Immigrant Defenders Law Center - Children's Representation Project
- To Volunteer, Contact:
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Location:
634 S. Spring Street, 3rd FloorLos Angeles, CA 90014
- Map: maps.google.com
- Phone: 213-454-0741
- Fax: 213 634 0999
- Website: http://www.immdef.org/
- Email: kayleen@immdef.org
ImmDef's Children's Representation Project provides legal services to unaccompanied youth.
People are often surprised to find out that there are no court-appointed attorneys for children in immigration court. This means that children, even babies, are expected to represent themselves in court against trained, educated government attorneys who are trying to deport them from the United States.
ImmDef's Children's Representation project was created to provide as many as children as possible an attorney who can speak for them through the often confusing and frightening immigration court process, through both direct representation with our attorneys as well as placement and mentoring of pro-bono cases.
ImmDef's Children's Representation Project (CRP) focuses on providing legal representation to unaccompanied children in immigration court and related state court proceedings. The majority of our clients who receive representation through this program are able to pursue political asylum, Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, and visas for survivors of crimes or human trafficking.
Annually, ImmDef's CRP program serves approximately 500 refugee children, most who hail from the Northern Triangle of Central America. In our pro-bono project, we leverage the insight and experience of our staff attorneys who work on these cases day in and day out to develop training, offer one-on-one mentorship, and shepherd pro-bono attorneys through the process of seeking legal relief from deportation, and in many cases, a path to legal permanent residence. Our pro bono program is tailored to meet the individual needs of interested attorneys, and we offer a variety of ways to get involved. Whether you're seeking a limited commitment or looking for a way to immerse yourself in a new skill set to develop future professional opportunities, we will work with you to find the right fit.
- County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Kern, Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Santa Barbara, Ventura
- Area of law: Family & Juvenile, Immigration & Naturalization
- Populations Served: Asylum Seekers, Children, Communities of Color, Detained individuals, Domestic Violence Victims, Human Trafficking Survivors, Immigrant youth and unaccompanied minors, Immigrants, Individuals who are not in legal immigration status, Individuals with physical/mental disabilities, Juveniles, Lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender, Torture survivors
- Opportunities For: Interpreters, Law school clinic, Law Students, Lawyers, Mentors, Paralegals, Senior Lawyers, Small and medium law firm attorneys
- Need for non-English services: Spanish, indigenous languages in Central America
- Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Flexible
- Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes
- Training Provided: Yes
- Training Required: Yes
- CLE credit for trainings: No
- CLE credit for pro bono: No
- Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
- Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
- Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Draft legal documents (e.g., briefs), Litigation: Appellate, Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation
- Volunteers may participate long-distance: No
