Pierce’s Pledge: Lawyer That Cares

Pierce’s Pledge, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to keep children safe during stressful and volatile custody disputes, and Silverside AI, a Pereira O'Dell + Serviceplan company, have partnered to release “Lawyer That Cares”: a PSA and call to action for family law attorneys and their clients, entirely animated by generative AI. Pierce’s Pledge believes that by storing guns and weapons outside of the home during divorce and custody proceedings, attorneys can help keep families safe. The organization works with lawyers, mediators, custody partners, and judges to advocate for children without a voice. Pierce's Pledge built the first and only national gun storage map, used by federal agencies and citizens. As filicide occurs in moments of crisis, and during proceedings where each side has a negative influence over the other, it can feel almost impossible for anyone involved to prevent things from escalating. Lawyers, however, do possess that power: they bring a calm, focused presence to the table and can help both sides work together for the safety of the children. Most importantly, they can access their clients before an emotional crisis hits. In the film, a child recounts a violent argument between their parents during a divorce dispute. The parents are animated in nightmarish horror to reflect the haunting nature of the fight through the child’s eyes. When the chilling argument reaches what would have been its catastrophic conclusion as both parents reach for a gun, viewers are relieved to see that said weapon is gone. Because the parents’ family law attorney signed Pierce’s Pledge, the gun was removed from the household, keeping both parents and their innocent child safe. Pierce’s Pledge founder Lesley Hu and family lawyer Monica Mazzei created the pledge because, tragically, Lesley’s own story ended differently. During divorce proceedings on the evening of January 13, 2021, Lesley’s ex-husband and her son Pierce’s father killed Pierce in his sleep, and then himself. Four years later, Lesley aims to share the pledge with attorneys nationwide who need the means to safeguard their clients - and common sense steps parents undergoing their own divorce or custody proceedings can take to safeguard themselves and their families.