We are celebrating all of our members this Pro Bono Week!

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Volunteers in a group at the 2023 AILA Annual Conference Pro Bono ClinicIn our community of immigration lawyers, we often do volunteer work without any kind of recognition. And if that’s how you roll, that’s totally fine! But, as a member of the AILA Pro Bono Committee, I actually want to brag about each of our members who are changing people’s lives through pro bono. By using your legal expertise and donating your time, you can literally save lives, keep families together, help someone become eligible to vote, and much more.

With over 16,000 members, it’s probably not possible to celebrate each of you individually, but let me take a moment to highlight one particular way your pro bono work has helped this year: the AILA AC Clinic Pro Bono.

Each year at the AILA Annual Conference, the AILA National Pro Bono Committee partners with local chapters and organizations to host a pro bono event. This year we partnered with the AILA Central Florida Chapter and Mi Familia Vota to host a Citizenship Clinic. Even before I was a member of the AILA Pro Bono Committee, I have to admit that the AC Clinic was one of my favorite events of the year.

This year I think the best part of the experience was how well run and organized this clinic was. Before even arriving in Florida for the conference, volunteers received detailed email communications and training opportunities, as well as instructions on using the CitizenshipWorks platform. For those who did not participate in the conference, it was even possible to participate remotely.

On the Saturday of the conference, volunteers met in person at the conference center, where a shuttle was waiting to take us to the clinic. We all arrived, laptops in hand, and headed to the Osceola County Extension building, where the Mi Familia Vota volunteers had everything set up and were waiting for us. The room was divided into three sections: check-in/waiting area; review of form; and departure. Lawyers were stationed at tables and connected to clients as they arrived. This was my first time using the CitizenshipWorks platform and I was very impressed. Event organizers were able to use the system to connect the volunteer attorney with the client so that their pre-prepared naturalization application was transmitted directly to the attorney’s laptop. This made it very easy to go through the questions with clients.

Thanks to the number of attorneys who dedicated their time to this event, I was able to spend as much time as necessary with the three clients assigned to me. In addition to volunteer lawyers, paralegals and law students were on hand to translate or review the forms. The clients I helped were all very grateful for their help and happy to share their lives in Florida and the paths that led them to apply for citizenship. It was rewarding to help these hard-working people prepare their. At the end of the event, volunteers were treated to empanadas, wraps, Cuban sandwiches, pastries and juices from Melao Bakery in Orlando, hosted by the AILA Central Florida Chapter.

Ultimately, the in-person clinic with Mi Familia Vota had 22 volunteers and 42 completed naturalization applications. For the remote clinic, there were 18 volunteers and 32 completed applications. In total, 40 AILA volunteers (lawyers, paralegals and law students) helped 74 legal permanent residents prepare their naturalization applications to submit.

This #AILAProBonoWeek, I’m so grateful to everyone who has helped at the AC Clinic and for all the incredible work you’ve done throughout the year – I’m already looking forward to the pro bono event the next year in Chicago, where we can celebrate each other. and help people!

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