KEEP KIDS SAFE.
Take Action That Impacts Today
Empowering family law attorneys to contribute their efforts to protect and keep minor children safe during custody negotiations.
Take a Stand, Take the Pledge Online Today
In the past decade, filicide during court custody trials has been on the rise. On average, ONE CHILD A WEEK is murdered by a parent or step-parent during divorce, separation, child support, visitation, or custody negotiations. Many of these tragic events occur during ongoing legal disputes. This is preventable.
Family Law Attorneys have the power to contribute their efforts to protect minor children.
Requiring clients to disclose and temporarily remove weapons in a third-party location during the time of representation reduces the potential for violence, domestic abuse, violent threats, uneven power struggles, and murder.
Lawyers who take the pledge can make an immediate impact. Waiting for laws to pass takes time, but changing retainer requirements can happen today.
Pierce’s Pledge
I pledge to do my part in keeping children as safe as possible during family law legal proceedings. For the best interest of children and their families, I pledge to require my client to declare firearms in their possession and to store these firearms out of the home in secure locations with a licensed third-party during representation. I pledge that I will not represent any client who refuses to do so.
My Son, PIERCE.
Pierce’s love of life exuberated out of his sparkling brown eyes and braces-filled smile. He loved his friends, his school, playing Roblox, Top Gun, traveling to foreign countries, skiing, telling jokes, making people laugh, dancing, chocolate mousse, shopping in the toy section of Target, and eating ice cream while taking a bath, just to name a few. He loves his family, his twin cousins, and especially me, his mom. Pierce is a mama’s boy.
Pierce, my little mama’s boy, was tragically taken from us on January 13, 2021. He was murdered by his father, my ex-husband, while he slept. Pierce was shot in the heart with a gun and then his father cowardly took his own life. Pierce’s beautiful beating heart, which was loved by so many, never had a chance. My heart and soul were taken away from me that day, as well as from all those who loved Pierce - which are so many children and kids from around the world.
My life has been annihilated. I have become a shell of myself and a mother with a murdered son. I am a mother who tried to protect her son through the court system but wasn’t able to in the end because guns made the power uneven. All those who loved Pierce have been deeply affected by this act of violence. Pierce’s friend, who was the last person to speak to Pierce on the night of January 12th, got on FaceTime with him to discuss Minecraft strategies at 8:30 pm. This friend has so much guilt that he said to his mom with tears streaming down his face, “if only I had stayed on FaceTime with Pierce, maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” This friend was 9 years old at the time.
I’m living 10 minutes at a time, which is a far cry from the breath-by-breath I started at. To survive some of those breaths took all the strength and courage that I had. I rarely leave the house because it takes a lot of work to walk around with a shattered heart, along with all the terror that lurks around the emptiness and the longing to hold my sweet, kind-hearted Pierce. I didn’t even get the chance to tell Pierce goodbye...
My friend and family law attorney, Monica Mazzei, also a single mother with one child, was so deeply affected by what happened to Pierce, that she decided to require all new clients to disclose weapons and lock them in a third-party location, as one of the prerequisites to represent them. This is how Pierce’s Pledge came to be. Taking away deadly weapons during an impulse, psychotic break, or angry moment, could prevent horrendous tragedies like this one.
I stand here today, not because I want to. I want to be eating ice cream with Pierce. And I am not standing here to fight and protect myself and my son, because my life has already been destroyed. I stand here and ask you to take this pledge for the legacy of my son, Pierce, for the legacy of all children taken in this manner, and for all of your kids. We must not only protect our children from gun violence, but also raise awareness and safeguard loved ones in the unimaginable aftermath and trauma of living with a nightmare.
Because if it can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.
With humble gratitude,
Lesley Hu
Lawyers Who Have Signed Pierce’s Pledge!
Call To Action
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Here are some ways you can get involved with Pierce’s pledge:
Spread the word: Tell a family law attorney about Pierce’s Pledge and ask them to take the pledge on the bottom of this page.
Tell friends who are going through divorces or custody matters, that there are lawyers who ask the right questions and care about children’s safety. Lawyers who have taken the pledge have their names listed on our website.
Tell people who need gun storage that we have resources listed on our website.
Share with everyone so at the very minimum, they know to ask about firearm possession during divorce and custody proceedings.
Volunteer: At this time there is no centralized list of gun storage facilities in California and the majority of States. So we are helping to build one. Currently we have 5 amazing volunteers calling through thousands of Federal Firearm License holders to confirm their storage capabilities. Once we complete our calls through California we’ll begin going through the other states, but we need help! Email piercespledge@gmail.com if you’re interested in volunteering.
Donate: Pierce’s Pledge will be exhibiting at many family law conferences nationwide, as we aim to raise awareness and ask lawyers to take the Pledge. Donations will help support the fees and logistics for these events.
Honor Pierce: This is the most important of them all. If you have children, or just for yourself, please honor sweet Pierce by doing his favorite thing - eating ice cream (or any dessert), while taking a bath. Help us to continue his love for life and the act of parents loving their children.
“It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act.” - Dalai Lama
Feel free to contact us with any questions
For General Questions: piercespledge@gmail.com
For Help with Gun Storage Resources: piercespledge@yahoo.com
Phone (415) 787-5522
The Center for Judicial Excellence is the fiscal sponsor for Pierce's Pledge. The Center for Judicial Excellence is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (Tax ID# 20-4892221).
If you would like to donate by mail or through a donor advised fund, please make checks payable to CENTER OF JUDICIAL EXCELLENCE, with a memo PIERCE’S PLEDGE, and mail it to:
Center of Judicial Excellence
P.O. Box 150793
San Rafael, CA 94915