About the Clinic
In order to address the growing need for legal immigration services in the District, The D.C. Bar Pro Bono program, along with a number of partners, sponsors an Immigration Legal Advice & Referral Clinic to provide free consultations to area residents.
The Clinic provides legal information, brief advice and referral services. Bilingual attorneys and interpreters are available for clients who speak Spanish, Amharic, Chinese and other languages as requested. Visitors to the Clinic will be able to receive assistance from volunteer attorneys with civil legal problems governed by federal U.S. immigration laws.
If brief service is not enough to resolve the problem or if a different type of service is required, Clinic volunteers will attempt to refer individuals to or provide information about a legal or social service provider appropriately suited to handle the case.
The services at the clinic are provided free of charge. Please bring all of the documents concerning your legal problem to the clinic.
The walk-in clinic is located at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, 1100 Harvard Street NW, Washington, D.C. The next Clinic is on June 1, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Partners
Special thanks are owed to the following organizations that helped to make the Clinic a reality:
- The Asian Pacific American Bar Association of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area, Inc. (APABA-DC)
- AYUDA
- Capital Area Immigrants’ Right (CAIR) Coalition
- The Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School
- The Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
- The Hispanic Bar Association of the District of Columbia (HBA-DC)
Volunteering
The Immigration Legal Advice Clinic takes place each March, June, September, and December. The Clinic Operates at the Carlos Rosario International Public Charter School, on Saturdays, from 10 a.m. until 12 p.m.
Volunteers should arrive at the clinic by 9:15 a.m. for a brief orientation of clinic operations. Bagels and juice will be served. Dress is casual. Volunteers should be prepared to stay until the last client is served (usually around 1 p.m.)
The Clinic is staffed by volunteer attorneys who are members in good standing and eligible to practice law in the District of Columbia or another U.S. Jurisdiction. Many of the volunteer attorneys are recruited from the Hispanic Bar Association of D.C. (HBA-DC), the Asian Pacific American Bar Association of D.C. (APABA-DC), and the D.C. Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA).
Attorneys interested in volunteering are not expected to be familiar with every area of the law or to have experience in the matters on which they will advise clients. The Pro Bono Program staff and expert mentors are available on-site.
For more information on volunteering for the clinic, contact Laura Rinaldi, D.C. Bar Pro Bono Program managing attorney.
