Pro Bono for Immigrant Children

Why Immigrant Children Need Your Help

Immigrant children are some of the most vulnerable members of our communities. Many have experienced significant persecution, trauma, or abuse in their home countries or on their journeys to the US, only to encounter a hostile immigration system that offers no guidance or counsel. Legal representation helps immigrant children navigate our complicated immigration system and significantly increases their chances of accessing relief for which they are qualified.

Legal services organizations alone cannot meet the need for representation for immigrant children, so many organizations run pro bono programs to facilitate the involvement of attorney volunteers. This page is intended to make it easier to learn how to get trained, connect with these organizations, and represent an immigrant child who needs your help. You don’t need any previous experience in this area to volunteer with these organizations and make a major difference in the life of a child.

• Getting Started Representing Children
• Types of Relief
• Example Documents
  • Sample Engagement Agreement
  • Sample Translation Agreement
  • Sample Disengagement Agreement

Working with child clients is incredibly rewarding but raises unique issues and challenges. There are many resources available to provide expert guidance on working with child clients, including the following:

• Interviewing the Child Client: Approaches and Techniques for a Successful Interview
• AILA Practice Advisory, Ethical Issues in Representing Children
• Sound Advice: Effective Representation for Immigrant Youth

If this is your first foray into pro bono work, here are some great resources about pro bono generally: 

• Tips for Working with Young Clients
• Pro Bono Basics
• California Best Practices Guide by OneJustice
  
• PLI:  Pro Bono Basics 2018: Best Practices

If you are ready to move forward and represent an immigrant child who needs your help, contact a local referral organization in your community. We have provided a a list of organizations that refer cases of immigrant children in need of representation.

• American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA): Variety of videos and publications available.
• Immigration Advocates Network (IAN): Free training resources for pro bono attorneys.
• Immigrant Legal Resource Center (ILRC): Webinars and manuals on asylum, DACA, SIJS, etc.
• Probono.net Asylum Practice Area: Asylum resources for pro bono attorneys.
• Pro Bono Training Institute: Free online learning for pro bono attorneys on various immigration topics.
• Practice Law Institute (PLI): Broad variety of video trainings on immigration topics.

• Center for Gender and Refugee Studies (CGRS): Litigation support and country conditions materials.
• Human Rights First
• Immigration Court Practice Manual
• University of Minnesota Human Rights Library: Country conditions materials and links to other useful.
• Young Center for Immigrant Children’s Rights

• Immigrant Child Advocacy Network
• Children's Rights Litigation Committee
• ABA Commission on Immigration

If you have suggestions for additional resources to be added to this page, or you encounter broken links or other issues with content on this page, please contact Cathy Krebs.