Immigration Law 2021 - Webinar
The live program is now complete. If you are interested in taking the home study course at the pro bono rate of $75 and assisting RMIAN with pro bono work in the coming year, please contact Alyssa Telander ([email protected]) or Colleen Cowgill ([email protected]).
This year, the administration change, COVID-19, and several precedential immigration decisions have created both new opportunities and unique challenges for individuals in immigration proceedings. The need for legal representation is greater than ever. Build your skills for defending and advancing the rights of non-citizens in the current legal environment.
In the morning, we will focus on zealous immigration advocacy and practice before the immigration courts, asylum, and working with survivors of trauma. You can choose from two afternoon tracks: advocating for release from immigration detention, or advocacy and protections available for children and survivors of crime. The afternoon session will also include a panel on prosecutorial discretion and strategies for different case types. We will conclude with a mock immigration court hearing.
Your distinguished faculty witness and navigate the impact of current realities of immigration policy on a daily basis. They will help you acquire and polish your immigration law skills, and ensure your knowledge is current.
The Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network (RMIAN) is a nonprofit organization that provides free immigration legal services to children and to individuals in immigration detention. RMIAN provides daily know-your-rights presentations, individual intakes, pro se assistance, and legal representation for those detained at the federal immigration detention facility in Aurora. RMIAN’s Children’s Program represents children and families who have survived abandonment, abuse, persecution, or other violence, and provides technical assistance and community education throughout the state on children’s immigration law issues. Unable to meet the overwhelming need for legal services, RMIAN refers both detention and children’s cases to its network of pro bono attorneys. RMIAN screens pro bono cases, writes referral memorandums, and provides professional liability insurance and a mentor attorney for each pro bono attorney.
Home studies will be available approximately 2-3 weeks following the live program.
If disability accommodations or special assistance are needed, please contact us at [email protected]. Requests must be made at least two weeks prior to the scheduled program.
The program will be submitted for CLE accreditation in Colorado. If you need to seek accreditation in another state, please review the process and requirements for that individual state. CBA-CLE staff can provide a Uniform Certificate of Attendance, and it is the attendee’s responsibility to complete the accreditation outside of Colorado.
9:00 – 9:10 am
Welcome, Introductions, and Overview
Presented by Colleen Cowgill, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, Children’s Program, Program Co-Chair, Mekela Goehring, Esq., Executive Director, and Alyssa Telander, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, Detention Program, Program Co-Chair, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
9:10 – 10:30 am
Setting the Landscape: The ABCs of Zealous Immigration Court Advocacy
- Introduction to immigration proceedings
- Overview of ways to win immigration status for your client
- Entering appearance, entering pleadings, MCH v. ICH
- Preparing your clients and witnesses, building a record
- Appellate review (brief overview)
Presented by Tilman Jacobs, Esq., Staff Attorney, Detention Program, and Laura Lichter, Esq., Lichter Immigration
10:35 – 11:25 am
Asylum Law 101
- Overview of asylum, withholding of removal, and protection under the Convention Against Torture
- Preparing evidence for an asylum merits hearing (country conditions, witnesses, experts, timing)
- Special considerations - impact of recent Attorney General decisions
Presented by Marlise Armstrong, Esq., Green & Maris, and Tierney Tobin Maris, Esq., Green & Maris
11:25 – 11:35 am
Stretch Break
11:35 – 12:30 pm
Working with Survivors of Trauma and Incorporating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) into Client Practices
- Working with survivors of trauma and individuals in detention
- Cross cultural communication and working with interpreters
- Language matters
Presented by Alicia Conrad, Esq., Staff Attorney, Children’s Program, Georgina Olazcon Mozo, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Children’s Program, and Cindy Schlosser, MSW, Social Worker, Detention Program
Submitted for 1 EDI Credit
12:30 – 1:00 pm
Lunch Break
1:00 – 1:15 pm
Overview of RMIAN’s Pro Bono Program and Introduction to Afternoon Tracks
Presented by Colleen Cowgill, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, Children’s Program, and Alyssa Telander, Esq., Pro Bono Coordinating Attorney, Detention Program, Program Co-Chairs
1:15 – 2:05 pm
Breakout Sessions
TRACK A
How Do I Get Out? Fighting Your Case for Freedom
- Overview of options for release from immigration detention while fighting an immigration case
- Presenting a bond matter before the immigration court
- Nuts and bolts of requesting parole from DHS
- Detention conditions and COVID-19: Current developments in Fraihat v. ICE
Presented by Mark Barr, Esq., Lichter Immigration, Conor Gleason, Esq., Staff Attorney, Detention Program, and Jenny Regier, Esq., Equal Justice Works Fellow sponsored by Pfizer Inc., Detention Program
TRACK B
Advocacy with USCIS for Children and Survivors of Crime (SIJS, U, T, VAWA, DACA)
- SIJS
- U Visas for immigrant crime survivors
- T Visas for survivors of human trafficking
- Protections under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)
- DACA
Presented by Ashley Harrington, Esq., Managing Attorney, Children’s Program, Caleb Stewart, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Anti-Human Trafficking Project, and Yazmin Torres, Senior Paralegal, Children's Program
2:10 - 3:00 pm
Prosecutorial Discretion and Current Practices in Immigration Court
- Updates on current practices in immigration courts, changes to appearances, scheduling orders
- Overview of prosecutorial discretion, tips and tricks, strategies for different case types (SIJS, U-Visa, VAWA etc.)
Presented by Emily Brock, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Children’s Program, and Sabrina Sameshima, Esq., Staff Attorney, Children’s Program
3:00 – 3:10 pm
Break
3:10 – 4:10 pm
Model Immigration Hearing
Observe a team of experienced immigration attorneys conduct a master calendar hearing and portions of a merits hearing for an individual applying for asylum, followed by a Q&A session about immigration court practice, and an evaluation of what worked well and what could have been improved during the hearings.
Presented by Courtney Butler, Esq., Elkind Alterman Harston PC, Jennifer Casey, Esq., Kolko & Casey, P.C., and Hans Meyer, Esq., The Meyer Law Office, PC
4:10 pm
Adjourn
4:10 – 5:00 pm
Optional: Ask an Attorney
An opportunity to discuss current case questions and topics
Faculty Members and RMAIN Staff
Registration Fees
| Non Member | $519.00 |
| CBA Member | $389.00 |
| CBA Immigration Law Section Member | $319.00 |
| Active Military | $194.50 |
| Public Service/Government | $194.50 |
| New Lawyer Edge Partner | $194.50 |
| Paralegal or Legal Support Staff | $194.50 |
| Yes! I want to take a Pro Bono Case in the coming year | $75.00 |
| Yes! I want to take a Pro Bono Case in the coming year | $75.00 |
| Student Currently Enrolled in Law School | $0.00 |
| CLEACCESSPASS---ELITE Pass Holder | $0.00 |
- General Credits: 7.00
- Ethics Credits:
- EDI Credits: 1.00
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