In collaboration with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center, attorneys in our Washington, D.C. and Nashville offices are representing disabled adults who have been denied Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. In the summer of 2025, our team secured its second successful appeal, an outcome that will have a life-changing impact for our client, Brooklyn Arbona-Rodriguez. Our work together with our client is a testament to tenacity, collaboration, and the belief that everyone deserves access to justice—especially those navigating complex systems while managing serious health challenges.
Brooklyn, a young adult with a master’s degree, had worked as a music director in a church until the debilitating symptoms of her mental health impairment forced her to withdraw from her employment. She attempted to work in other fields but was unable to maintain substantial gainful employment. Without income, she struggled to meet her basic needs and sustain stability in her daily life.
Attorney Maleaka Guice acknowledged Brooklyn’s struggle saying: “In the case of Brooklyn, she did attempt to maintain employment, and she just was not able to do it based on her impairment. It was fulfilling for us to deliver the news that she would receive benefits and could go on with her life.”
Janet Hunter with the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center talked about the firm’s success in Brooklyn’s case, saying Bass, Berry & Sims “represented an extremely challenging case – a younger individual with a MA degree and severe mental health impairments. Your tenacious advocacy and command of Social Security law resulted in a win for the client. And perhaps more important, you gave Brooklyn hope during the difficult months of denials and waiting for the hearing.”
Reflecting on the broader impact of the firm’s pro bono work, attorney Dee Hartleson shared, “A lot of the work we do is for corporate entities, but to then do work for an individual and see the impact that your skills, education and the things you do on a daily basis have on someone, it’s meaningful.”
Watch a video about this impactful case below.
