Pro Bono Highlight
Pro Bono Efforts Make Justice a Reality for Immigrants in Maine
“Making justice a reality in our communities” was the theme of this year’s National Celebration of Pro Bono week in late October. ILAP, alongside our committed network of pro bono attorneys and other volunteers, is committed to making justice a reality for immigrants across Maine.
ILAP began as a volunteer lawyer project, and this work remains at the core of what we do. In 2023, pro bono attorneys donated 3,820 hours of their time on full or limited representation cases for asylum seekers and vulnerable immigrant youth, valued at $1,156,848.
Catherine Lindgren, a Senior Project Attorney leading ILAP’s Asylum Assistance and Legal Orientation Project (AALOP), previously served on our asylum Pro Bono Panel for over 10 years. In one of her first cases, she represented someone who would go on to work at ILAP – Francine Ngabu.
Francine, ILAP’s Senior Intake Paralegal, is now a Department of Justice (DOJ) Accredited Representative and recently celebrated five years with the organization. Catherine and Francine now work side by side with other ILAP staff to harness the power of our pro bono network to advance justice for immigrants in Maine. Such is the power of pro bono.
“Our attorneys provide the expert training, guidance, and support needed to ensure high-quality legal services for our shared immigrant clients,” says ILAP Co-Legal Director Melissa Brennan. “Together, we’re making a meaningful difference.”
Making Justice a Reality – For Asylum Seekers
Members of our asylum Pro Bono Panel take asylum cases and represent asylum seekers in court and in front of U.S. immigration agencies. By pairing pro bono attorneys with ILAP staff attorneys who mentor throughout every step of the asylum process, ILAP greatly increases the number of asylum seekers in Maine who are fully represented.
For asylum seekers who ILAP cannot provide full representation, we offer direct support filing asylum applications through our Asylum Assistance and Legal Orientation Project (AALOP). Our AALOP team has collaborated with an extraordinary and dedicated corps of pro bono attorneys, language volunteers, law students, and others to develop and expand our pro se asylum workshop series, filing asylum applications for more than 350 individuals to date. “I did not know where to start to apply for asylum, but thanks to AALOP, I was able to apply for asylum safely,” shared a recent AALOP participant. “Today, I have my work permit and my hearing is scheduled in the coming months.”
Making Justice a Reality – For Immigrant Youth
ILAP believes that no child should face the immigration system alone. Our Immigrant Children’s Project increases access to immigration legal representation for vulnerable children across the state.
We train and mentor a dedicated group of pro bono attorneys who have gained critical expertise in petitions for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), an immigration protection and pathway to a green card for abused, abandoned, and neglected children in the U.S. These incredible volunteers increase ILAP’s ability to assist young people who would otherwise go unrepresented and miss out on applying for SIJS.
Making Justice a Reality – Together
“I’m in awe of [my clients’] strength, resilience, and hopefulness,” says one attorney. “My pro bono work is truly the most important and rewarding thing I have done as a lawyer, and I enjoy my regular work. I am so grateful to ILAP for providing me the training and support to be able to do this work.”
Across all our programs, pro bono support stretches ILAP’s trusted immigration services even further, touching more lives. Someone who received support with their asylum case recently shared how it touched their life: “I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the lawyers, staff, and volunteers at ILAP for all the support they have provided me with. Your love, care, support, and availability have truly helped me become a better person.”
Through changes in administration, policy, and community needs, ILAP and our network of pro bono attorneys remain committed to making justice a reality for our clients and the Maine community.
For more information on how attorneys can use their legal skills to help represent asylum seekers and protect families, please contact Senior Asylum Program Attorney Michelle Gentry at mgentry@ilapmaine.org.
