Join the ABA for a Free Two Day CLE on Asylum Law for Pro Bono Attorneys

/ Asylum, Pro Bono

CILA is excited to announce a free, virtual two day continuing legal education (CLE) training on asylum law, geared toward pro bono attorneys across the country. The training entitled Defend Asylum Together! Essentials of Immigration Law for Effective Pro Bono Representation is scheduled for January 25-26, 2021, starting at 12pm Central/1pm Eastern both days. The American Bar Association (ABA) Commission on Immigration (COI) is hosting the training along with CILA and our COI sister projects, South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR) and the Immigration Justice Project (IJP).

Register Here!

Registration is open to anyone, whether an ABA member or not. Registration is open for either training day or both, and you can choose which sessions to attend. CLE credit will be awarded for the time attended.

To register, use this link, click “Log In” below the button that says, “Add to CART.” If you are not an ABA member, simply create an account to register; the course will be free either way!

Register Here

The CLE course seeks to recruit, train, and empower volunteer attorneys to defend migrants and asylum seekers as part of their pro bono practice in 2021 and beyond. The training will leverage on-the-ground experts from inside and outside the ABA to train new or beginner pro bono attorneys in removal defense, with a focus on asylum, for detained adults and unaccompanied children. Promote the core ABA values of due process and access to counsel by arming yourself with the knowledge and skills you need to represent vulnerable asylum seekers and defend rule of law.

The agenda includes an exciting lineup of training sessions to help pro bono attorneys across the country learn asylum law!

MONDAY, JANUARY 25, 2021
12pm to 4:45pm CST (1pm tp 5:45pm EST)  

  • Keynote speaker: ABA President Trish Refo (invited) and Meredith Linsky, Introduction and the Transformative Effect of Pro Bono Representation
  • Session 1: Beside the Golden Door: Defending Asylum Seekers in Immigration Court, from CFI to the BIA (and back)
  • Session 2: The Current Asylum Landscape One Week into the Biden Administration: Opportunities and Challenges
  • Session 3: Bolstering Your Asylum Case: Evidence and Fact-Gathering (includes CILA presenter and guest speakers from Justice in Motion and the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice)

TUESDAY, January 26, 2021
12pm tp 4:30pm CST (1pm to 5:30pm EST) 

  • Keynote speaker: César C. García Hernández, Grounding Immigration Advocacy in History: Deprivation of Liberty & Criminalization of Migration
  • Session 4: Effective Advocacy in Immigration Court: Tips from Former Immigration Judges and Seasoned Litigators
  • Session 5: Advocating for Release from Detention & BIA Appeals through Remote Representation
  • Session 6: Trauma-Informed Representation and Advocacy (featuring CILA speakers)

We look forward to seeing you at the CLE training! To learn more about CILA’s pro bono initiatives, check out CILA’s platform Pro Bono Matters for Children Facing Deportation and CILA’s resources, including CILA’s 2020 Pro Bono Guide.

Register Here!