You’ve Got a Friend in Me: Enhancing Pro Bono Placement Through Friend of the Court Practice

This presentation was part of day 2 of the ABA CILA & COI Pro Bono Symposium.

Alla Holmes and Prathiba Desai of the Learning and Development team at Acacia Center for Justice (Acacia) and Emily Brock, Children’s Program Deputy Managing Attorney at Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) will discuss best practices for using innovative Friend of the Court (FOTC) practices to supplement Orientation and Representation legal services. Presenters will review EOIR’s latest guidance on the scope and limitations of FOTC and describe the benefits of FOTC services, including as training opportunities for newer attorneys, a tool to identify cases that could benefit from pro bono placement, and a mechanism to request time to screen cases for pro bono placement. Presenters will share examples and strategies for use of FOTC to enhance pro bono placement for children, families, and adults through orientation and representation services.