Pro Bono Week 2020 Profiles: Ellen Bass – Representing Unaccompanied Children Seeking Safety
07 October 2020 Blog, Featured
Globally, 2020 has been a difficult year and the immigration legal field has been no exception. Changes, such as new asylum rules, attempts to raise fees and alter filing procedures, and developments in case law, have made an already complex area of law much harder to navigate. The majority of unaccompanied children lack representation in their immigration cases. Representing unaccompanied immigrant children can be complicated, as the majority of these children come to the United States after surviving trauma and leaving families and communities behind to seek safety from unthinkable situations. Further, these children are placed in removal proceedings with no guaranteed access to counsel or an adult to speak on their behalf. The COVID-19 pandemic continues to add further stress on this already vulnerable population, as low-income living and working circumstances increase the risk of contracting the virus, children lose access to supports in educational settings, caretakers are unemployed, and community supports are more difficult to access. Ellen Bass has come out of retirement to help these children find peace and safety.
Pro Bono Week 2020 Profile: Gibson Dunn/Hewlett Packard Team Profoundly Changes Life of Young Honduran Child
07 October 2020 Blog, Featured
Two of CAIR Coalition’s longstanding pro bono partners, Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher LLP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, recently collaborated with each other and CAIR Coalition to profoundly change the life of a young Honduran child whom the government-held for nearly a year in prolonged immigration detention. In doing so, their teams of talented attorneys advanced cutting-edge litigation that will help many similarly situated children.
2020 Review of Poverty Law in the D.C. Court of Appeals
03 October 2020 Blog, Featured
D.C. Court of Appeals decisions at the D.C. Consortium meeting held on Thursday, October 1, 2020. You can view the video of Jonathan’s presentation and the PowerPoint presentation slides here.
Welcome Shea Hazel! Our Fall 2020 Intern.
01 October 2020 Blog, Featured
Shea Hazel joins the Washington Council of Lawyers as our virtual intern this fall. Shea is from Boston, Massachusetts, and will proudly graduate UMass Law in May 2021. She is a UMass Law Public Interest Law Fellow, Advisor to the Veterans Law Association, Vice President of the International Law Students Association, and a member of this year’s Phillip C. Jessup International Law Moot Court Competition team. Shea serves in the United States Air Force Reserve in Washington, D.C.
DC Pro Bono Week 2020: Schedule of Events
29 September 2020 Blog
DC Pro Bono Week 2020 takes place from October 25–31, and will offer lots of opportunities to do pro bono work, learn new pro bono skills, meet other pro bono lawyers, and expand your pro bono horizons.
DC Pro Bono Week 2020: Affiliated Trainings
29 September 2020 Blog
In addition to the main DC Pro Bono Week events, a series of affiliated trainings will take place before, during, and after Pro Bono Week. Check out the full list for practice area and skill set refreshers.
In-House Pro Bono In The Time of Covid-19 Recap and Volunteer Opportunities
24 September 2020 Blog, Featured
Washington Council of Lawyers co-sponsored and co-organized a timely and well attended virtual program, “In-House Pro Bono in the Time of Covid-19” on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. (Access the recording here.) Ninety-eight attendees heard presentations by seven legal service providers on currently unmet critical needs and virtual opportunities for in-house and other attorneys. We were proud to co-sponsor this event with the Association of Corporate Counsel of the National Capital Region, Corporate Pro Bono (CPBO) program from the Pro Bono Institute, and the D.C. Bar Pro Bono Center.
Job Searching in 2020
If you’re looking for a job right now, I want to offer solidarity and advice. I just completed a job search this summer and I feel what you’re going through. You will pull through this. In the meantime, I hope these resources can help. There are already many practical tips out there to help you apply for and interview for jobs remotely.
Family Law Assistance Network newest tool for helping D.C. families in crisis.
25 August 2020 Blog, East River of the River Profiles, Featured
In a time when there are many challenges and uncertainties facing the nation, it is important to recognize and celebrate the good in the world. Family Law Assistance Network (FLAN), a joint initiative between the DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF), Legal Aid and the D.C. Pro Bono Center, is emblematic of that sentiment. FLAN, which opened at the end of March, in the midst of the pandemic, has already served over 200 litigants. Through this initiative, the DC Affordable Law Firm has been able to gain an even stronger presence and foothold East of the River as more than 50% of FLAN clients reside East of the River.