Together, We Fight
SCIJ trains and mobilizes college students to provide pro bono representation to asylum seekers and to organize for immigrant justice. In order to accomplish this goal, SCIJ partners with immigration attorneys leading the fight for immigrant justice by pairing trained students with attorneys on asylum cases.
As a result, SCIJ is building on the ecosystem of immigration justice practitioners and expanding access to justice.
Together, we can fight for the hundreds of thousands of people who do not have representation.
How it Works
Students trained through SCIJ’s intensive Immigration Law and Community Organizing training program are mobilized to provide representation to asylum seekers by pairing up with SCIJ’s partner immigration attorney from other nonprofits and private firms on pro bono cases.
Students work on all aspects of an asylum case, including meeting with clients, collecting evidence, and drafting legal documents. During this process, SCIJ supports students through case rounds, workshops, and individual check-ins.
As a result, SCIJ is able to ensure representation for asylum seekers and expand the capacity of immigration legal service providers.
Becoming a Partner
Join SCIJ’s 12 partners in becoming a part of a shared network advocating for immigrant justice.
Immigration attorneys are invited to submit SCIJ’s Partner Attorney Interest Form if they would like to work with SCIJ’s student Immigration Advocates. After SCIJ has received your Interest Form, SCIJ will contact you for an initial 15-minute conversation about your interest in SCIJ’s Legal Justice program.
If you and SCIJ agree you are a good fit for SCIJ’s program, SCIJ will pair you with two Immigration Advocates that most closely match the needs of the particular case you and the Advocates will work on together.
During the fall semester, Immigration Advocates and attorneys are paired in August and September and begin working together on an asylum case in September. During the spring semester, the pairing process happens in January and the start of the case begins in January. Attorneys are welcome to bring an existing asylum case or take on a case referred by SCIJ.
Once you are paired with the Immigration Advocates, SCIJ will connect you all to set up an initial meeting where you will both create a plan for what the Advocates will work on, how you will both communicate, and the different “touchpoints” for collaboration. In general, Immigration Advocates will work on the following portions of the asylum case: intake, I-589, client declaration, fact-finding evidence, country reports, and witness declarations.
You must agree to fully commit to providing representation for the asylum seeker and working with the Immigration Advocates. If you join SCIJ’s Legal Justice program, you will complete an MOU outlining the responsibilities of each party (see the end of this guide for a sample MOU).
Pending your approval, if SCIJ is not able to pair you with an Advocate, SCIJ will reconsider your Interest Form for the following semester.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. I’m based in Boston and the client I’m working with lives in Boston. Can I still have a WSU or Brown student work with me
All clients must be based in Worcester, the greater Worcester community, Providence, or the greater Providence community.
2. Can students work with me on non-asylum-related casework?
No. SCIJ’s program is currently exclusively focused on asylum.
3. Are students insured? Do they fall under my insurance? How does insurance work?
SCIJ carries insurance for all students involved in SCIJ’s programs. With that said, when students are working with attorneys, their legal work falls under the supervision of the partner attorney so the partner attorney’s insurance would cover the student.
4. What happens during the summers?
During the summers, most students will not be able to continue working on the case so attorneys will take over if there is anything incomplete and/or for any hearings and next steps.
5. How much time should I and the student expect to spend on the case?
Based on the estimate that an average case takes between 150-200 hours and students will be taking on 80% of the work, SCIJ 5%, and partner attorneys 15%, we expect partner attorneys to spend 20-30 hours per case over 4 months. We expect students to spend a combined 130-170 hours per case over 4 months, with an average of 3-5 hours per week per student.
6. What is the timeline for partnering with SCIJ?
During the fall semester, attorneys and students are paired during August and September, begin working on the case in September, and complete the case by December.
During the spring semester, attorneys and students are paired during January and start the case in January, and complete the case by May.
Completing the case could mean fully submitting the application or it could mean students completing a specific part of the asylum application.
7. What happens if the student I’m paired with is unable to continue working on the case?
In the event that a student is unable to continue working on an asylum case they have been paired with, SCIJ expects attorneys will take over the case and ensure the applicant is still given high-quality legal help. When possible, SCIJ will work to pair a different student with the attorney.
8. How much training will students have before being paired with me?
Newly trained students will have completed SCIJ’s 14-session, 45-hour Law & Immigration training program prior to being paired with attorneys. Veteran student Immigration Advocates will have completed SCIJ’s training program and worked on at least 1 case.
9. How will students be supported by SCIJ throughout this process?
SCIJ provides ongoing support to students and partner attorneys while they work on a case together. Students are supported through case rounds, feedback, and workshops. SCIJ’s goal is to lessen the workload taken on by the partner attorney by ensuring students are presenting high-quality drafts along each step of the asylum process.
10. What happens if an attorney must withdraw from a case?
In the event that an attorney must withdraw from a case, we expect attorneys to find alternative counsel to represent the client. SCIJ will assist in this process and, when possible, SCIJ may be able to provide full representation for the client.
11. I’m having issues getting in touch with my Immigration Advocate. What should I do?
If you are having issues getting in touch with your immigration advocate via their SCIJ email (no response within 3 or more business days), we would recommend first trying to reach them via phone or text. If you still haven’t heard back from them within 2 more business days, please contact SCIJ and we will reach out to the student.
12. What happens if there are issues in the attorney-Immigration Advocate relationship?
As SCIJ is still a developing organization, we expect there will be some unforeseen challenges we run into. We ask partner attorneys to be patient and communicate with SCIJ if any such challenges arise. In the event that one or both Immigration Advocates partnered with an attorney are creating an unsustainable relationship and not meeting their deadlines and requirements on a case, SCIJ will do its best to mediate the situation and/or find a student who can step in to join on the case.
13. What happens if the case isn’t submitted by the end of the semester?
In the event that students have left campus before a case is submitted, SCIJ expects the students to continue providing support on the case. If this is not possible or does not make logistical sense based on the status of the case, SCIJ will support the partner attorney and Immigration Advocates in creating a transition plan for the case. Where possible, SCIJ staff will also provide support on the case.
14. How can attorneys provide feedback and advice to SCIJ?
In addition to an end of the semester survey, SCIJ also encourages partner attorneys to contact Jonathan Goldman, SCIJ’s Executive Director, at jgoldman@SCIJimmigration.org in order to provide ongoing feedback and advice. SCIJ encourages partner attorneys to share their ideas, experiences, and opinions on how SCIJ can improve.
Learn About SCIJ’s Impact
“I found SCIJ's advocates to be very capable of taking direction and working independently. They produced high-quality work that saved me valuable time in the preparation of my cases.”
– Ondine Sniffin, Esq.
Learn more about the impact that SCIJ has had by working with attorneys like Ondine through SCIJ’s recently released report which you can access below.
Over half of SCIJ’s partner attorneys reported that Immigration Advocates expanded their capacity and every attorney said they would definitely or likely recommend SCIJ to other attorneys
Attorney Eligibility
Attorneys interested in being paired with Immigration Advocates must:
Have been admitted to the Bar and in good standing;
Have experience in asylum law;
Either live in Worcester, the Worcester-area, Providence, or the Providence-area, or be comfortable working with the Immigration Advocates and client remotely; and
Either:
Already have an asylum case which is in the initial intake phase;
Already have an asylum case that has already been submitted but only is in a skeletal form;
Already have a new asylum case; or
Take on an asylum case referred by SCIJ, pending your agreement that the asylum case is viable.
Provide representation pro bono for the selected asylum seeker’s case
“SCIJ advocates did an incredible job of independently meeting with the client each week to develop the asylum affidavit… This allowed me to work on other aspects of the client's immigration case, and we were able to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time. I highly recommend working with SCIJ.”
- Alissa Weinberger, Esq.
Responsibilities
If you are paired with SCIJ Immigration Advocates and agree to serve as a Partner Attorney, we ask that you:
Spend 20-30 hours over 3 months with Immigration Advocates on the asylum case you have selected to provide legal representation for;
Provide feedback to students on how they can improve their legal work;
Ensure students are engaged in the case intake, development, and submission processes;
After submitting the final asylum application, complete a feedback survey in a timely manner; and
At the end of working on a case with SCIJ’s Immigration Advocates, consider making a donation to support SCIJ’s Legal Justice program and ensure SCIJ can provide this free support to attorneys.
Timeline & Calendars
For a rough outline of a timeline for working on an asylum case with SCIJ’s Immigration Advocates, see below.
For a more visual representation of how it works, the logistics involved, and how students are supported, click below.
+ How it Works
+ Logistics
+ Student Support
