National Immigrant Justice Center

Schiff Hardin attorneys and staff are very active on a pro bono and leadership basis in the National Immigrant Justice Center. The Center ensures human rights protections and access to justice for immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers through direct legal services, policy reform, impact litigation and public education.

Since its founding, the Center has been unique in building on the foundation of client representation to promote national systemic reform.

Some of the clients we have helped include:

• A Congolese man fleeing ethnic persecution in his home country
• A Columbian man fleeing political persecution in his home country

For more information on the National Immigrant Justice Center, visit their Web site: http://www.immigrantjustice.org/.

Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area (LCCR)

With the assistance of hundreds of pro bono attorneys, the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights provides free legal assistance and representation to individuals on civil legal matters. Attorneys in Schiff Hardin's San Francisco office have worked in conjunction with the LCCR on immigration matters.

Cases the LCCR referred to us included:

• A 24-year-old woman who fled Guatemala after suffering years of brutal violence by her father, including rape. Her father terrorized her because it was commonly believed in their small village that he was not her biological father. We convinced the Asylum Officer that the perception of our client’s disputed parentage was an immutable characteristic beyond her power and formed a basis for her persecution. Asylum was granted.
• A Liberian woman, fleeing from violence in her native country. After a long period of preparation, our attorneys convinced the immigration court to grant asylum, and got the Department of Homeland Security to waive its right to appeal within 45 minutes.

For more information on the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, visit their Web site: http://www.lccr.com/.