The Immigration Law Association, CLSR, and MIRA Coalition Partner to Promote Public Service Volunteer Opportunity

 The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) is the largest organization in New England promoting the rights and integration of immigrants and refugees. In recent years, members of a New England Law student organization, the Immigration Law Association (ILA), have found MIRA’s Citizenship Clinics to be a rewarding experience that benefits both the students and members of local communities. Students assist eligible residents apply for citizenship by answering questions and helping fill out forms at the Saturday walk-in clinics throughout the year. This fall, three clinics will be located at MIRA’s Boston offices, conveniently located near the law school at 105 Chauncy Street, Suite 901, Boston, MA 02111, on September 28^th, November 9^th, and a forthcoming date in December.

ILA has partnered with MIRA to give Citizenship Clinic trainings at the law school so more students will have the opportunity to participate in this great program. The first training will take place from 4 – 5 pm on Wednesday, September 25^th in room 306.

*Attendance at a training is required before volunteering at a clinic.

Please RSVP to Manmeet Kaur Desai at manmeet.k.desai@nesl.edu to attend the training on September 25th.

Students who participate may be eligible for the Public Service Transcript Notation. 

For more questions about the Transcript Notation Program, please contact the CLSR Fellow Kevin Crane at kevin.t.crane@nesl.edu.

 

Useful Links:

MIRA Webpage: http://www.miracoalition.org/

CLSR Homepage: http://www.nesl.edu/centers/clsr.cfm

Transcript Notation: http://www.nesl.edu/centers/clsr_Transcript_Notation.cfm

CLSR Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newenglandlawCLSR

ILA Homepage: http://www.nesl.edu/students/stuorg_ILA.cfm

ILA Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/140990365989480/

Idealist Grad Fair

Just a quick reminder about the grad school fair Idealist.org is hosting in Boston on Wednesday, September 25th. Here are the details:

WHAT?

Meet with representatives from 180 schools and programs from all over the country.

To learn more about Idealist Grad Fairs and about how to get the most out of your experience, watch this quick video:
http://youtu.be/DDtHKIcKShs

WHERE?

775 Commonwealth Avenue,
Boston University, George Sherman Union, Metcalf Ballroom, 2nd Floor,
Boston, Massachusetts, 02215

WHEN?

Wednesday, September 25th, from 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

TO RSVP:

The fair is free, but please RSVP here:
http://www.eventbrite.com/event/6130543621

NEL|B Alumnae Win Appeal at SJC: Padilla v. Kentucky Applies Retroactively in Massachusetts

Advocates for the immigrant communities of Massachusetts can celebrate a recent victory in the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. In Commonwealth v. Sylvain, the SJC decided that under Art. 12 of the Massachusetts Declaration of Rights, as well as under Massachusetts Criminal Procedure, "defendants whose State law convictions were final after April 1, 1997, may attack their convictions collaterally" on the grounds announced by the Supreme Court in Padilla v. Kentucky, 130 S. Ct. 1473 (2010).

Under Padilla, the Supreme Court held that the Sixth Amendment right to effective assistance of counsel included the right of non-citizens to be advised of the deportation consequences of a conviction. However, under a recent Supreme Court decision, Chaidez v. United States, 133 S. Ct. 1103 (2013), the Court held  that Padilla did not apply retroactively. Under federal criminal procedure, individuals cannot collaterally attack a conviction on Padilla grounds if their conviction was final before the ruling in Padilla.

Defendant's counsel and amici successfully argued before the SJC that the Supreme Court's decision in Chaidez should not apply in Massachusetts, where the law of when rules of criminal procedure apply retroactively are different than under federal law. Under Supreme Court precedent, the finality of convictions under state law is a matter of state concern. States have the authority to provide broader procedural protections than those announced by the Supreme Court as long as state rules do not infringe on the guarantees of the Constitution.

The New England Law | Boston community is incredibly proud of its' alumnae and faculty's hard work on this case. Attorney Laura Mannion Banwarth, '09, represented defendant Kempess Sylvain on appeal to the Supreme Judicial Court. Jennifer Sunderland, '08, Staff Attorney, Committee for Public Counsel Services, represented Sylvain during earlier stages of the case. Additionally, NEL|B Professors David Siegel and Lawrence Friedman filed an amicus brief on behalf of Sylvain.

Link to the SJC's Opinion: Com. v. Sylvain
Link to Professor Siegel's and Professor Friedman's Amicus Brief

New Volunteer Project: Changing the Lives of Women Who Face the Dual Challenges of Mental Illness and Criminal History

Rosie's Place Fellow, Allison Haar, '13, seeks a dedicated team of students for providing legal services to incarcerated and recently released women with mental illnesses.

Volunteers will gain experience working with clients, observing hearings, visiting prisons for intake interviews and educational sessions, networking with attorneys in the New Hampshire civil rights and criminal justice fields, and have the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of some of New England's neediest clients.

For Information on How to Apply Contact CLSR Fellow Kevin Crane at kevin.t.crane@nesl.edu

Article Published by BostonGlobe.com about Allison's Project:

 

 "Rosie's Place awards $40K fellowship to South Boston resident"

           By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent, Boston Globe

Allison Haar, '13

The women’s shelter Rosie’s Place has awarded the 2013 Kip Tiernan Social Justice Fellowship to a South Boston woman working to help incarcerated women with mental health issues.

Allison Haar, a recent law school graduate and South Boston resident, received the $40,000 fellowship to support her Dorothea Advocacy Project, which will provide legal advocacy for incarcerated women in New Hampshire with serious mental health issues.

The fellowship honors the life and work of Rosie’s Place founder, Kip Tiernan.

Over the fellowship year, Haar will offer legal representation to women in county jails and state prison, and to recently released women struggling with reentry issues. Initial efforts will focus on helping the women apply for benefits before they are released, “so they can leave incarceration prepared to be healthy, housed and productive on the outside,” Haar said in a statement.

Each client will be paired with a female attorney or law student who can provide personal advocacy and serve as a support system and positive role model.

“I seek to change the lives of the women who face the dual challenges of mental illness and criminal history,” Haar wrote in her proposal. “I believe that women in prison face different challenges and have different needs than male inmates. I also believe they are uniquely strong. My mission is to use legal education, zealous advocacy and personal mentorship to end the cycle of poverty and recidivism.”

Haar said she was inspired by the work of Dorothea Dix, a woman who pioneered mental health reform in New England.

The South End's Rosie’s Place, which works to provide a safe and nurturing environment to help poor and homeless women maintain their dignity, seek opportunity and find security in their lives, offers the fellowship annually to a woman to develop and carry out a special project that will further its mission in New England.

“Through this Fellowship, we hope to provide a woman with the resources to realize a vision – just as Kip was able to do, forty years ago,” Rosie’s Place executive director Sue Marsh said in a statement. “This Fellowship embodies the same spirit and commitment that was the basis of Rosie’s Place’s founding.”

Rosie's Place, which was the first women-only shelter in the country when it was founded in 1974, provides meals and shelter while also creating permanent solutions through advocacy, education and affordable housing.

“Having the support of Rosie’s Place during the development of my project not only makes things possible financially, it defines the ideals I should hang on to and the level of impact I should strive for,” Haar said in a statement.

Haar received her J.D. degree from New England School of Law in 2013, matriculating through the Sandra Day O’Connor Full Tuition Merit Scholarship. She clerked and interned in the areas of criminal law and mental health law. Haar also holds a B.A. degree, cum laude, from Emerson College.

Reposted from BostonGlobe.com

Immigration Staff Attorney

Position Title:    Immigration Staff Attorney

Reports to:           Program Director, Immigration Services

                              Divisional Director, Immigration & Refugee Services

Office:                 Catholic Charities Community Services, Archdiocese of New York

                              Division of Immigration & Refugee Services

Status:                  Full Time (Exempt)

Responsibilities:

1.       Advice and counsel to and  supervision of migration counselors in general immigrant and non-immigrant status matters, including, but not limited to: family reunification (adjustment of status), visa extension and change of status, religious worker, naturalization, green card extension, travel/advance parole, special adjustment relief (NACARA, HRIFA, Cuban Adjustment Act), etc.

2.       Representation, as needed, in cases of migration counselors;

3.       Working under the supervision of the Divisional Director on existing caseload of 70+ complex immigration cases, including removal proceedings.

4.       Screening, advising, and representing individuals, detained and non-detained, facing removal proceedings or other immigration-related federal litigation matters, including, but not limited to: cancellation of removal, asylum, Board of Immigration Appeals (and federal appeals practice under supervision and upon approval), representation on the juvenile docket, etc.

5.       Counseling and representing individuals in more specialized and complex immigration applications including, but not limited to: special juvenile immigrant petition, VAWA petitions, U and T visa applications, deferred action, inadmissibility waivers, etc.

6.       Supervising and training law student interns;

7.       Assisting with emergency walk-in cases, as necessary.

8.       Providing in-house and outreach trainings, presentations and workshops, as directed.

9.       Maintaining and updating case files and case management database.

10.    Compiling monthly statistics and reports.

11.    Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications:

1.       Juris Doctor;

2.       Two years or more of post-JD experience in immigration law preferred;

3.       Fluency in 2^nd language preferred;

4.       Admission to a bar of any state and/or the District of Columbia;

5.       Excellent oral and written communication skills; excellent organizational skills;

6.       Computer proficiency.

Please e-mail resume and letter of interest to Mario Russell at mario.russell@archny.org.

New England Innocence Project Accepting Applications

Students who are interested in working on cases from the New England Innocence Project this fall should consider applying soon. Applications will be considered until 5:00 pm, Friday, September 13, and materials can be submitted online to Prof. Siegel.