Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project?
Q: What are the benefits of joining the Catholic Charities network of attorney volunteers?
Q: If I join the network, do I have to take a case?
Q: How do I find out about current pro bono opportunities?
Q: What kinds of cases are available for pro bono attorneys?
Q: What experience or skills do I need to have to take a case?
Q: What support does Catholic Charities provide to pro bono attorneys?
Q: How do cases get assigned to pro bono attorneys?
Q: Once I join the network, how quickly will I receive a case?
Q: How much time will a pro bono case take?
Q: Will I have access to an interpreter if I need one to communicate with my client?
Q: Does Catholic Charities assist with document collection or translation?
Q: My client has an urgent housing emergency.  Can Catholic Charities help?  Can Catholic Charities help with any other social services for my client?  Medical/mental health?  Educational assistance?
Q: Who can I contact if I have additional questions?

 

Q: What is the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project?

The Catholic Charities  Pro Bono Project is a first of its kind statewide pro bono project that uses innovative community-driven legal services to identify cases appropriate for pro bono placement from regionally isolated immigrant communities across New York.


As the direct service provider of  the Archdiocese of New York, Catholic Charities offers a comprehensive range of human and legal services to all individuals in need who reside in New York City (NYC) and the seven counties of the Lower Hudson Valley (LHV).  The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is a new addition to the core immigration legal services that Catholic Charities provides; it was created to broaden and deepen statewide legal capacity for low-income immigrants seeking representation.

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Q: What are the benefits of joining the Catholic Charities network of attorney volunteers?

Catholic Charities has been the premier provider of quality immigration legal services in NYC and the LHV for nearly forty years.  Our work is broad and comprehensive, and focused on responding to individual crises and addressing core needs that may lead to crises.  As a member of the Catholic Charities pro bono volunteer network, you and your clients will have access to a wide array of services that touch every human need to ensure that an immigrant family can remain stable and strong throughout the duration of their legal case and after.  We know that supportive family and living structures provide the foundation that enhances an immigrant client’s ability to successfully tell his or her story.


You can also expect in-depth mentorship by a Catholic Charities Pro Bono Supervising Attorney at every stage of your pro bono case.  When you join our volunteer network, you have access to pro bono case opportunities, training and professional development resources, and information about the work of Catholic Charities across NYS.

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Q: If I join the network, do I have to take a case?
While there is no obligation to immediately take a case if you are part of the network, we hope you will contribute in any way you can, and we look forward to supporting you when you choose to accept a pro bono opportunity!

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Q: How do I find out about current pro bono opportunities?

By joining the Catholic Charities network of pro bono volunteers, you will receive periodic communications from the project about the work we are doing, including cases available for placement in your county, training opportunities, single-day pro bono events, and more.  You can also learn about available cases through your firm, company or bar association.  Be sure to complete our PBVA Information Form so that we can learn about you and your particular pro bono interests.  The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is dedicated to finding an opportunity that is just right for you.

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Q: What kinds of cases are available for pro bono attorneys?
One of the most exciting aspects of the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is that it is designed to be completely responsive to the needs of New York’s most underserved immigrant communities.  For Pro Bono Volunteer Advocates, this means a wide variety of opportunities for engagement, whether full case placement or through service at one-day screening clinics that we host monthly throughout the lower Hudson Valley in counties known to be immigration legal resource deserts.


The Project will place and supervise a wide variety of cases, both affirmative and defensive, with a focus on recently arrived immigrants in removal proceedings and particularly vulnerable victims of violence.  Types of cases available for placement will include affirmative and defensive asylum, affirmative and defensive Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJ), Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petitions, U and T nonimmigrant visas, family unity petitions and more, depending on community need.

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Q: What experience or skills do I need to have to take a case?
Any lawyer who is currently licensed in good standing to practice law in any U.S. jurisdiction may participate in our Pro Bono Project. Catholic Charities Pro Bono Volunteer Advocates (PBVAs) come from many different legal practice areas, and no previous immigration law or litigation experience is required. As a PBVA with Catholic Charities, you will be matched with a Pro Bono Supervising Attorney who will provide expert mentorship and technical assistance support at every stage of your case. 


If you are not an attorney and would like to find out about other opportunities to support our legal and non-legal work, please visit the Catholic Charities Volunteer Portal or contact us to ask how you can get involved with interpretation and other case support services.

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Q: What support does Catholic Charities provide to pro bono attorneys?
Catholic Charities strives to prepare all of our Pro Bono Volunteer Advocates for success by offering in-depth targeted training and long-term mentorship.  Upon case placement, a PBVA can expect to have regular contact with a Catholic Charities Pro Bono Supervising Attorney who will provide training and individualized case consultation and strategy, offer practice templates and resource materials, review filings and help to prepare PBVAs for court hearings or agency interviews.

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Q: How do cases get assigned to pro bono attorneys?
Catholic Charities conducts comprehensive intakes and screenings prior to case acceptance and placement.  Placements are made with a client-centered approach, taking into account complexity, timelines, level of client trauma and non-legal needs, alongside Pro Bono Volunteer Advocate experience levels, resources, and expressed interests.  Periodically, we communicate by email with our PBVA network featuring select cases available for pro bono placement. On a rolling basis, we match incoming cases with attorneys and firms in the network where there is a particularly good fit.

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Q: Once I join the network, how quickly will I receive a case?
How quickly a PBVA receives a case can vary. We strongly encourage completion of our PBVA Information Form so that we can learn about your individual case interests and facilitate appropriate placements as opportunities arise.  For those who are joining the network for the first time, a member of the project team can provide you information about currently available cases, or arrange to contact you when we have a suitable case matching your interests.  You can also contact us at any time to learn more!

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Q: How much time will a pro bono case take?
The length of time you work on a case is dependent on a wide range of variables, including the case type and complexity, and a range of external factors that impact the procedural timeline, such as current case processing times for petitions before the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and the Immigration Court. The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project works with PBVAs to provide best estimates on timing at placement so expectations can be as clear as possible, and shorter-term pro bono opportunities are available for those unable to accept a full case placement.

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Q: Will I have access to an interpreter if I need one to communicate with my client?
The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project operates on a full case placement model.  Full case placement means that you and your firm have total control over the relationship with your client.  It also means that you and your firm assume responsibility for all work associated with your representation, including the engagement of an interpreter if necessary for client communication.  If you require interpretation support, the Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project can assist you with locating an interpreter.  Just let us know so we can facilitate.

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Q: Does Catholic Charities assist with document collection or translation?
The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project operates on a full case placement model.  Full case placement means that you and your firm have total control over the relationship with your client.  It also means that you and your firm assume responsibility for all work associated with your representation, including document collection and translation.  The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project may be able to connect you to pro bono or low-cost translation services.

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Q: My client has an urgent housing emergency.  Can Catholic Charities help?  Can Catholic Charities help with any other social services for my client?  Medical/mental health?  Educational assistance?
As a member of the Catholic Charities pro bono volunteer network, you and your clients will have access to a wide array of services that touch every human need to ensure that an immigrant family can remain stable and strong throughout the duration of a legal case.  We know that supportive family and living structures provide the foundation that enhances an immigrant client’s ability to successfully tell his or her story.  Catholic Charities is one of 90 federation agencies within the Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of New York.  Together, these agencies help hundreds of thousands of New Yorkers with an array of challenges, including those mentioned above.  We are confident that should your client need assistance with any type of social service emergency, Catholic Charities will be able to provide you with a referral for your client.

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Q: Who can I contact if I have additional questions?
The Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is managed by a team of legal professionals out of our downtown New York City office.  If you have questions, please contact us!