January 2001

Dear Pro Bono Attorneys:

The Steering Committee of the Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP) would like to thank you on behalf of all IFAP members for your interest in assisting immigrant survivors of domestic violence and your commitment to helping students of the University of Washington School of Law obtain hands-on client experience.

Beginning its fifth year of service, IFAP functions as a close partnership between the University of Washington School of Law and the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP), pairing pro bono attorneys with law students who work together on filing self-petitions for immigrant survivors of domestic violence under the Violence Against Women Act. After law students complete a series of mandatory training sessions they are coupled with pro bono attorneys to work on cases already screened by NWIRP.

Assistance provided by pro bono attorneys has enabled many immigrant women and their children to leave abusive families and has given them a means to obtain lawful immigration status and remain in this country with the hope of beginning a life free of violence and fear. It has also provided law students with the invaluable opportunity to work closely with an attorney and client and to gain important education and training in immigration law, domestic violence advocacy and client counseling.

NWIRP provides the critical support to IFAP that allows it to function. IFAP owes a great debt of gratitude to the attorneys and staff members of NWIRP for their work coordinating cases, organizing pro bono attorneys, students and clients, and conducting law student trainings. Beyond this, they provide support and serve as resources for students representing clients throughout the self-petitioning process.

IFAP is coordinated by a volunteer Steering Committee of University of Washington law students with the supervision of law school Professor Anita Ramasastry and the guidance of a newly formed Advisory Board. The Advisory Board consists of local attorneys, activists and professionals that work with immigrants or in domestic violence services. At this time, IFAP has approximately 100 members.

In the fall of 2000, IFAP conducted four trainings over two months for law students interested in taking on self-petition cases. The trainings included: “An Overview of Immigration Law” led by Dan Kowalski of Ryan, Swanson & Cleveland PLLC; “The Nuts and Bolts of VAWA Petitions” conducted by Signe Dortch of NWIRP; “Client Interviewing in a Cross-Cultural Setting and Working with a Pro Bono Attorney” with court interpreter Sara Koopman and Jacque Larrainzar; and “Domestic Violence in a Cross-Cultural Setting” directed by Roxy Hoven of The Center for Battered Women in Everett and Anita Chakravarti-Hale, an attorney with the YWCA of Tacoma.

Law students that wish to be matched up with a client must have completed all four of the above trainings beforehand. Students have the opportunity to make up one missed training by watching a video recording of the session and then submitting their notes as satisfaction of the requirement.

We are thrilled about your involvement with IFAP and extend our gratitude to all of the pro bono attorneys who make both IFAP’s mission and service not only possible but exceptional. Please feel free to email any of the Steering Committee members if you have any questions. Thank you again for your commitment to IFAP!

Sincerely,

Erin Green                                           Meena Pallipamu

Advisory Board Coordinator                    Client/Attorney Liaison   

Magda Cuprys                                       Neda Fazilat

Bruce Garrison IFAP Fellow                     Training Coordinator

magdacuprys@hotmail.com                     nedaf@u.washington.edu       

Emily Headings                                     Alexis Olson

Secretary                                             Case Manager

Lorraine Lewis                                      Bree Kameenui

Treasurer                                             Outreach Coordinator