Description
For those of you who missed our online conference, "Refresher and Practice Tips: Legal Remedies for Immigrant Survivors," the recordings are now available for purchase. The online conference is composed of four separate sessions. You can buy all four sessions togheter or individual sessions.
Let ASISTA’s national experts train your legal staff! This 2-day conference is intended for new and intermediate attorneys, DOJ Accredited Representatives, paralegals, and other legal advocates who have some experience working with survivor cases, but are seeking a refresher on the fundamentals or have questions about the latest legal requirements, understanding the effect of trauma in their case preparation, identifying red flags, other family members’ eligibility, and managing expectations.
Participants will review how to identify survivor-based immigration remedies, conduct trauma-informed representation, assess a client’s facts to determine eligibility and identify red flags, and consider the intersections of immigrant survivor relief with other humanitarian relief applications. Participants will have the opportunity to practice these skills through hands-on activities.
Speakers include: ASISTA’s national experts, and Lorilei WIlliams, principal consultant. See below the general agenda of the online training.
Session 1: Assessing Relief: An Overview of Survivor-Based Immigration Protections
Immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, human trafficking and other crimes face myriad barriers accessing safety and justice. To combat these barriers, the bipartisan Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) created special paths to secure immigration status. In this interactive session, participants will examine these protections, take an in-depth look at their requirements, and evaluate which relief options are best for their clients.
Speakers: Kelly Head & Lia Ocasio, Staff Attorneys, ASISTA
Session 2: Trauma-Informed Lawyering: From Client Intakes to Case Preparation and Beyond
During this session, practitioners will learn best practices for working with clients who have experienced trauma, and reflect on the ways in which secondary trauma can impact effective advocacy. Participants will provide feedback and suggestions during multiple role plays designed to illustrate some challenges and best practices for conducting intake and representing clients who have experienced trauma.
Speakers: Cristina Velez, Legal & Policy Director, ASISTA & Lorilei Williams, Principal Consultant
Session 3: Are They Eligible?: Analyzing the Facts and Identifying Red Flags
Utilizing skills from Sessions 1 and 2, participants will assess a hypothetical client’s facts to determine eligibility for survivor-based immigration benefits and whether there are any red flags, including grounds of inadmissibility. Participants will also determine whether any waivers apply and how to apply them.
Speakers: Kelly Head & Lia Ocasio, Staff Attorneys, ASISTA
Session 4: Strategic Considerations: Survivor-Based and Other Immigration Relief
A survey and discussion of the other types of immigration relief that may intersect with survivor-based immigration applications, when multiple family members seek different forms of humanitarian relief, such as SIJS and asylum. Participants will examine a hypothetical fact pattern to explore the intersections and identify areas of potential conflict that may arise when multiple forms of relief are sought.
Speakers: Lia Ocasio, Staff Attorney, ASISTA & Cristina Velez, Legal & Policy Director, ASISTA
