ABA launches new platform to aid pro bono lawyers representing unaccompanied immigrant children
The American Bar Association Working Group on Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors, an Immigrant Child Advocacy Network, has launched the ICAN Yammer group, an online and free mobile application resource. The app supports pro bono attorneys new to immigration law and representation of children by leveraging the expertise of mentors and experts nationwide through technology. Yammer is the Microsoft enterprise social network for business.
Developed by the ABA in collaboration with Navigant Consulting Inc. –– a specialized, global professional services firm –– the ICAN Yammer group is an interactive resource that allows volunteer attorneys and mentors to post questions on legal representation of unaccompanied minors, receive answers from national immigration experts and share documents in specific topic areas, such as U Visas (for crime victims) or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (for children who are abandoned, abused or neglected).
Accessible by invitation only, the ICAN Yammer group also serves as a platform to aggregate materials related to representation of children in both immigration court and state court proceedings.
The working group was created by ABA President William C. Hubbard in response to the immigration crisis caused by the influx of unaccompanied immigrant children seeking refuge in the United States and the critical need for additional pro bono lawyers to ensure children are provided legal representation in immigration proceedings.
Comprised of a cross-section of lawyers from various ABA entities, the working group’s primary mission is to recruit, train and mentor volunteer attorneys to increase capacity and complement the efforts of existing legal services programs.
To request an invitation to join the ICAN Yammer group, email abaican@americanbar.org. For more information on the ABA Working Group on Unaccompanied Immigrant Minors, go to www.ambar.org/ican.
