VAAP-DRM clinic serves 19
On Friday, July 26, VAAP delivered its second-ever legal help clinic in partnership with Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC (DRM).
Similar to our first legal help clinic in June, VAAP paired asylum seeking families with volunteer DRM attorneys and summer associates — who VAAP trained, supervised, and supported with language access services — for a day of immigration support. Working from the DRM offices in downtown Burlington, VAAP supported DRM volunteers to offer pre-screened asylum seekers with legal counseling and assistance preparing and filing their I-589 asylum applications.
This clinic helped nine heads of households to apply for asylum for the overall benefit of 19 individual family members. The clinic also prescreened two young family member beneficiaries for special immigrant juveniles status, matters on which VAAP is offering full, in-house representation thanks to our groundbreaking new partnership with the nationally competitive Immigrant Justice Corps. VAAP had identified most of these clients at our recent intake table at Migrant Justice’s Torneo de Fútbol earlier this summer.
DRM’s willingness to volunteer as closely supported attorneys-for-the-day has exponentially improved these 19 asylum seekers’ likelihood of success. Meanwhile, DRM volunteers also helped these families to accrue eligibility toward a work authorized social security number, the most pivotal milestone for any asylum seeker’s resettlement journey. We’re eager to invite new individuals to legal help clinics like this one via our Walk-In Wednesday intake model this fall!
VAAP would like to thank our intrepid and gracious DRM volunteers who helped organize and run this inaugural firm-based clinic, as well as community partners like Migrant Justice who helped clients to connect with VAAP and provided transportation to the clinic. Without these collaborations, we could not have provided such crucial and welcome support to these families of our immigrant community in Vermont!
We are excited to hear from any interested law firms, in addition to any individual advocates looking to volunteer with VAAP’s support. Contact us to express your firm’s no-obligation interest in partnering with us!
More pictures are available on our Instagram and Facebook. Subscribe to our newsletter, follow our blog and calendar, and follow us on social media to learn about upcoming legal orientation, intake, and help clinics.
