Immigration Law Trainings & Capacity Building

A special training for MIRA members and other affiliated organizations who wish to provide immigration legal services  on the importance of becoming an organization recognized by the Department of  Justice, and the requirements for organizations seeking recognition and staff wishing to become Accredited Representatives.

Immigration law practitioners experience burnout at much higher rates than peers in other specialty areas. This 90 minute training explores four lawyering models that, when combined, provide much-needed support and structure to clients while also allowing immigration law practitioners to build sustainable and ethical careers. The four models are: trauma informed advocacy, humble lawyering, cultural competency and humility, and vicarious PTSD prevention and treatment.

This training is geared towards DOJ accredited representatives who assist with form preparation. During the presentation, MIRA immigration attorneys will discuss how to conduct a legal risk analysis, specific risks associated with commonly filed forms (such as the I-90, I-130, and N-400), and how to use the client empowerment model when advising applicants.

DOJ accredited representatives play a key role in expanding access to immigration legal help yet, unlike attorneys, there are no rules structuring or protecting their work. This presentation will present a framework for model ethics for DOJ accredited representatives. We will discuss common ethical issues that arise for DOJ accredited representatives and how to address them, as well as best practices for DOJ accredited programs to protect themselves, their clients and their employees.

At many organizations, DOJ accredited representatives are not only providing legal assistance, but also designing and managing legal programs. During this presentation, MIIRA immigration attorneys will discuss the basic infrastructure of immigration legal services programs with a focus on case management. We will review best practices for intake, case screening, evidence and data collection, client communication, and systems for tracking applications and deadlines. We will also share materials and resources that DOJ accredited representatives can use with clients and colleagues to allow for more efficient and effective case management.

Now more than ever, the demand for quality immigration legal services far exceeds local capacity. DOJ accredited representatives play a key role in expanding our community’s ability to respond to this demand. Legal representatives spend most of their days listening to stories of trauma, holding the hands of people in crisis, and struggling to navigate a broken and unjust system. DOJ accredited representatives are under increased pressure from their organizations and the communities they serve to do more and more – often to the point of burnout. This presentation will discuss the phenomenon of vicarious trauma (also known as secondary post traumatic stress) and the ways in which immigration legal work can impact the mental health and wellbeing of advocates. Participants will learn to identify symptoms of burnout, helpful practices for avoiding burnout, and how to ethically and responsibly support their clients and themselves when burnout occurs.

Particularly in the current political climate, DOJ representatives and other immigration law practitioners are often called upon to deliver bad news or help families weigh the risks and benefits of impossible choices. These conversations can be devastating to both the client and the practitioner. This training will review best practices for delivering bad news and conveying complex legal information accurately and ethically while also helping to minimize the trauma of the conversations for both practitioners and their clients.