The Pro Bono Project and Catholic Charities of New Orleans are pleased to present a free three-hour CLE (including one hour of Ethics credit) entitled “Special Immigrant Juvenile Status: Representing Immigrant Children.” This program will be held at Irwin Fritchie, 400 Poydras Street, 27th Floor.

This CLE will provide practical skills training and ethical guidance for attorneys interested in representing children in immigration proceedings. This program is designed for attorneys who are new to Immigration law; no past experience is expected or required.

Attendees will learn the steps of the SIJS process, which includes state and federal filings, will have the opportunity to ask questions of seasoned Immigration practitioners and past volunteers, and will hear live testimonials from former clients about the life-changing impact of their cases.

We strongly encourage attendees of this free CLE to take on one SIJS case (may be shared with another attorney) at the conclusion of the training. Catholic Charities will provide ongoing mentorship and support to these pro bono volunteers, including 1:1 guidance, forms, and translation services, if needed.

The Pro Bono Project and Southeast Louisiana Legal Services are pleased to offer a free, in-person 3-hour CLE designed to help attorneys become Veterans Affairs (VA) accredited. 

Jennifer Webre, Staff Attorney, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, will lead a practical skills-focused training that will teach attendees how to represent Veterans who are seeking a discharge upgrade.

The Tenant Security Deposit Recovery CLE will provide attorneys working with clients on a pro bono basis with an overview of substantive law and procedure related to tenant security deposit recovery in Louisiana. In addition to an overview of law and procedure, participants will be taken through the life of a typical security deposit case and provided with real-life scenarios and practice tips. The training will be conclude an interactive exercise that will allows participants to leave the training ready to assist clients in drafting initial demands, the place where most security deposits begin.

Speaker: Zachary O. Simmons, Esq., Staff Attorney, Southeast Louisiana Legal Services

Join The Pro Bono Project for this one hour CLE on April 26th at 12 noon at Adams and Reese. This program will explore volunteering at the Council on Aging legal clinics in Jefferson and St. Bernard Parishes.

Every year, The Pro Bono Project honors lawyers, law firms, students, businesses, and members of the judiciary who have provided, improved, and excelled in the delivery of legal services.

These services are of critical importance to the increasing number of people in our area. We host our annual Volunteer Appreciations Event to show our deep appreciation for those who support our mission to improve access to justice in our community.

This year's ceremony will be held on November 29th at 12 noon at Jones Walker. A free panel discussion and professionalism CLE will precede the lunch and awards at 11 a.m.

We wish to thank all our volunteers for their time, talent, and resources.

This one-hour free professionalism CLE is devoted to examining pro bono obligations with an emphasis on ensuring access to justice for under-served and under-represented populations.

• A detailed examination of poverty statistics, the availability of legal services, and the need for pro bono programs will be discussed.

• Common issues that arise when representing indigent clients will be explored with reference to communication styles and eliminating implicit bias

• Current trends in pro bono along with technology and its role in access to justice will be presented.

Speakers: Hon. Scott Schlegel, 24th Judicial District Court and Rachael Mills, Louisiana State Bar Association

The purpose of the CLE is to recruit and train volunteers to represent undocumented people who have been detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Louisiana prisons. Civil rights advocates have documented egregious abuse of immigrants imprisoned in these facilities, including abusive use of solitary confinement that amounts to torture.

To register, please click here.

Participants will learn the various mechanisms for requesting release – Fraihat requests, parole requests, and requests pursuant to new ICE enforcement priorities - and will learn how to prepare and file a request for release.

Join The Pro Bono Project on Friday, July 22 for our free annual 6.5 hour CLE (1 hour of Professionalism) seminar for children's attorneys. Topics this year will include the Indian Child Welfare Act and working with immigrant children.

This Bankruptcy CLE will provide attorneys who are new to the practice of bankruptcy with an overview of Chapter 7.

To register, click here.

Want to learn how you can help immigrant children in need? The Pro Bono Project is proud to partner with Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans to offer this free, virtual 3-hour CLE seminar, including one hour of Ethics.

Special Immigrant Juvenile (SIJ) classification provides immigrant children who have been subject to state juvenile court proceedings related to abuse, neglect, abandonment, or a similar basis under state law the ability to seek lawful permanent residence in the United States.

While attendance is free, we ask that participants agree to accept representation in a pro bono special immigrant juvenile status case -- we will circulate a case list at the training.

If you are new to immigration law, don’t worry – we can connect you with a case and all the support you may need. This is a great way to gain experience while helping some of the most vulnerable people in our community.

Home is Here and The Pro Bono Project are proud to present this free two-hour CLE as an introduction to immigration practice. This program includes a diverse panel of presenters with expertise from the fields of law, interpretation, and clinical social work. Presenters from the private bar, TNOLA interpretation, and Catholic Charities will discuss:

- Ethics (1 hr): Confidentiality, Zealous Advocacy, Truth before the Tribunal

- Professionalism (1 hr): Cross-Cultural Communication and Working With Interpreters (30 mins) and Trauma-Informed Practice (30 mins).

Attendees will be encouraged to accept representation of an asylum case through Home is Here after completion of Part 2 in January 2022.

A Zoom link will be emailed to registered attendees two days prior to the program.

To register, click here.

Join The Pro Bono Project on Friday, November 19 for our free annual six-hour CLE seminar for children's attorneys. Topics this year will include the Indian Child Welfare Act and working with immigrant children. As a condition of this free seminar, we ask that you accept representation in a pro bono CINC case or other matter.

This seminar will be online, and the Zoom link will be disseminated via email the week of the seminar. Because this is an online seminar, we are required to poll attendance during the course. Only those who respond to the attendance polling will receive CLE credit.

The Pro Bono Project and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans are proud to present this free three-hour CLE seminar on the topic of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, or SJIS, cases. Presenters from Catholic Charities and the private bar will discuss the legal basis and process for these cases, as well as best practice tips to ensure success. Attendees will be encouraged to accept representation in a SIJS case. Three Hours of CLE with one hour of ethics.

The Pro Bono Project and Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans are proud to present this free three-hour CLE seminar on the topic of Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, or SJIS, cases. Presenters from Catholic Charities and the private bar will discuss the legal basis and process for these cases, as well as best practice tips to ensure success. As a condition of this free CLE seminar, attendees will be asked to accept representation in a SIJS case.

Because this is an online seminar, we are required to poll attendance. At a random time during each hour of the seminar, we will type ‘ATTENDANCE’ into the chat. You must respond to this prompt with your first and last name in order to receive credit for that hour of the seminar. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO MONITOR THE CHAT FOR THE PROMPTS.

To register, click here.

Join The Pro Bono Project on Friday, November 13 for our free annual six-hour CLE seminar for children's attorneys. Topics this year will include the Indian Child Welfare Act and working with immigrant children. As a condition of this free seminar, we ask that you accept representation in a pro bono CINC case or other matter.

This seminar will be online, and the Zoom link will be disseminated via email the week of the seminar. Because this is an online seminar, we are required to poll attendance during the course. Only those who respond to the attendance polling will receive CLE credit.

To register, click here. Email The Project with questions.

Jenny Abshier of Big Easy Law will provide an introduction the ABCs of filing bankruptcy cases, including useful tips and best practices.

The Pro Bono Project presents this one-hour (1.0) CLE seminar on the basics of bankruptcy law. Volunteer attorney Jenny Abshier of Big Easy Law will provide an introduction to bankruptcy law, as well as useful tips and best practices.

We will also introduce attendees to The Pro Bono Project's new Bankruptcy Self-Help Resource Center, a self-help service for pro se bankruptcy filers, developed in conjunction with the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Volunteering as an attorney for the Child in Need of Care opportunity is as rewarding as it is challenging. If you are interested in learning how you can be of service to a child in the Louisiana's foster care system, this is the ideal CLE opportunity to do so.

Join The Pro Bono Project and staff members of Catholic Charities Archdiocese of New Orleans for this three-hour CLE seminar focusing on representation of undocumented juvenile immigrants in Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) cases.

As we wind down 2017, save the date for our year-end professionalism CLE and Volunteer Recognition Awards and Reception on Tuesday, December 5th  at Jones Walker, 201 St Charles Avenue, 52nd Floor. REGISTER NOW

SAVE THE DATE!!

Last Chance CLE & Volunteer Appreciation Event - December 8, 2016, Jones Walker, 201 St Charles Ave., 52nd Floor.

Get the most up to date information for working with clients needing to file a Social Security Disability appeal. Attorneys Gwynne Mashon and Steven Reed from Southeast Louisiana Legal Services will offer best practices and answer all your questions in this 2-hour CLE.

Read more.

The focus is on YOU! Time for applause as we invite you to join us for the 2015 Volunteer Appreciation Awards and CLE. This year's event will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2015 at Jones Walker, 52nd Floor. Registration will begin at 3:30 pm, with the CLE from 4:00-5:00 pm followed by the Awards Presentation and Reception.

Register/RSVP at: Volunteer Awards

The American Bar Association (ABA) Section of Litigation Children's Rights Litigation Committee is sponsoring a CLE in conjunction with their section meeting in New Orleans this April.

Unaccompanied children are represented by an attorney in only about one-third (32%) of 63,721 cases pending in Immigration Court as of October 31, 2014. According to the latest data, legal representation makes a critical difference and allows youth with viable legal claims to present them in court.

Learn how you can help low income taxpayers even if you are not a tax lawyer!

Celebrate National Pro Bono Week and learn the ins and outs of taking on a Family Law Case for The Pro Bono Project.

Download agenda and registration.