Come learn about representing immigrant children within the state of Tennessee!

Program:

8:00 - 8:30 am Welcome & Introduction
David Esquivel, Attorney
Bass, Berry & Sims, PLC

Karla McKanders, Associate Professor
UT College of Law

Sara McDowell, Senior Immigration Attorney, National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children

8:30 - 9:00 am Best Practices for Working with Unaccompanied Immigrant Children
Nina Keres, Program Coordinator, National Center for Refugee & Immigrant
Children

9:00 - 9:30 am Court Procedures and EOIR Information
Rehim Babaoglu, Partner at Thomas, Hendrix, PLLC
· Identifying Key Agencies and Their Role in a Child's Case
· What to Expect - Master & Merits Hearings, Continuances, Briefs
· Overview of the Court's Rules and Procedures
· How to Make a Good Impression Before the Court

9:30 - 10:15 am Basic Asylum Law
Karla McKanders, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee College of Law
Eligibility for Asylum; When and Where to File the Application; Particular Issues Relevant to Children's Asylum Cases

10:15 - 10:30 am Break

10:30 - 11:15 am Overview of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS)
Sara McDowell, Senior Immigration Attorney, National Center for Refugee & Immigrant Children
· Eligibility and Requirements for SIJS
· Role of Various Courts and Agencies
· Consent Requirement - When Is It Needed?
Margaret Myers and Rachel Ross, Adams and Reese LLP
· Dependency Proceedings Davidson County Court

11:15 - 12:00 pm Other Forms of Relief for Children
Dawn Gerhart, Managing Attorney, Immigrant Legal Clinic, at the TN Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence
Family Petitions, U Visa, T Visa, VAWA Visa, Termination Motions, Administrative Closure, Voluntary Departure

12:00 - 12:30 pm PANEL: Why Volunteer as a Pro Bono Attorney?
MODERATOR: Alistair Newbern, Assistant Clinical Professor of Law, Vanderbilt School of Law
Immigration Judge Lawrence O. Burman, Memphis, TN
Spring Miller, Southern Migrant Legal Services
Alexandra MacKay, Stites & Harbison
Kathy Thoreson, CEO/Director Lutheran Social Services of Nashville

For more information and to register, click here or see the attached brochure.