Lawyers honored with 2024 Pro Bono Awards

Rina K. Edge, Jennifer Kornblum, Paul T. Krispin Jr., Onalee Yousey, and the BCLP International Child Abduction Case Team recently received The Missouri Bar’s 2024 Pro Bono Awards for their commitment to serving their communities and dedication to ensuring equal access to legal services for all. 

“I am driven each day to improve the lives of others and to use my specific skill set and education as a lawyer to make an impact and to be an advocate for others within a system that can oftentimes be overwhelming,” Drake said. “I see our occupations as lawyers as a privilege and take the responsibility that comes alongside that privilege to heart.” 

Edge, founder of Edge Immigration Law, LLC, earned her J.D. from The University of Missouri School of Law. Her practice focuses on family and victim-based immigration challenges. She also maintains a full caseload of Greene County Juvenile Court abuse and neglect cases where she serves as a guardian ad litem and a lawyer to parents. 

She finds great satisfaction in helping people in need and treasures the positive impact she has made on their lives. 

“It's an honor to be recognized for what can sometimes be 'behind the scenes' in a case,” Edge said. “It means that no matter how small of a thing you think you are doing for someone, people are watching and see the work you put in.” 

Kornblum earned her J.D. from Southwestern Law School in California. She began her legal career in California before moving to Missouri in 2005. She currently operates her practice in Springfield. 

Kornblum’s commitment to pro bono work comes from spending her childhood at her grandmother’s law office, where she was constantly giving back to the community.  

“I saw the respect she earned from her community because of her ethics and legal skill,” Kornblum said. “This is the lawyer I strive to be when I wake each day.” 

Krispin, a sole practitioner in St. Louis, earned his J.D. from the University of Missouri School of Law. His pro bono work includes representing defendants in landlord-tenant matters and petitioning in guardianship proceedings. 

Krispin says it is gratifying to help those who might not be able to get assistance elsewhere. 

“Often a very manageable amount of time and effort can have a meaningful impact for the client, handling a matter that isn't a "big" case for the lawyer -- but is a big deal for the client at that time.” 

Yousey is an associate with Armstrong Teasdale in St. Louis. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa and her J.D. from Saint Louis University. 

Her commitment to pro bono stems from having colleagues at every step of her career model a commitment to pro bono advocacy. She is passionate about helping her clients through difficult situations both inside and outside the courtroom. 

“The work I do as a lawyer is ultimately about service: it is so important to me to make sure that each of my clients gets their ‘day in court’ no matter the circumstances they might be in,” Yousey said. 

The BCLP International Child Abduction Case Team is comprised of Jennifer Berhorst, Grace Colato Martinez, and Courtney Stout. The team was awarded for their work on helping reunite a parent with a child who was wrongly taken from Mexico to the United States.

“We are very proud to have worked with our client and his family to ensure the prompt return of his child. This case is one of the cases that make you feel that you are truly making a difference in the world as a lawyer," Stout said. "It was an incredibly rewarding experience, and I feel truly honored to have been a part of the team that worked on this case. ”