STICKY ISSUES: ETHICAL CHALLENGES IN REPRESENTING UNACCOMPANIED CHILDREN

Webinar presentation addressing the ethical challenges attorneys face when they are representing unaccompanied children. Working with unaccompanied children can often lead to unusual ethical dilemmas and CILA would like to help practitioners explore these difficult cases in more detail.  The webinar will cover the ethical duties for lawyers representing child clients, including the different roles lawyers may play when working with children in immigration proceedings (client representative, friend of the court, amicus, ad litem) and the different ethical obligations of each role; defining the attorney-client relationship; capacity and competency issues and the interplay between best interest vs. expressed interest; confidentiality and other related issues for children in CBP and ORR custody including the mandatory duty to report, CRCL complaints and other ethical responsibilities; potential conflicts of interest issues; and representing unaccompanied children in times of immigration upheaval, including the responsibility of keeping your client informed and regular communications.

Produced for the Vera Unaccompanied Children Network.