YLP attorney finds his sanctuary

At Legal Aid, we’re making strides to ensure the practice of law and practice of wellness go together! In observance of both Mental Health Month and Well-Being in Law Week, MMLA staff are kindly sharing ways they relax and re-energize.

During the pandemic, Attorney Pheng Thao of our Youth Law Project started tending to quail and pigeons. “Working with young clients going through difficult challenges can be emotionally draining, but time with my birds provides a sanctuary. Their calming presence allows me to de-stress and return to my client’s cases fully prepared to continue advocating for their rights.”

Pheng’s brood consists of 12 pigeons and 14 quail. His coop first began with quail, as supply chain issues became a concern during COVID-19. “Quail lay one egg a day. They’re smaller, so it takes three quail eggs to equal one chicken egg. But they taste the same.” And, he says while some consider pigeons as “squirrels or rats of the sky” he doesn’t, “I see my pigeons as my pets.”

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