Pro bono work is a professional responsibility and an individual ethical commitment to give back to the community

Volunteer attorneys and other legal professionals increase our capacity by taking on cases, providing technical assistance, and sharing their expertise. When an attorney agrees to take on a case with NMILC, the relationship does not end there. We provide ongoing technical assistance, mentorship, and language support for pro bono cases. NMILC’s malpractice insurance covers attorneys providing pro bono legal support with us. Pro bono attorneys and legal professionals help with a variety of case types:

Representing Youth Who Have Been Abandoned, Neglected, or Abused in State Court

• Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) is a status available to some young people and 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 represent the petitioner in state court proceedings. These cases most often include sole custody, dissolution of marriage, kinship/guardianship, and emancipation proceedings. Typically, these are default cases, and they do not require a hearing. We provide support, templates, and step-by-step instructions to help you, and no family law experience is required. Each case takes between 10 and 30 hours over the course of a few months, on average.

Work with survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other serious crimes.

• NMILC seeks volunteer attorneys to assist our clients in filing for U nonimmigrant status (the U visa). NMILC currently has dozens of survivors of domestic violence and other serious crimes who are waiting for services. To qualify for a U visa, an applicant must show that they have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation and/or prosecution of the crime and that she has been substantially harmed, either emotionally or physically, by the crime. U nonimmigrant status puts the client on the path to obtaining Lawful Permanent Residency (a “green card”).

• Working on a U visa case consists of obtaining certification from law enforcement or another government official that the victim is cooperative, gathering evidence that the victim suffered abuse and was the victim of a crime, and submitting forms and documentation to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. These cases are adjudicated through a review of the documentation. There is no hearing or interview for these applications, so it can be a particularly good case for someone who does not wish to participate in litigation.

• We estimate that in most cases, a U visa case takes about 20 hours to prepare depending on the complexity of the case. These are relatively involved cases the require dedication and commitment. At this time, we can only accept pro bono support on such cases from attorneys with experience in this area of immigration law.

Work with immigrants in detention

• Our programs at the Cibola/Torrance Detention Centers take place approximately once each month. We provide pro se assistance, consultations, screenings, and legal presentations to folks in detention. Non-attorney volunteers support this program by giving presentations, helping applicants fill out forms, and providing logistical support. This is a full-day commitment, usually on a weekday.

• Volunteers must also be fluent in Spanish or a priority language.

Support asylum seekers

• Pro Bono attorneys and non-attorney volunteers work with pro se asylum applicants to complete their paperwork for their asylum cases. Roles at the asylum workshop include doing client intakes (for volunteers with previous experience/training), helping manage the flow of the workshop, assisting with childcare for clients, doing on-site translations. These workshops occur approximately once per month in-person.

• All volunteers will be trained on I-589 forms prep and Asylum 101 prior to volunteering. We require volunteers for the asylum workshop to be fluent in Spanish and willing to be flexible with your role.

Support immigrants in your area of expertise

• In conjunction with other community organizations, NMILC is developing a network of attorneys with a wide range of expertise whose work intersects with issues of importance to immigrants. These attorneys could act as a resource for other attorneys or provide consultations to community members as needed.

• We are particularly looking for people who can advise on employment law, powers of attorney and other life-planning documents in case of deportation, and civil rights. Please let us know if you have expertise in another area of the law and you are willing to share your knowledge pro bono for NMILC clients.

We are incredibly grateful to our pro bono partners and we invite you to learn more about what inspires them to do this work: