Volunteer Training
Please email the Legal Support and Strategy Director, Anne Bautista, at [email protected], to register for a training:
Date: Monday, October 23, 2023 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Location: In-Person and Zoom (link to be provided upon registration)
Subject: Asylum Law and Procedure (MCLE), Trauma Informed Lawyering, and Connection to Support Services for Volunteer Attorneys
Description: Overview of the substantive and procedural law of asylum and related relief (MCLE) plus information on how to be trauma informed in working with individuals seeking asylum. Attendees will also learn the importance of providing needed support services that helps address the basic needs of the clients to be able to participate in their case.
Presenters:
- Liza Perkins-Cohen, Managing Attorney of Asylum Program, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Ismael Avilez, Support Services Coordinator, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Carmen Kcomt, Director of the Victims Assistance Dept. Human Trafficking and Domestic Violence Programs at La Maestra Community Health Centers
Date: Tuesday October 24, 2023 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Location: In-Person and Zoom (link to be provided upon registration)
Subject: Protections for Victims of Gender Based Violence (MCLE) and the Concept of Intersectionality
Description: Overview of the substantive protections available for victims of gender based violence (VAWA, U, T). We will also discuss the concept of intersectionality to help us better understand how social identities such as gender, race, ethnicity, and immigration status may intersect to create barriers and unique hardships that make it more difficult for victims to seek help.
Presenters:
- Evelyn Lopez, Managing Attorney of Victims of Crime Program, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Anne Bautista, Legal Support and Strategy Director, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Kimala Price, Professor and Chair, College of Arts and Letters, Women’s Studies
Date: Thursday, October 26, 2023 from 1:00 – 3:00 PM
Location: In-Person and Zoom (link to be provided upon registration)
Subject: The Importance of Language Support in Helping Victims of Human Rights Abuses Tell their Stories in their Own Words
Description:Our ability to communicate with our clients who speak 54 different languages would not be possible without the language support of community volunteers. You will meet our Volunteer Interpreters and Translators (VIT) Program team and hear from language support volunteers who have answered the call to help our clients tell their story in their own words. We will also discuss the language access problems in the immigration system, due process issues, and why having a good interpreter matters.
Presenters:
- Artemisa Valle, Manager of the VIT Program, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Mayra Victoria Duran, VIT Program Assistant, Casa Cornelia Law Center
- Pooja Dadhania, Professor of Law, California Western School of Law
- Language Support Volunteers who will share their experiences providing language support to victims of human rights abuses
To learn more about the Pro Bono Program and what is involved in taking on a case and the benefits being part of this volunteer community, please contact Anne Bautista, Legal Support and Strategy Director at [email protected].