US Committee for Refugees and Immigrants

USCRI created the PALS (Pro Bono Afghan Legal Services) Program to assist those Afghans who were evacuated from Afghanistan and brought to the United States after July 2021. The majority of cases PALS attorneys will assist with are Asylum applications; however, they may also assist with Special Immigrant Visas, Family-Based Petitions, and Green Card Applications.

Pro Bono Attorneys will be connected with a pre-screened Afghan parolee to (1) assist them in filling out their application for relief with the option to represent the parolee in that application until completion or (2) review an already-filled application and confirm no edits need to be made before the parolee files the application pro se. USCRI provides training, resources, and mentorship as well as interpretation services.

Attorneys can volunteer from anywhere in the country with any active state or DC license.

  • State(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Washington
  • Area of law: Civil Rights, Immigration & Naturalization, Nonprofit Organizations, Public Benefits
  • Populations Served: Asylum Seekers, Elderly, Immigrants, Low Income, Nonprofits, Working poor and unemployed
  • Opportunities For: Interpreters, Law school clinic, Lawyers
  • Need for non-English services: Dari, Farsi, Pashto
  • Hours for Pro Bono Opportunities: Evenings, Flexible, Monday-Friday 9am-5pm, Weekends
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: No
  • Training Provided: Yes
  • Training Required: No
  • CLE credit for trainings: No
  • CLE credit for pro bono: No
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Client counseling (e.g., brief advice), Client intake and screening, Draft legal documents (e.g., briefs), Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation, Translate legal documents
  • Long Distance Opportunities: Draft or Translate Legal Documents, Form/document review, Provide brief advice, Virtual/remote clinics
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: Yes
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