What kinds of cases are available? How do I get started?

One of the best things about Catholic Charities Pro Bono Project is that our mandate is to respond to community need.  As a result, we have a wide variety of immigration cases available for pro bono placement - both affirmative (application/paper-based) and defensive (in Immigration Court) cases and everything from an asylum claim to a family-based petition to special forms of relief identified for children or survivors of violence.  No matter your preferences (geographic, language skills, time commitment, type of application or forum preference), Catholic Charities has a case that is perfect for you!  

In this section, members of our virtual pro bono community can easily search our available matters, using one or more filters to narrow your preferences.  Once you find a case about which you want to know more, simply follow that link to the individual case page, where you will see additional information about the case and can choose to "express interest" in it, which sends a message to our pro bono team, who will then follow up with you directly.  Expressing interest lets us know that you want to know more; it is not a formal acceptance of a pro bono matter.

We invite you to peruse our cases available for pro bono placement, as well as other short-term volunteer opportunities:

Here's an example of a case you might handle through our project:

Facts:  K and J are a same-sex couple from Jamaica. They suffered serious harassment throughout their lives, but started to receive death threats after K won a prestigious fashion award. The couple fled to the United States where they could be safe and finally legally marry.

Legal assessment:  They are eligible for asylum as members of a particular social group: LGBTQ individuals, and they and need a dedicated attorney like you to help them file their applications and remain in the United States, where they will be safe from harm.