by Kathy Para, JBA Pro Bono Committee chair
The Jacksonville-area legal community has the power to help people make small steps that result in significant positive results in their lives.
That’s why Jacksonville Area Legal Aid teamed up with the Florida Coastal School of Law Immigrant Rights Clinic and Three Rivers Legal Services to provide attorneys with the tools they need to assist qualifying immigrant clients establish safety and U.S. citizenship status.
Webinars presented by local immigration attorneys Ericka Curran and Crystal Johnson Reeves offer training opportunities for pro bono attorneys serving the immigrant population in Northeast Florida to assist with the naturalization process and VAWA Self-Petitions.
In early May, pro bono attorneys participated in “The Naturalization Process” webinar designed specifically for attorneys interested in assisting an immigrant client with the process for becoming a U.S. citizen.
Topics included immigrant eligibility requirements, problem areas, assembling the application materials, preparing for the naturalization interview and working with interpreter services. Attorneys unable to attend the webinar live may request the materials from Kathy Para at [email protected].
The second part of the two-part series, will be an “Introduction to VAWA Self-Petitioning” from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. (three hours of CLE) Friday.
The VAWA self-petition CLE seminar will provide attorneys with the basic information needed to assist battered immigrant clients with the process for self-petitioning under VAWA and adjustment to permanent resident status.
Topics will include eligibility requirements, problem areas, assembling the application materials, and working with survivors of domestic violence.
Participants of all webinars use their own computers to view the trainings while interacting with the instructors during the live presentations.
Reference resources and relevant forms are supplied before the presentation via email.
Attorneys participating in the free professional training resources may receive three CLE hours for each seminar.
All JALA asks in return is for attorneys who attend to accept a JALA pro bono case within this substantive area.
JALA’s commitment to giving pro bono attorneys the tools needed to succeed means providing expert attorneys as resources for use with JALA cases. JALA also provides professional liability insurance for pro bono attorneys when representing JALA clients.
Attorneys interested in helping immigrant clients with the VAWA self-petition process may register for the live webinar at: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/962162544.
If you have questions about registering for these webinars or are interested in the full listing of web-based trainings that are available for pro bono attorneys, please contact Kathy Para, chair, Pro Bono Committee of The Jacksonville Bar Association, [email protected], 356-8371, ext. 363.