The American Immigration Council will host a webinar for advocates interested in enhancing immigrants’ access to legal counsel. The authors of the newly released report, Access to Counsel in Immigration Courts, will shed light on one of the most pressing due process issues confronting our immigration system today. They will brief participants on the findings of the first nationwide study of legal representation for immigrants facing removal from the United States which found that only 37 percent of all immigrants had legal representation, and only 14 percent of immigrants in detention had a lawyer. Furthermore, the authors found that access to legal counsel was very uneven across geographic locations and nationalities. Most importantly, having a lawyer results in better outcomes for immigrants; represented immigrants were more likely to be released from detention, to apply for relief, and to obtain the relief they sought. This information is relevant and timely as we continue to pursue legislative channels and explore other ways to eliminate the barriers to obtaining legal representation. Please join us for this important call.

Presenters:

• Ingrid Eagly, Professor of Law at the UCLA School of Law and Faculty Director of the David J. Epstein Program in Public Interest Law & Policy.
• Steven Shafer, Staff Attorney at the Immigration Center for Women and Children in Los Angeles.
• Royce Murray, Policy Director of the American Immigration Council

Registration:
Please contact Michele Waslin at mwaslin@immcouncil.org or 202-507-7514. Webinar directions will be emailed separately.