On April 5, the Anti-Defamation League’s Latino Jewish Roundtable and Legal Advisory Committee presented a Mandatory Continuing Legal Education training for attorneys. The program, co-hosted by the Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, provided training for attorneys wishing to volunteer services to represent children seeking asylum. There were more than 50 attorneys in attendance representing all kinds of legal practice, from entertainment law to tax law, to retired attorneys who had reactivated their licenses in order to take on pro bono cases.
The idea came from ADL Glass Leadership Institute participant Kimberley Plotnik who is an attorney and serves as Pro Bono Coordinator at Esperanza. She and her colleagues Program Director Patricia Ortiz and Staff Attorney Chariane Forrey facilitated the training. They described the plight and background of unaccompanied minors are seeking asylum, explained the US Immigration Court procedures, and outlined the role of the pro bono counsel. At the close of the training, many attendees expressed a strong interest in taking on asylum cases with Esperanza.