Free to Thrive also seeks to inspire and encourage survivors to live lives of purpose by connecting clients with community partners providing counseling, educational and vocational assistance, credit repair services and much more. Free to Thrive's mission is to "empower survivors of human trafficking to be free from exploitation and to thrive by providing them with legal services and connections to other legal services."
