We provide training & mentoring
to our volunteer attorneys
Upcoming training sessions - training bank
Landscape of Legal Need in Greater Boston
Join PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma and other distinguished panelists as she discusses the need to support civil legal aid to close the access to counsel gap. Panelists will share the work they are doing to protect their client’s legal rights, explain the systemic barriers to access to justice (language access, mental health, disability, legal status), and discuss the ways the legal community can work together to close ensure MA residents have access to counsel.
WHEN:
Monday, December 2, 2024
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
WHERE:
Boston Bar Association
Boston, MA
Post-Election Open Forum for Pro Bono Attorneys
Join PAIR's Ilana Greenstein and Melanie Gleason for an open forum to address your concerns about the possible changes to immigration laws and immigrant rights. While we don't have all the answers right now, we have navigated times of uncertainty and draconian changes to immigration law many times in our history. We look forward to engaging in these conversations with you. Register here.
In the coming weeks, we will share resources, referrals, legal updates, and answer your questions. PAIR is ready to do the important work that is needed to achieve justice, transparency and fairness in the immigration laws for our clients and immigrant community. Thank you so much for supporting us and for all that you do for PAIR and PAIR clients!
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 20, 2024
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Intake Training
PAIR’s Violeta Haralampieva will conduct a training on intaking people interested in applying for asylum through PAIR. This training will provide an overview of PAIR’s asylum intake clinics, the logistics of the intake process, the elements of an asylum claim, and trauma-informed interviewing.
WHEN:
Friday, November 8, 2024
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Immigration and Movement Lawyering: Working with Community Partners to be Successful Advocates
PAIR's Daniela Hargus will join a panel of speakers at BU Law's Public Interest Law Society's retreat to discuss her work at PAIR as well as current events and policy changes in humanitarian immigration.
WHEN:
Saturday, November 2, 2024
12:45 PM - 1:45 PM
WHERE:
Boston University School of Law
Boston, MA
Seeking Parole for Individuals Detained by ICE
PAIR's Daniela Hargus will discuss practice tips for seeking release for detained clients on parole. Topics will include parole eligibility, the substance of a parole request, tips for working with ICE, and considerations to review with your client when applying for parole. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 30, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
"Keeping Families Together" (Parole in Place) and Latest Updates on the Administrative Stay
Join PAIR's Sarah Allar and distinguished panelists for an overview on the Keeping Families Together Program, including best practices on filing the Form I-131F (Application for Parole in Place for Noncitizen Spouses and Stepchildren of U.S. Citizens) on my.uscis.gov, navigating my.uscis.gov, how to address applicants’ criminal history, how to address applicants’ removal proceedings, and next steps after filing. Panelists will also provide the latest information on the administrative stay from Texas v. Department of Homeland Security.
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
WHERE:
Boston Bar Association
Boston, MA
Suffolk BBA Pro Bono Fair
This event, sponsored by Suffolk University Law School and the Boston Bar Association (BBA), will present legal services and other public interest and government organizations with an opportunity to connect with talented law students and attorneys about pro bono opportunities. The fair is held as part of the National Pro Bono Celebration sponsored by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. PAIR's Daniela Hargus, Elizabeth Badger, and Zuna Ramos Maza will represent PAIR at the event and engage with students interested in pro bono opportunities with the organization.
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 29, 2024
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
WHERE:
Suffolk University Law School
Boston, MA
Securing Release for Unjustly Detained Immigrants: Bond 101
PAIR is thrilled to be a part of the Boston Bar Association (BBA)'s Pro Bono month series. PAIR's Irene Freidel will cover the basics for requesting that an Immigration Judge grant bond for a detained client. The training will include a discussion of the current law on bond eligibility, what information should be provided in the bond motion, how to prepare for the bond hearing, and what to do after your client is released. We will also discuss how to address some of the more complicated issues that can arise in custody cases. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project and Boston Bar Association
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Pro Bono Opportunities
In a time where legal aid turns about 47% of those who turn to them for legal help solely because of lack of staff and resources, there is a critical need for pro bono programs to close the access to justice gap in MA. As a part of MassMutual's Pro Bono Month celebrations, PAIR's Anita P. Sharma will join other panelist to talk about how legal aid leans on the private bar to help serve clients. Anita will discuss PAIR's work, three main legal programs, challenges our clients face, why access to counsel to critical, and the various pro bono opportunities and training PAIR offers.
WHEN:
Monday, October 21, 2024
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
WHERE:
MassMutual
Springfield, MA
BC Law: Meet the Public Interest Employers
PAIR's Julia Ciachurski and Tara Rubenstein will meet BC law students interested in doing pro bono work and applying to internships, externships and post-graduate positions with the organization.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
3:00 PM - 5:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston College Law School
Newton, MA
Terminating Removal Proceedings
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger will discuss newly promulgated regulations for terminating proceedings, case law on termination, as well as considerations to review with your clients before seeking termination. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 16, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Asylum 101: Part Two
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma and Ilana Greenstein will conduct a two-part pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice. The sessions will cover an overview of asylum law, how to work with asylum-seeking clients, interviewing survivors of violence, asylum case preparation and packaging, and the basics of presenting a case before the Asylum Office and Immigration Court. Register here for part two of the two part series.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Overview of Asylum
As a part of Latham & Watkins Pro Bono Month celebrations, PAIR's Anita P. Sharma and Ilana Greenstein will talk about PAIR's critical work to protect immigrant rights and conduct a pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice. The sessions will cover an overview of asylum law, how to work with asylum-seeking clients, interviewing survivors of violence, asylum case preparation and packaging, and the basics of presenting a case before the Asylum Office and Immigration Court.
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:30 PM
WHERE:
Latham & Watkins LLP
Boston, MA
Asylum Law & Medicine Panel
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger will speak about her work at PAIR and insights on what is relevant to asylum law and immigrant health in this changing political climate at the 2024 Tufts School of Medicine Immigrant HealthCare Symposium, which aims to include voices from across the spectrum of advocacy for immigrants, including areas from grassroots activism to law and policy to clinical work.
WHEN:
Saturday, October 5, 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
WHERE:
Tufts School of Medicine
Boston, MA
Asylum 101: Part One
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma and Ilana Greenstein will conduct a two-part pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice. The sessions will cover an overview of asylum law, how to work with asylum-seeking clients, interviewing survivors of violence, asylum case preparation and packaging, and the basics of presenting a case before the Asylum Office and Immigration Court. Register here for part one of the two part series.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
BU Law's Pro Bono Fair
PAIR's Nancy Giesel and Rhonda Tietjen will share their work at PAIR's, who they help, and the ways that law students can volunteer to make a difference at BU Law's Pro Bono Fair.
WHEN:
Tuesday, October 1, 2024
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston University Law Center
Boston, MA
How I Found My First Law Job
PAIR's Daniela Hargus will explore tips and techniques for selecting and applying for entry level positions in various areas of the legal field on a panel for the BU Law Career Conference.
WHEN:
Friday, September 13, 2024
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM
WHERE:
Boston University Law Center
Boston, MA
Detention Intake Overview
PAIR's Irene Freidel will present on how to conduct "Know Your Rights" presentations and intakes in the detention context to attorneys at Ropes & Gray LLP.
WHEN:
Thursday, July 11, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
Ropes & Gray LLP
Boston, MA
Annual Client Gala
PAIR's Anita Sharma will speak on the strong medical-legal partnership PAIR and the Boston Center for Refugee Health and Human Rights (BCRHHR) share so that asylum seekers can survive and thrive.
WHEN:
Saturday, June 22, 2024
6:00 PM - 8:00 PM
WHERE:
BCRHHR
Boston, MA
Access to Justice Fellows Commencement
PAIR's Irene C. Freidel and Board Member and Access to Justice (A2J) Fellow Vivie Hengst will speak about their contributions to PAIR's Know Your Rights Program at the commencement event, which will celebrate the contributions of the 2024 A2J Fellows and mark another amazing year of this innovative pro bono program. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, June 12, 2024
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM
WHERE:
Mintz Levin
Boston, MA
Parole for ICE Detainees
PAIR's Irene C. Freidel will share about the parole process and requirements for obtaining the release of a client by ICE. Registration is closed for AILA members only. If you are an AILA member, please contact mgleason@pairproject.org.
WHEN:
Tuesday, May 21, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
American Immigration Lawyers Association - New England
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Detention 101: Working with Detained Survivors of Torture
PAIR’s Irene C. Freidel will present on PAIR’s work to represent detained asylum seekers who recently arrived in the U.S. at bond hearings in Immigration Court. As ICE continues its practice of detaining asylum seekers, PAIR has witnessed the resurgence of clients transferred to New England detention centers from the Southern and Northern borders. PAIR has an enormous impact by helping asylum seekers secure release from detention and obtain the ability to pursue protection in the U.S. from outside of a jail cell.
WHEN:
Wednesday, May 8, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Bars to Asylum
With southern border apprehensions on the rise and asylum backlogs reaching crisis proportions at both EOIR and USCIS, the previous and current administrations have increasingly sought to curtail access to asylum, both procedurally and substantively. PAIR's Ilana Greenstein and Violeta Haralampieva wil discuss some of the most common statutory and regulatory bars to asylum, with a focus on those most relevant to current migration trends. They will discuss the legal exceptions to these bars, which offer crucial pathways to winning asylum despite the odds. Registration is closed for AILA members only. If you are an AILA member, please contact mgleason@pairproject.org.
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 24, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
American Immigration Lawyers Association - New England
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Online Asylum Filing
PAIR’s Tara Rubenstein will give a walk through the process of completing and filing an asylum application And supplementary materials online, including tips and tricks for successful online filing. Registration is closed for AILA members only. If you are an AILA member, please contact mgleason@pairproject.org.
WHEN:
Tuesday, April 9, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
American Immigration Lawyers Association - New England
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Online Asylum Filing
PAIR's Julia Ciachurski will share more information about how to get involved in PAIR's Know Your Rights (KYR) initiative. Since 2016, PAIR has reached more than 19,500 community members through its KYR initiative by collaborating with shelters, churches, schools, and community centers across Massachusetts. Each presentation is about one hour and covers a brief overview of the immigration system, recent immigration updates, important legal resources, and your rights when encountering immigration officials. Registration is closed for AILA members only. If you are an AILA member, please contact mgleason@pairproject.org.
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 3, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
American Immigration Lawyers Association - New England
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Role of Physician Evaluations in Immigration Adjudications
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger will speak about the complex partnership that legal counsel and medical professionals forge in supporting asylum seekers facing deportation. The training will cover immigration court and asylum office practice, the role that medical experts play in an asylum case, the power of the forensic or psychological evaluation, and what medical professionals can expect when called upon to provide expert testimony in immigration court. The goal of the session is to foster a partnership where the medical and legal community works together to help clients/patients win asylum.
WHEN:
Wednesday, April 17, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Barriers to Success in Our Asylum System
PAIR’s Ilana Greenstein will share the many significant challenges that asylum seekers face in attempting to access the protection and safety that they are entitled to under domestic and internal law, including: the lack of a right to free counsel, language access, burden of proof, and severe case backlogs at the immigration court and asylum office. Because of the increasing legal and procedural complexities of the immigration system, one case can take 7-8 years to complete, leaving asylum seekers in limbo and separated from family. The backlog and lack of meaningful access to present one’s case compounds the struggles of immigrants without status trying to navigate the system.
WHEN:
Wednesday, March 20, 2024
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Afghan Refugee Project and Working with Afghan Asylum Seekers
PAIR’s Tara Rubenstein will speak about the Afghan Refugee Project and the immigration legal needs of Afghans impacted by combat. She will discuss current issues in Afghan/OAW asylum cases, as well as the imporatance of trauma-informed/culturally-responsive lawyering in her work.
WHEN:
Friday, March 15, 2024
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Medical Center
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Know Your Rights (KYR) Training
PAIR is looking for volunteer attorneys to assist with our Know Your Rights (KYR) initiative. Since 2016, PAIR has reached more than 19,500 community members through its KYR initiative by collaborating with shelters, churches, schools, and community centers across Massachusetts. Each presentation is about one hour and covers a brief overview of the immigration system, recent immigration updates, important legal resources, and your rights when encountering immigration officials. Join PAIR's Julia Ciachurski as she shares more information about how you can get involved. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Navigating Unprecedented Challenges: Addressing the Influx of Asylum Seekers and Migrants in Massachusetts
PAIR's Sarah Allar will join an essential conversation addressing the unprecedented surge of asylum seekers and migrants arriving to Massachusetts. This surge has triggered sociopolitical and financial hurdles for cities like NYC, Chicago, and Boston, further complicated by the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic. The conversation will delve deeply into the multifaceted responses of the state, municipalities, legal, and social service entities and emphasize the critical need for comprehensive solutions to address this pressing issue. Register here.
WHEN:
Monday, January 8, 2024
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Bar Association
Boston, MA (Zoom)
International Migrant Day
PAIR's Rhonda Tietjen will share information about PAIR's services with the staff and patient community at Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program (BHCHP)'s International Migrant Day event.
WHEN:
Monday, December 18, 2023
12:00 PM - 2:00 PM
WHERE:
Boston Health Care for the Homeless
Program
Boston, MA
Careers in Immigration Law
PAIR's Tara Rubenstein will speak to students at Boston College Law about her work with asylum seekers and detained immigrants at PAIR, and what it's like pursuing a career in immigration law.
WHEN:
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
WHERE:
Boston College Law School
Newton, MA (Zoom)
Latham & Watkins Pro Bono Fair
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma will represent PAIR at an annual Pro Bono Fair hosted by Latham & Watkins LLP and engage with attorneys interested in pro bono opportunities with the organization.
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
WHERE:
Latham & Watkins LLP
Boston, MA
Asylum 101: Part Two
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma and Ilana Greenstein will conduct a two-part pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice. The sessions will cover an overview of asylum law, how to work with asylum-seeking clients, interviewing survivors of violence, asylum case preparation and packaging, and the basics of presenting a case before the Asylum Office and Immigration Court. This is part two of the two-part training. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 15, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Representing Immigrants Detained by ICE
Join PAIR's Irene C. Freidel as she discusses the nuts and bolts of providing legal services to immigrants detained by ICE in New England in this AILA brown bag event. She will provide an overview of the detention landscape and discuss custody and other detention-specific avenues for relief. Registration is closed for AILA members only.
WHEN:
Monday, November 13, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
American Immigration Lawyers Association - New England
Boston, MA (Zoom)
The Social Innovator Fund Info Session
At a virtual event hosted by the Social Innovation Forum (SIF) team to share about their new Social Innovator Fund, PAIR's Anita P. Sharma, will speak about her work in amplifying local social change at PAIR and her experience as a 2018 Social Innovator. There will be an opportunity to learn more about SIF and ways to get involved with the Fund.
WHEN:
Thursday, November 9, 2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
WHERE:
Social Innovation Forum
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Asylum 101: Part One
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma and Ilana Greenstein will conduct a two-part pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice. The sessions will cover an overview of asylum law, how to work with asylum-seeking clients, interviewing survivors of violence, asylum case preparation and packaging, and the basics of presenting a case before the Asylum Office and Immigration Court. This is part one of the two-part training. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, November 8, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Current Issues in Afghan/OAW Asylum Cases
PAIR’s Tara Rubenstein will discuss current issues in Afghan/OAW asylum cases. This will include commonly seen grounds for asylum, an overview of bars to asylum that Afghans may encounter, and Afghan-specific exceptions to these bars. Tara will also discuss other forms of relief currently available to Afghans including re-parole/parole extension and the recent Afghan TPS Temporary Protected Status (TPS) extension and re-designation. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Annual Pro Bono Fair at Suffolk University Law School
This event, sponsored by Suffolk University Law School and the Boston Bar Association, will present legal services and other public interest and government organizations with an opportunity to connect with talented law students and attorneys about pro bono opportunities. The fair is held as part of the National Pro Bono Celebration sponsored by the American Bar Association's Standing Committee on Pro Bono and Public Service. PAIR's Daniela Hargus and Rhonda Tietjen will represent PAIR at the event and engage with students interested in pro bono opportunities with the organization.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
WHERE:
Suffolk University Law School
Boston, MA
Chasing the American Dream: The Journey from Home to the United States
Among a panel discussion with Foley Hoag associates, PAIR's Annery Miranda, in honor of Hispanic Heritage month, will paint a picture of the journey from Latin America to the United States and the hurdles asylum seekers face once they arrive. She will also speak about what it means to practice as a Latina attorney.
WHEN:
Thursday, October 12, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
WHERE:
Foley Hoag LLP
Boston, MA (Zoom)
The Basics of Temporary Protected Status (TPS)
Over the past few months, important developments have been announced that will impact hundreds of thousands of people from the various countries designated for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). These developments include re-designation for many countries, making a large number of people newly eligible for this important benefit, and the opening of re-registration periods for several countries that have been subject to years of litigation. PAIR's Sarah Allar will provide an overview of TPS, including how countries are chosen for TPS designation, eligibility requirements, and bars to TPS. The training will also review the countries currently designated for TPS and identify recent developments for each country. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 11, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Best Practices for Completing a "Skeletal" Asylum Application (I-589)
Filing a "skeletal" asylum application is an important first step in both affirmative and defensive asylum cases. PAIR's Violeta Haralampieva will be facilitating a training on the technical aspects of preparing and filing Form I-589 (Application for Asylum). She will share best practices for completing the biographical sections and substantive questions on the form, as well as tips for filing with both USCIS in affirmative cases and EOIR in defensive cases. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, October 4, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Role of Physician Evaluations in Asylum Adjudications
PAIR’s Elizabeth Badger will speak to a cohort of physicians and residents with the Cambridge Health Alliance about the role of medical providers in asylum adjudications.
WHEN:
Friday, September 1, 2023
3:00 PM - 4:00 PM
WHERE:
Cambrige Health Alliance
Cambridge, MA (Zoom)
Afghan Aylum Cases
PAIR's Tara Rubenstein will have a question and answer session on representing Afghans evacuees in affirmative asylum cases with students of the Northeastern University School of Law's Immigrant Justice Clinic.
WHEN:
Thursday, July 13, 2023
9:30 AM - 10:30 AM
WHERE:
Northeastern University School of Law
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Credible Fear Interview (CFI) Training
Join PAIR's Irene Freidel as she covers how to prepare your client for a credible fear interview (CFI), as well as for an Immigration Judge (IJ) review of a negative credible fear result. In addition, she will discuss how to request a new interview if the IJ affirms a negative finding, and we will touch upon initial threshold screenings under the Safe Third Country Agreement between the United States and Canada. Throughout the training, participants will consider the regulatory and procedural requirements that underpin each stage of the CFI process. Register here.
WHEN:
Wednesday, July 12, 2023
12:00 PM - 1:00 PM
WHERE:
PAIR Project
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Conducting Intakes in Detention
PAIR's Annery Miranda will present on how to conduct "Know Your Rights" presentations and intakes in the detention context to students of the Northeastern Univeresity School of Law's Immigrant Justice Clinic.
WHEN:
Tuesday, July 11, 2023
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM
WHERE:
Northeastern University School of Law
Boston, MA (Zoom)
Past training sessions
21 JUNE 2023
Medical-Legal Partnership
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma spoke about the complex partnership that legal counsel and medical professionals forge in supporting asylum seekers facing deportation with providers at the Boston Medical Center. The training will cover immigration court and asylum office practice, the role that medical experts play in an asylum case, the power of the forensic or psychological evaluation, and what medical professionals can expect when called upon to provide expert testimony in immigration court.
21 JUNE 2023
Beyond Services for Afghan Survivors Impacted by Combat
PAIR's Tara Rubenstein partnered with the Metta Health Center to speak about the Afghan Refugee Project and the immigration legal needs of Afghans impacted by combat at the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH)'s World Refugee Day learning event.
14 JUNE 2023
What It's Really Like in Legal Services
PAIR's Annery Miranda joned a panel of legal services and nonprofit practitioners to discuss their various roles, their day-to-day realities, the challenges they've faced, as well as tips and advice that helped them excel in this field.
8 JUNE 2023
Immigration Detention: Intake, Case Screening, and Pro Bono Opportunities
PAIR’s Irene Freidel provided an overview of how to conduct successful intake and case screening in detention, and share about different pro bono opportunities at PAIR with associates at Ropes & Gray.
17 MAY 2023
Systemic Barriers that Asylum Seekers Face in the Immigration System
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma shared the many significant challenges that asylum seekers face in attempting to access the protection and safety that they are entitled to under domestic and internal law, including: the lack of a right to free counsel, language access, burden of proof, and severe case backlogs at the immigration court and asylum office.
27 APRIL 2023
Legal Summit Fireside Chat
PAIR’s Irene Freidel participated in a panel discussion with two asylees who were represented by PAIR and MassMutual. The purpose was to share experiences with MassMutual’s legal staff and pro bono opportunities within the firm.
26 APRIL 2023
Representing Afghan Asylum Seekers
PAIR's Elena Noureddine and Tara Rubenstein covered the basics of asylum law and process, the process for Afghan Operation Allies Welcome (OAW) cases, prevalent issue areas emerging in OAW cases, including the terror/persecutor bars, and recent updates and trends from the Asylum Office.
19 APRIL 2023
Detention 101
PAIR’s Elena Noureddine presented on PAIR’s work to represent detained asylum seekers who recently arrived in the U.S. at bond hearings in Immigration Court. As ICE continues its practice of detaining asylum seekers, PAIR has an enormous impact by helping asylum seekers secure release from detention and obtain the ability to pursue protection in the U.S. from outside of a jail cell.
14 APRIL 2023
Asylum 101
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma covered the basics of asylum law: how attorneys build the theory of an asylum case, packaging an asylum case, working with traumatized clients, gathering supporting documents, tips for practicing at the Boston asylum office and immigration court, and post asylum grant benefits. The overview gave medical providers a sense of what patients face in trying to navigate the immigration system.
6 APRIL 2023
Executive Director Circle: ED Sabbaticals
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma and other Executive Directors who have recently taken sabbaticals shared about their experience preparing for, taking leave, and returning from sabbaticals.
27 MARCH 2023
Use Your Legal Skills for Good – Pro Bono Opportunities Here and Now
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma spoke with other nonprofit leaders discussed their participation in innovative remote and in-person pro bono projects. The audience learned about the acute need for lawyers to provide pro bono services to low-income members of the Boston community.
23 MARCH 2023
BBA Public Interest Leadership Program (PILP): Landscape of Legal Services
PAIR’s Anita P. Sharma participated in a discussion with other PILP alumni on emerging needs in legal service practice. The panel gave an overview of how legal aid attorneys are ensuring access to counsel, the challenges that indigent clients face in various systems, the systemic barriers, including the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and discuss how legal services is rising to meet community needs and serve clients.
22 MARCH 2023
In House Counsel Pro Bono Programs: How to Start, Grow, and Drive Participation
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma shared her experience in building PAIR’s pro bono partnership with in-house legal departments, covering how to start, grow, and drive participation in pro bono programs.
16 MARCH 2023
Adjustment of Status for Asylees
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger went over the eligibility for adjustment of status (including evidence of continuous presence), relevant documents that must be filed with USCIS, and more.
14 MARCH 2023
Impact of Chronic & Toxic Stress in Legal Services: Befriending and Tending to Your Central Nervous System, Part 2
PAIR's Anita Sharma and Casa Myrna's Nicole Merida, Kathleen Flinton, MAR, MSW, LICSW, and Anna Mancuso, MSW, LICSW focused on creating a toolkit to build resilience, tend to one’s biology, self-care, and adopt skills for central nervous system regulation/stress management so we can thrive in our work.
8 MARCH 2023
Immigration and the Medical Field
PAIR's Gabriela Chavez, Irene Freidel and Elizabeth Badger spoke about the work that PAIR does, and challenges that immigrants, detained immigrants, and undocumented community members face when encountering the medical field to Boston University medical students.
7 MARCH 2023
Impact of Chronic & Toxic Stress in Legal Services: Understanding the Basics of Your Central Nervous System to Thrive at Work, Part 1
PAIR's Anita Sharma, Casa Myrna's Nicole Merida, Kathleen Flinton, MAR, MSW, LICSW, and Anna Mancuso, MSW, LICSW provided a basic understanding of stress and its impact on the body’s central nervous system and brain, as well as explain the effects of chronic and toxic stress and how it may show up in our professional world and legal services.
22 FEBRUARY 2023
An Overview of Appealing before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA)
PAIR's Elena Noureddine provided an overview of appealing before the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), including different standards of review, discussed the importance of preserving the client's record for appeal and gave brief-writing and motion-filing tips.
15 FEBRUARY 2023
Best Practices for Completing a "Skeletal" Asylum Application/I-589
PAIR's Violeta Haralampieva covered the technical aspects of preparing and filing Form I-589 (Application for Asylum), best practices for completing the biographical sections and substantive questions on the form, tips for filing with both USCIS in affirmative cases and EOIR in defensive cases, and the new form EOIR-61, which requires attorneys to enter a limited appearance to provide document assistance to pro se individuals.
24 JANUARY 2023
Understanding the Parole Program for Haitians, Cubans, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans
PAIR's Sarah Allar led a discussion of the expanded parole process for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans for the New England Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She spoke about the financial requirements for supporters, the documentary requirements for beneficiaries, current trends in adjudication, and best practices for application submission.
7 DECEMBER 2022
Qualifying for Protection under the Convention Against Torture (CAT)
PAIR's Irene Freidel provided background on the Convention Against Torture (CAT) and addressed new and relevant case law impacting CAT claims, eligibility criteria and strategies for successfully representing noncitizens seeking CAT protection in the Boston Immigration Court.
6 DECEMBER 2022
Access to Justice Fellows Panel
PAIR's Irene Freidel discussed her work as an attorney at PAIR alongside Fellows from the classes of 2018-2021 at a gathering of the Access to Justice Program of the Lawyer's Clearinghouse.
30 NOVEMBER 2022
Overview of Withholding of Removal
PAIR's Elena Noureddine focused on the ins and outs of helping clients seek protection in the form of Withholding of Removal, both as a relief option sought together with asylum—or—when seeking asylum is not an option.
16 NOVEMBER 2022
Overview of Immigration Relief Options
PAIR's Elena Noureddine gave an overview of some frequently encountered immigration relief options for clients we've worked with. Participants were trained in the basic eligibility requirements of these options, bars to seeking relief, and factors to consider before and as you apply.
15 NOVEMBER 2022
Race and Citizenship in a Contested Region: Whiteness, Brown-ness and the Border
PAIR's Gabriela Chavez discussed issues of health, mental health, the border and working with undocumented folks in the Massachusetts area, as well as her experience working in legal services as a first-generation, BIPOC person with students in the Harvard College course: The Border: Race, Politics and Health in Modern Mexico.
29 SEPTEMBER 2019
BC Public Interest Law Retreat
PAIR's Heather Perez spoke on a panel of young BC Law Alumni to share her experiences as a public interest attorney at PAIR and gave advice on building relevant knowledge, skills, and experience to start a career in public interest law.
15 NOVEMBER 2022
Immigration Court and Resources Overview for Newly Arrived Families
PAIR's Gabriela Chavez and KIND's Karen Mejia discussed basic information about supporting newly arrived families in understanding immigration court processes and accessing social services and immigration legal services resources with community health workers at EBNHC.
27 OCTOBER 2022
Working with Survivors of Trauma & Navigating Other Sensitive Issues
PAIR's Gabriela Chavez covered the particular issues associated with representing clients who are survivors of trauma, as well as navigating cultural differences and language barriers in an informational session with MassMutual attorneys.
26 OCTOBER 2022
Legal Updates
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger offered an informative orientation to MGH Asylum Clinic evaluators around legal updates in the asylum and immigration worlds.
26 OCTOBER 2022
Individual Hearing: Cross Examination and Objections
PAIR's Elena Noureddine unpacked the Individual Hearing by going over effective cross-examination strategies — with an eye towards always preserving the overall record — and tips on how to make and respond to objections will also be covered in order to protect clients' due process rights.
25 OCTOBER 2022
A Conversation with Non-Profit Managers
PAIR's Yanzie Chow joined panel of non-profit managers to discuss how they got involved in their work, how they measure effectiveness, and the rewards and challenges of working at a non-profit with Rivers Givers student leaders.
25 OCTOBER 2022
Suffolk University/BBA Pro Bono Fair
PAIR’s Anita Sharma and Daniela Hargus discussed the organization’s mission, programs, and opportunities for engagement as part of Suffolk University/BBA's Pro Bono Month Celebrations.
24 OCTOBER 2022
Medical-Legal Partnerships: Working With Immigrants and Asylum Seekers
PAIR’s Anita Sharma spoke to a cohort of medical and graduate nursing students about working with asylum seekers as part of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) Population Health Clerkship on Refugee and Asylum Seeker Health.
19 OCTOBER 2022
Individual Hearing: Evidence and Direct Testimony
PAIR's Marianne Staniunas demystified the process of submitting evidence in Immigration Court and defending it against challenges, while also challenging inappropriate submissions by the government. Strategies for preparing clients for direct testimony, as well as the thinking-on-our-feet and adjusting that happens when actually conducting a direct examination were discussed.
12 OCTOBER 2022
Representing Asylum Seekers
PAIR’s Executive Director Anita P. Sharma presented alongside Ilana Greenstein, David McHaffey, Dr. Sondra Crosby, and Meghann Boyle, Director of the Boston Asylum Office on a 4-hour pro bono training on asylum law, policy, and practice with the MCLE.
12 OCTOBER 2022
Before the Individual Hearing: Master Calendar Hearings & Preparing Your Supplemental Submission/Call-Up
PAIR's Julia Ciachurski focused on the relevant procedures and requirements in Immigration Court leading up to a client’s Individual Hearing, including the legal framework and tips on how to best represent their clients prior to, and in preparation of, their final hearing date.
5 OCTOBER 2022
Practicing & Procedure in Immigration Court
PAIR's Irene Freidel provided practical information about the Immigration Court, including the nuts and bolts about how and where to appear at court hearings, what to expect at different stages of the case, how to file documents, general court procedures, and other useful tips from practitioners.
4 OCTOBER 2022
Know Your Rights
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger and Gabriela Chavez shared guidance to help Roca participants understand the immigration process and how to respond when faced with law enforcement interactions.
28 SEPTEMBER 2022
Best Practices for Completing a "Skeletal" Asylum Application/I-589
PAIR's Violeta Haralampieva discussed the technical aspects of preparing and filing Form I-589 (Application for Asylum), sharing best practices for completing the biographical sections and substantive questions on the form, as well as tips for filing with both USCIS in affirmative cases and EOIR in defensive cases.
21 SEPTEMBER 2022
Bond Training: Advanced Issues and Emerging Topics
PAIR's Irene Freidel provided an up-to-date legal framework and tips on how to best represent detained clients seeking release. This training focused on more advanced issues and emerging topics in the fast-changing area of immigration detention.
15 SEPTEMBER 2022
Bond Training: Responding to ICE Transfers of Detained Asylum Seekers to New England
PAIR's Julia Ciachurski discussed how to represent detained asylum seekers who recently arrived in the U.S. at bond hearings in Immigration Court.
26 AUGUST 2022
Asylum Medicine Course
PAIR's Elizabeth Badger covered the role of forensic medical evaluations, which provide crucial evidence of persecution/harm in individuals seeking immigration relief in asylum adjudications, in a course for medical residents at Cambridge Health Alliance.
20 JULY 2022
Practicing before the Asylum Office
As part of the Asylum Cohort's Summer 2022 Lunch & Learn Series, PAIR's Marianne Staniunas covered the basics in practicing before the Asylum Office, recent operational changes, and offer some best practices.
13 JULY 2022
Introduction to Reading Common Immigration Documents
As part of the Asylum Cohort's Summer 2022 Lunch & Learn Series, PAIR's Elizabeth Badger reviewed common immigration records that a client might bring throughout the course of a case, including: Notices to Appear, Receipt Notices, Immigration & Customs Enforcement documents, and Employment Authorization Documents.
6 JULY 2022
Tips on Drafting a Client Affidavit
As part of the Asylum Cohort's Summer 2022 Lunch & Learn Series, PAIR's Violeta Haralampieva covered best practices for drafting such a client affidavit -- the single most important component of the written asylum application as it allows the client to tell their story completely and, as much as possible, in their own word.
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