Fall 2022 Asylum Conference 

The Binger Center for New Americans and The Advocates for Human Rights are pleased to invite you to the 2022 Asylum Conference on November 18th, 2022, from 9:00am - 5:00pm. The conference will include sessions that discuss collaborate with clients, valuing cultural perspectives and moving with clients as the experts of their own experiences, using hindsight and previous experiences to strengthen asylum applications, an overview of online tools and resources, and how clients and lawyers can cope with and communicate about difficult news or losses in court. As part of the conference, The Advocates will be launching their new online training modules designed for pro bono attorneys.

Conference Program

Welcome — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —09:00am–09:10am

Session I — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 09:15am–10:45am
Collaborating with Clients: Building trauma-informed and critical interviewing skills
To successfully partner with clients in furtherance of their goals, advocates should understand and address how trauma, socio-ecological factors, and systemic bias impact legal relationships. Session I will provide practical considerations for legal teams to address these issues and collaborate with clients, valuing cultural perspectives and moving with clients as the experts of their own experiences.  To build trauma-informed and critical interviewing skills, panelists will discuss a variety of issues including working with interpreters, addressing power dynamics in legal relationships, and holistic lawyering models.

Break — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —  10:45am–11:00am

Session II — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —11:00am–12:30pm
Insights from Hindsight: Practical Guidance for Asylum Case Preparation
Preparing briefs, supporting documentation, and arguments for a final hearing or asylum interview is critical to the success of an asylum case. Session II will feature lawyers experienced in preparing cases before the asylum office and immigration court alongside lawyers who litigate cases before circuit courts of appeals. Panelists will discuss essentials for preparing a case and common mistakes and omissions identified when reviewing a record during representation on appeal.

Lunch Session — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —  12:30pm–01:45pm
The Impact of Bearing Witness - Five years of Immigration Court Observation
The Court Observation Project is celebrating its 5-year anniversary. The Project has been a unique and effective example of a Binger Center collaboration that has resulted in record-number volunteer engagement, policy recommendations for the immigration court, a referral source for detained immigrants without representation and opportunities for deeper research into the immigration court system. This panel of experts, advocates, volunteers and researchers will discuss the history of the program and the impact it has achieved in its half decade of existence.

Session III — — — — — — — — —  — — — — — — — — 01:45pm–03:00pm
We've got your back: What to do when a case is challenging
Three pro bono attorneys share their mistakes, challenges and successes representing asylum seekers and how they managed a frustrating and complex process. The Advocates will accompany the stories with a look at new resources and online training modules designed to help pro bono attorneys avoid similar pitfalls, build effective cases, and support clients in their journeys to legal status. Get a sneak peek at the new training modules and learn how you can be part of the process to improve pro bono support and training!

Break  — — — — — — — — — —  — — — — — — — —   03:00pm–03:15pm

Session IV— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — 03:15pm–4:45pm
Collective Resilience: Collaboration and Advocacy as Healing
Lawyers and clients fight for and remain hopeful for a win, but defeats and setbacks are a reality that must be faced.  This session will address approaches to discussing negative news to clients, including stagnating status of cases, facing discrimination in the United States, balancing mental health and legal implications of news of harm to family abroad, and receiving denial notices. In contrast, advocacy on issues in a client’s country of origin or new home can be healing and empowering for clients.  This session will also explore how client engagement in international human rights advocacy can contribute to healing.  Discussion will include levels of involvement in existing work as well as exploration of new initiatives to advocate while living in the diaspora.

Closing— — — — — — — — — —  — — — — — — — — — 04:45pm–5:00pm