2013 Safe Haven Pro Bono Awards

Nomination FormThis form can also be found online at www.ImmigrationEquality.org/probonoawards

Immigration Equality’s Safe Haven Pro Bono Awards recognize law firms that have gone above and beyond to win safe refuge for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and HIV-positive asylum seekers. Thanks to the commitment and generosity of these firms, the Pro Bono Asylum Program handled over 400 cases in 2012, winning 99% of all cases that received decisions that year.

The 2013 Safe Haven Pro Bono Awards seek to recognize firms, teams, or individual attorneys that have excelled in representing clients placed with them by Immigration Equality. That may mean handling a particularly challenging or time-sensitive case, working on multiple cases, taking on cases in offices outside of New York or where the client is held in immigration detention, handling cases before the immigration court, building strong internal firm support for LGBT asylum, or other evidence of the firm’s commitment to this life-saving work.

To nominate your firm, a team, or an individual attorney for a Safe Haven Pro Bono Award, please fill out this cover sheet and write 2-3 pages describing the challenges the firm faced in representing their client(s) and how the team(s) tackled them. Please also describe what your firm has done to pay special attention to LGBT asylum cases in particular and to build a commitment to this work within the firm.

To be eligible, the firm must have had at least one open case in 2012, though the nomination may reference cases from prior years. If you won a pro bono award last year, you are not eligible this year, but are encouraged to apply again next year. If you have won in the past, but did not win last year, you are encouraged to apply again.

Winners will be notified in late February, and will be recognized at the Safe Haven Awards gala on Wednesday, May 29, 2012 in New York City.

Firm:

Pro Bono Attorney(s):

Person Submitting Nomination: (Please include contact information)

Please submit this cover sheet along with answers to the following questions:

1. Case Description/Outcome: (Include case name and basic case information: country of origin; lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender identity; HIV status; legal issues in case; location of case)

2. Advocates’ Challenges/Barriers Overcome: (i.e., novel legal questions, procedural obstacles, one year filing deadline issue, criminal issues, client had mental/physical health problems, difficult judge, etc.)

*** Please return to Stephen Silva at ssilva@immigrationequality.org by February 15th ***

2013 Safe Haven Pro Bono Awards

3. What did the firm gain from helping the client(s)?

4. How did the client benefit from having the pro bono team as counsel?

5. Firm’s commitment to LGBT immigration and asylum: Describe what your firm has done to pay special attention to LGBT immigration and asylum work and to build a commitment to this work within the firm (i.e. handling cases in offices outside of New York).

*** Please return to Stephen Silva at ssilva@immigrationequality.org by February 15th ***