This is a webcast of the live New York session.Why you should attend
With more than 300,000 deportation and removal cases initiated by U.S. immigration authorities each year, immigrants in the United States need competent and knowledgeable representation in this important area of law. Over half of those facing removal proceedings are unrepresented, and studies have shown that those without legal representation face a significantly higher risk of removal, regardless of eligibility for relief. In response to the acute need for trained attorneys to defend the record number of immigrants facing removal, prominent members of the bar and bench have called for more pro bono work to be done to fill the gap.
This program will provide panels of nationally-recognized experts to impart a comprehensive, nuts and bolts overview of how to most effectively defend immigrants facing removal proceedings.
What you will learn
- The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and its use in removal proceedings
- Defending children, what are the options? An update on Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) and other related applications
- Practical examples of ethical problems in removal practice
- Building a case for relief: how to prepare a winning waiver application for clients with criminal convictions
- Pitfalls for asylum applicants and how to avoid them, firm resettlement, the one year filing deadline, social group, and other hot topics
- Updates on immigration related legislation in 2013. Will we finally see Comprehensive Immigration Reform?
Who should attend
This program will benefit lawyers who represent immigrant clients facing removal proceedings.
PLI Group Discounts
Groups of 4-14 from the same organization, all registering at the same time, for a PLI program scheduled for presentation at the same site, are entitled to receive a group discount. For further discount information, please contact membership@pli.edu or call (800) 260-4PLI.
PLI Can Arrange Group Viewing to Your Firm
Contact the Groupcasts Department via email at groupcasts@pli.edu for more details.
Cancellations
All cancellations received 3 business days prior to the program will be refunded 100%. If you do not cancel within the allotted time period, payment is due in full. You may substitute another individual to attend the program at any time.
All times are E.D.T.
Morning Session: 9:00 AM - 12:45 PM (E.D.T.)
9:00 Introduction
Parisa Karaahmet
9:05 Recent Developments in Asylum Law
- Discussion of asylum, withholding, and Convention Against Torture (CAT)
- How to define "social group", the evolving definition and recent caselaw
- Establishing your client's claim, which evidence to use or forgo?
- Pitfalls for applicants, and the time bar to filing asylum claims
Lori K. Adams, Mark R. von Sternberg, Hon. Randa Zagzoug
10:20 Networking Break
10:30 The Nuts and Bolts of Cancellation of Removal
- How to prepare a winning case
- Cancellation of removal for LPRs and non-LPRs
- Important precedents and recent caselaw
Cheryl R. David, Matthew L. Guadagno, Hon. Gabriel Videla
11:45 Special Issues in Representing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Clients in Removal Proceeding
- LGBT and HIV related issues in the asylum context
- The latest on the Supreme Court and the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA,) and options for same-sex couples
Victoria Neilson, Cristina M. Velez
12:45 Lunch
Afternoon Session: 1:45 PM - 5:30 PM (E.D.T.)
1:45 Representing Children in Removal Proceedings and Violence Against Women Act Claims
- Recent legislative updates to VAWA forms of relief
- Options available to children
Julie E. Dinnerstein, Shalyn Fluharty, Deborah Lee
2:45 Ethical Issues in Removal Proceedings
- Balancing your ethical obligations to your client and the court
- Ethical dilemmas most commonly encountered by the immigration practitioner and tips on how to resolve them
Jun H. Lee, Cyrus D. Mehta
3:45 Networking Break
4:00 The World after Chaidez - What options are available to a client with a criminal conviction?
- The impact of the Supreme Court's Chaidez decision on your Padilla motion to vacate claim
- 212(h) and how to file a winning waiver
- Assessing other available options
Michael P. DiRaimondo, Parisa Karaahmet
5:00 Breaking news on Comprehensive Immigration Reform
- How will CIR impact your clients in removal proceedings?
Camille J. Mackler, Patrick Shen
5:30 Adjourn
Chairperson(s)
Speaker(s)
Lori K. Adams ~ Managing Attorney, Refugee Protection Program, Human Rights First
Jun H. Lee ~ Principal Staff Attorney, Departmental Disciplinary Committee, Supreme Court, Appellate Division, First Judicial Department
Deborah Lee ~ Senior Staff Attorney, Immigration Intervention Project, Sanctuary for Families
Camille J. Mackler ~ Director of Training and Technical Assistance, New York Immigration Coalition
Mark R. von Sternberg ~ Senior Attorney, Immigrant & Refugee Services, Catholic Charities Community Services/Archdiocese of New York
Hon. Randa Zagzoug ~ Immigration Judge (appearing in her personal capacity), Department of Justice
Program Attorney(s)
PLI makes every effort to accredit its Live Webcasts. Please check the CLE Calculator above for CLE information specific to your state.
PLI's Live Webcasts are approved for MCLE credit (
unless otherwise noted in the product description) in the following states/territories: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho*, Illinois, Indiana
1, Iowa*, Kansas*, Kentucky*, Louisiana, Maine*, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire*, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York
2, Ohio
3, Oklahoma, Oregon*, Pennsylvania
4, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia
5, Virgin Islands, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming*.
*PLI will apply for credit upon request.
Arizona: The State Bar of Arizona does not approve or accredit CLE activities for the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education requirement.
Arkansas and Oklahoma: Audio-only live webcasts are not approved for credit.
1Indiana: Considered a distance education course. There is a 6 credit limit per year.
2New York: Newly admitted attorneys may not take non-transitional course formats such as on-demand audio or video programs or live webcasts for CLE credit. Newly admitted attorneys not practicing law in the United States, however, may earn 12 transitional credits in non-traditional formats.
3Ohio: To confirm that the live webcast has been approved, please refer to the list of Ohio’s Approved Self Study Activities at http://www.sconet.state.oh.us. Online programs are considered self-study. Ohio attorneys have a 6 credit self-study limit per biennial compliance period. The Ohio CLE Board states that attorneys must have a 100% success rate in clicking on timestamps to receive ANY CLE credit for an online program.
4 Pennsylvania: A live webcast may be viewed individually or in a group setting. Credit may be granted to an attorney who views a live webcast individually. There is a 4.0 credit limit per year for this type of viewing. A live webcast viewed in a group setting receives live participatory credit if the program is open to the public and advertised at least 30 days prior to the program. Live webcasts viewed in a group setting that do not advertise at least 30 days prior the program will be considered "in-house", and therefore denied credit.
5Virginia: All distance learning courses are to be done in an educational setting, free from distractions.
Running time and CLE credit hours are not necessarily the same. Please be aware that many states do not permit credit for luncheon and keynote speakers.
Note that some states limit the number of credit hours attorneys may claim for online CLE activities, and state rules vary with regard to whether online CLE activities qualify for participatory or self-study credits. For more information, refer to your state CLE website or call Customer Service at (800) 260-4PLI (4754) or email: info@pli.edu.
If you have already received credit for attending some or the entire program, please be aware that state administrators do not permit you to accrue additional credit for repeat viewing even if an additional credit certificate is subsequently issued.