This year, the administration change, COVID-19, a dedicated docket for family unity at the Denver Immigration Court, and precedential immigration decisions have created new opportunities and unique challenges for individuals in immigration proceedings. The need for legal representation is greater than ever. Join RMIAN’s team of dedicated and passionate pro bono attorneys in advocating for and providing free immigration legal services to Colorado immigrant adults held in immigration detention, children, and survivors of crime.
This year’s annual training, a longstanding partnership between CBA-CLE and RMIAN, co-sponsored by the Colorado Bar Association Immigration Law Section, will take place virtually, on Friday, October 29, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM and will count towards CLE accreditation in Colorado. This training is offered at a discounted rate of $75 for attorneys who sign up for a RMIAN pro bono case within the next year! For more information and to register, click the link below.
Faculty
Mark Barr, Lichter Immigration
Emily Brock, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Courtney Butler, Elkind Alterman Harston PC
Jennifer Casey, Kolko & Casey, P.C.
Alicia Conrad, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Colleen Cowgill, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Conor Gleason, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Mekela Goehring, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Lisa Green, Lisa Green & Associates PC
Ashley Harrington, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Tilman Jacobs, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Laura Lichter, Lichter Immigration
Tierney Maris, Lisa Green & Associates
Hans Meyer, Law Office of Hans Meyer
Georgina Olazcon Mozo, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Jenny Regier, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Sabrina Sameshima, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Cindy Schlosser, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Caleb Stewart, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Alyssa Telander, Rocky Mountain Immigrant Advocacy Network
Agenda
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 Lisa Green, Esq., 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, and Caleb Stewart, Esq., Senior Staff Attorney, Anti-Human Trafficking Project
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