April 15, 2023
NMILC Pro Bono Clinic for SIJS State Predicate Orders
"Calling all NM licensed attorneys! Please join us for NMILC's next Pro Bono Clinic for SIJS State Predicate Orders, which will take place on Saturday, April 15, 2023. We are currently recruiting both attorneys and Spanish interpreters to volunteer at this clinic. Please consider joining us to make an impact in the community!Below are the Clinic event details: When: Saturday, April 15, 2022 from 9:30 am - 1:00 pm
Check-in begins at 9:30 am
Client meetings begin at 10:00 am Where: Ace Leadership High School (1240 Bellamah Ave NW, Albuquerque, NM 87104)
REGISTER HERE to participate as a pro bono attorney! Pro bono attorneys are an integral part of NMILC’s SIJS program. SIJS is a status available to some young immigrants that provides a path to lawful permanent residence (a “green card”) for that child. In order to be eligible for SIJS, the child must be subject to a predicate order from a state court in which the court finds that the child has been abandoned, abused, or neglected by one or both parents. We rely on assistance from pro bono attorneys who are willing to obtain time-sensitive predicate orders necessary to begin SIJS proceedings, which will be the focus of this clinic. During the clinic, pro bono attorneys will be assigned uncontested kinship/guardianship or sole custody cases, and will meet with the clients in-person to complete this first step of their case. NMILC will provide support/mentorship from experienced staff/pro bono attorneys, templates, and step-by-step instructions to help you. No family law or immigration law experience is required. Pro bono attorneys who are new to SIJS pro bono work with NMILC will be asked to complete virtual trainings on your own time. We will not be holding a live/in-person training prior to the clinic. These virtual trainings total approximately two hours of recorded training materials. This includes a training on how to e-file via Odyssey, the case filing system used by the 2nd judicial district court. These trainings may be helpful even if you have completed SIJS cases pro bono with us! All pro bono attorneys will receive their case assignment at least three days prior to the clinic in order to run a conflict check with your firm. At the clinic on April 15, pro bono attorneys will complete initial predicate order steps with one assigned SIJS client in-person. All pro bono attorneys are expected to continue providing pro bono legal services on SIJS cases following the clinic (an estimated 15-20 hours of work over the course of the following 2-4 months). This will involve finalizing the kinship/guardianship, sole custody, or special findings for the SIJS applicant's parent/guardian, and obtaining the state predicate order. From there, NMILC staff will take over representation of the child's SIJS case. For anyone interested in joining the clinic and taking on a case, please fill out this registration form: https://dsnp.co/6tMduS If you have any questions, please email NMILC Volunteer/Pro Bono Manager, Delaney Swink, at dswink@nmilc.org.
For those who wish to support NMILC's work in other ways, please consider donating here, signing up for our newsletter, and checking out other pro bono attorney opportunities on our website!" Ace Leadership High School
1240 Bellamah Ave NW
Albuquerque, NM 87104 Map+ Google calendar
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