Ukrainians Receive Free Legal Help to Apply for U.S. Immigration Status

Pro Bono Lawyers from 130 Major Law Firms and Companies Are Volunteering to Help Ukrainians in the U.S. to Apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS)

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and a broad coalition of 130 law firms and companies have partnered to launch the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, a nationwide pro bono remote legal clinic to provide legal services for Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. to apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). 

Interested Ukrainians who would like to request free legal assistance in filing for TPS should click HERE and fill out the online screening form: L4GG.org/TPS-Ukraine.

Eligible Ukrainian nationals will be offered free legal assistance from pro bono attorneys who can help answer legal questions and assist in applying for TPS. TPS is a form of immigration relief offered to foreign nationals in the United States whose home countries are considered unsafe, and provides the right to live and work in the United States for a temporary period. The Biden Administration designated Ukraine for TPS in early March of 2022, and has declared that Ukrainian nationals who entered the U.S. on or before April 11, 2022 are eligible to apply. 

The initiative has recruited more than 2,400 attorney volunteers. A full list of participating law firms and companies is below. Additionally, the clinic was launched with financial support from Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Alston & Bird LLP, Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP, Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC, Comcast NBCUniversal, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP, DLA Piper LLP US, Eversheds Sutherland, Fenwick & West LLP, Foley Hoag LLP, GE, Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, K&L Gates, Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP, King & Spalding, Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP, Linklaters LLP, McGuireWoods LLP, Nelson Mullins, Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP, PayPal, Inc., Robins Kaplan LLP, Seyfarth Shaw, Sidley Austin LLP, Verizon Communications, White & Case LLP, and the Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Foundation.

“TPS is an important tool to safeguard lives, increase economic stability, and keep families united during a time of unprecedented uncertainty for Ukrainians,” said Traci Feit Love, Executive Director of Lawyers for Good Government. “We are proud to mobilize the legal community in support of this project and are grateful to the 130 law firms and companies who are standing beside us to serve the Ukrainian community.”

“Ukrainians in the United States are facing a period of extreme instability, in which they cannot return to their home country, and do not know what they will find when they can eventually return,” said Jacqueline Haberfeld, Global Program Director and Pro Bono Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP. “As lawyers, we feel fortunate to have the skills necessary to help relieve them of the burden of concern about their immigration status, and to be able to help them obtain permission to work and support themselves while they shelter in the United States during the war.”

The TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine is an initiative of L4GG’s Project Corazon, an immigrants’ rights program defending the rights of asylum seekers and other migrants. Project Corazon runs a legal clinic in the Rio Grande Valley that provides legal assistance to asylum seekers, with a focus on serving particularly vulnerable asylum seekers, such as those with medical or psychological conditions, disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and third-language speakers.  

If resources allow, L4GG hopes to expand the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine to provide legal assistance to nationalities of other countries designated for TPS, such as Afghans, Haitians, Venezuelans, Cameroonians, and more. 

Full List of Participating Law Firms and Companies:

Akerman LLP

Alpert, Slobin & Rubenstein, LLP  

Alpha Medical

Alston & Bird LLP

Amgen

Arnold & Porter

Axinn, Veltrop & Harkrider LLP

BakerHostetler

Baker, Donelson, Bearman, Caldwell & Berkowitz, PC

Blank Rome

Bloomberg

BNY Mellon

Brainly

Bristol Myers Squibb

Buckley LLP

Cable & Wireless Communications LLC

Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft

Clark Hill PLC

Cohen & Siegel

Cohen Ziffer Frenchman and McKenna

Colgate-Palmolive Company

Comcast NBCUniversal

Crowell & Moring LLP

Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP

Dechert LLP

DLA Piper LLP US

Dorsey & Whitney LLP

Dykema

Elastic

Eversheds Sutherland

F5, Inc.

Fennemore

Fenwick & West LLP

Fidelity Investments

Fish & Richardson P.C.

Foley & Lardner LLP

Foley Hoag LLP

Ford Motor Company

Fragomen

Freshfields US LLP

GE

Goodwin Procter LLP

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart LLP

Hopin

Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP

IBM

Infineon Technologies

Intel

International Legal Counsels PC (d/b/a femida.us) 

Irwin IP LLC

Jackson Lewis P.C.

Jenner & Block LLP

JPMorgan Chase

K&L Gates

Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP

Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP

Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP

King & Spalding

Kirkland & Ellis LLP

Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel LLP

LinkedIn

Linklaters LLP

Loeb & Loeb LLP

Lyft, Inc.

Manatt, Phelps & Phillips, LLP

Mayer Brown LLP

McCarter & English, LLP

McDermott Will & Emery LLP

McGuireWoods LLP

Milbank

Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP

Morrison & Foerster LLP

Munsch Hardt Kopf & Harr, P. C.

Nelson Mullins

Norton Rose Fulbright 

Orrick

Pacific Life Insurance Company

Paramount Global

Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein LLP

PayPal, Inc.

Pfizer

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP

Pro Bono Strategies

Reed Smith LLP

RELX, Inc.

Robins Kaplan LLP

Robinson & Cole LLP

Ropes & Gray LLP

Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP

Seyfarth Shaw

Shearman & Sterling

Sheppard Mullin

Sidley Austin LLP

JM Family Enterprises, Inc.

Squire Patton Boggs (US) LLP

State Farm

Steptoe & Johnson LLP

Stroock

USAA

Vault Health

Verizon Communications

White & Case LLP

Willkie Farr & Gallagher LLP

Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati

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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts. 

Kirkland & Ellis is committed to providing legal services without charge to those who cannot afford counsel, with the goals of improving lives, bettering communities and deepening our attorneys’ professional experience. Kirkland attorneys at all levels pursue pro bono matters dealing with a variety of issues such as immigration, disability rights, civil rights, prisoner rights, death penalty cases and criminal appeals, guardianship, veterans’ benefits, and the representation of nonprofit organizations, among other areas. In 2021, Kirkland devoted more than 122,000 hours of free legal service to pro bono clients. Learn more about Kirkland’s commitment to pro bono and corporate social responsibility at www.kirkland.com/CSR.

Judge Brown Jackson’s Historic SCOTUS Nomination

Lawyers for Good Government Celebrates Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Nomination

WASHINGTON, D.C. — In a historic moment, Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s final nomination vote passed the Senate, 53-47, making Justice Brown Jackson the first Black woman to be confirmed to the Supreme Court. 

This historic nomination included bipartisan support, as notable Republican Mitt Romney (R-UT) and Susan Collins (R-ME) voted for Justice Brown Jackson. Justice Brown Jackson’s nomination is pivotal in cultivating a democracy that works for all of us, regardless of our background. As a Black woman Supreme Court justice with a commitment to equitable treatment in the courts for all, Justice Brown Jackson will have an impact for generations to come. 

Justice Brown Jackson’s nomination moves our country forward and provides an opportunity to deliver on issues that Americans care about most.

“Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson devoted years of her career to public service, including representing people in D.C as a public defender,” says Mika Fernandez, Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement at Lawyers for Good Government.  “We are proud to see her confirmed to be the first Black woman and the first public defender on our nation’s highest court.  We need even more well-qualified jurists on our courts like Judge Jackson who have dedicated their legal careers to ensuring equal justice for all.”  

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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts. 

L4GG Applauds TPS Designation for Afghanistan

Rapid Response Advocacy Organization Lawyers for Good Government Supports TPS for Afghan Refugees

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has designated Afghanistan for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for 18 months, securing critical protections for over 76,000 Afghan nationals currently living in the U.S.

Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) supports Sec. Mayorkas’ decision to designate Afghanistan as eligible for TPS. In times of crisis, L4GG has mobilized its network of thousands of legal professionals, activists and supporters to provide legal aid to individuals in need, most recently through a pro bono remote legal clinic specifically for Afghan refugees, held this February. The clinic provided assistance to almost 100 Sacramento, California-based Afghan refugees, helping them with asylum and adjustment of status applications. 

The 18-month TPS designation provides the right for Afghan nationals to live and work in the United States for a temporary period. Many of the Afghans risked their lives by working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and were evacuated with their families to the U.S. after the Afghan government fell last August. 

Mika Fernandez, L4GG’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement said: 

“We are thrilled that Afghan families now have access to critical protections to live and work in the U.S. through Temporary Protected Status (TPS). Many of these families risked their lives to help the U.S. in Afghanistan, and would be in particular danger if they returned to their home country. As an organization that has consistently been on the frontlines of support for immigrants and refugees, L4GG applauds Sec. Mayorkas’ decision, and believes that all families seeking safety should have the ability to find stability and pursue the next chapter in their lives.”

L4GG is also currently building out a national pro bono clinic to help Ukrainian nationals apply for and secure TPS, in light of the recent designation of Ukraine for TPS on March 3, 2022. For more information, click here.

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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts.

Helping Afghan Refugees, Fighting for Clean Drinking Water, & More

In times of crisis, L4GG mobilizes quickly, such as with the pro bono project we’re currently building to help Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS). But that doesn’t mean our existing work stops. 

Here’s a quick update on 4 of the ways L4GG is making a difference in our communities right now, with your support:

1. Helping Afghan Refugees

We recently completed a pilot project in partnership with the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) and Kirkland & Ellis to support Afghan families who arrived in the U.S. as refugees by airlift after America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021. Through this program, nearly 100 Afghan refugees were screened and received legal assistance to complete and file applications for asylum and adjustment of status. Our pro bono volunteers were deeply moved by the experience, and told us that they were honored to serve this community. 

We are now exploring ways to replicate and build on the success of the pilot project, to help even more refugees secure immigration stability. 

2. Fighting for Clean Drinking Water in Michigan

L4GG’s Climate Change team recently launched a project in partnership with Great Lakes Environmental Law Center (GLELC) to establish a right to clean, affordable drinking water in Michigan. We’re focusing first on the community of Benton Harbor, Michigan, where the residents, 90% of whom are people of color, are forced to rely on bottled water as a result of lead contamination in their water supply over the past three years. 

Together with GLELC, we’re conducting FOIA research and document analysis to determine how and why the Benton Harbor Water Crisis took place, and help ensure the infrastructure is fixed as quickly as possible. Next, we’ll write a report and draft policy recommendations to help protect Benton Harbor and other disadvantaged communities in Michigan from lead water crises in the future.

You can read more about our climate change work, and our climate change director, Jillian Blanchard, here. 

3. Advancing Racial Justice through State Legislative Advocacy 

You may have seen our inaugural policy report on child farmworkers late last year. Since its launch, we’ve been hard at work with our coalition partners, developing policy recommendations for all 52 states, and working to improve labor employment protections for child farmworkers at the state level. L4GG’s Policy team, led by Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement, Mika Fernandez, is working to see this process recreated multiple times for issues with large support that impact marginalized communities, such as voting rights, criminal justice reform, and more. 

Read this interview with Mika to learn more about Lawyers for Racial Justice, and how L4GG hopes to plug into important state legislative battlegrounds in 2022. 

4. Defending the Rights of Asylum Seekers

We’re continuing our work both on the southern border and for asylum seekers throughout the country. On the border, our Project Corazon team continues to secure humanitarian parole for particularly vulnerable asylum seekers (i.e., those with medical or psychological conditions, pregnant women, LGBTQ+ individuals, and third-language speakers). And, through our Work Permit Pro Bono Program, we’re securing work permits for asylum seekers once they’ve entered the U.S so they can provide for themselves and their families while awaiting the outcome of their asylum cases. 

We recently received a very touching note from an asylum seeker we helped secure her work permit - here’s an excerpt: 

““Thanks to [Project Corazon’s] dedication to service and spirit of solidarity towards others, they achieved in less than a month what I had not achieved in 2 and a half years — SECURING MY SOCIAL AND WORK PERMIT. God bless you greatly.””

That’s just a small look at what we’re working on at the moment, and we’re so grateful to be doing this work with and for our L4GG community. Thank you for your continued support. 

Afghan Refugees Find Support In New Remote Asylum Clinic

Lawyers for Good Government, International Refugee Assistance Project, and Kirkland & Ellis LLP Launch Afghan Refugee Remote Legal Clinic

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG), Kirkland & Ellis LLP, and the International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) have partnered to launch a first-of-its-kind pro bono remote legal clinic to provide legal services for Afghan refugees who came to the U.S. by airlift after America’s withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021.  

The pilot clinic, held on Saturday, February 12, provided remote legal assistance to almost 100 Sacramento, California-based Afghan refugees, helping them with asylum and adjustment of status applications. Many of the refugees risked their lives by working with the U.S. military in Afghanistan and were evacuated with their families to the U.S. after the Afghan government fell last August. 

Approximately 60 pro bono attorneys from Kirkland & Ellis LLP participated in the pilot clinic on February 12. The attorneys screened each family to determine eligibility for various services and to assist with completing an adjustment of status. IRAP, PARS Equality Center, and Centro Legal de la Raza provided subject matter expertise on asylum and adjustment of status matters as well as cultural competition and how to work with interpreters. L4GG provided the pro bono program design and infrastructure necessary to run a large-scale, remote legal clinic.  

Traci Feit Love, Executive Director of Lawyers for Good Government said: 

“Families seeking safety have a right to apply for asylum, and we owe a special duty to those Afghan refugees who risked their lives to help Americans in Afghanistan. Lawyers are uniquely poised to help these families navigate the immigration process so they can find stability and pursue the next chapter of their lives. We’re grateful to our partners on this project, and hope we can grow and scale this work in the coming months.”

Jackie Haberfeld, Global Program Director and Pro Bono Counsel at Kirkland & Ellis LLP, said:

“Kirkland is grateful to be able to partner with IRAP and Lawyers for Good Government to provide legal advice to Afghan refugees seeking asylum and other immigration relief in the United States. Kirkland attorneys ranging from first year associates to senior partners participated in the pilot clinic. Many of the teams plan to continue to represent their clinic clients until their immigration applications have been decided, exceeding expectations. We are proud of our attorneys’ commitment to using their unique skills to help this vulnerable population.”

Wendy Fu, Director of Pro Bono at IRAP, said:

"IRAP is proud to work with our Pro Bono partners to provide the high quality legal services evacuated Afghans need to restart their lives in the United States with safety and stability. In addition to facilitating asylum access, IRAP continues to advocate for a permanent pathway to citizenship for all evacuated Afghans and continued support for the many at-risk Afghans still in Afghanistan and other third countries."

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Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) coordinates large scale pro bono programs and issue advocacy efforts to protect human rights and ensure equal justice under the law, and has a network of 125,000+ lawyers to assist in its efforts. 

Kirkland & Ellis is committed to providing legal services without charge to those who cannot afford counsel, with the goals of improving lives, bettering communities and deepening our attorneys’ professional experience. Kirkland attorneys at all levels pursue pro bono matters dealing with a variety of issues such as immigration, disability rights, civil rights, prisoner rights, death penalty cases and criminal appeals, guardianship, veterans’ benefits, and the representation of nonprofit organizations, among other areas. In 2021, Kirkland devoted more than 122,000 hours of free legal service to pro bono clients. Learn more about Kirkland’s commitment to pro bono and corporate social responsibility at www.kirkland.com/CSR.

The International Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) develops and enforces a set of legal and human rights for refugees and displaced persons. Mobilizing direct legal aid, litigation, and systemic advocacy, IRAP serves the world’s most persecuted individuals and empowers the next generation of human rights leaders.

Statement On Justice Breyer's Retirement

Mika Fernandez, Lawyers for Good Government’s (L4GG) Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement releases the following statement on the retirement of Justice Steven Breyer from the Supreme Court. 

“L4GG celebrates Justice Steven Breyer for his 27 years on the Supreme Court, where he fought for equality and justice for all Americans and was a critical voice for health care, women’s reproductive freedom, voting rights, and the environment. We thank him for his service.

President Biden now has the opportunity to nominate a jurist who will zealously defend civil rights and constitutional protections for all people in the country, solidify our government’s commitment to human rights and equal justice under the law, and bring much-needed racial and professional diversity to the nation’s highest court. L4GG is prepared to fight for such a nominee and to fight for her swift confirmation by the Senate. 

We ask lawyers to join us in the coming days as we organize the legal profession’s response to this Supreme Court vacancy.”

To sign up for action alerts via SMS, please text “SCOTUS” to 404-382-9644. 

To donate to the L4GG Action Fund, our 501(c)4, click here. 

New Report: Voters of Color Suffer Without Paid Leave

Today, Lawyers for Good Government (L4GG) released its new report indicating that there are still many legal barriers that prevent people from exercising their civic duty, and that those barriers primarily affect Black and Brown voters.  

The report, titled “No Time To Vote: Achieving Racial Equity in Paid Time Off on Election Day”, says that during the 2016, 2018, and 2020 elections, Black and Brown voters waited longer to vote than white voters. In 2016, voters in predominantly Black communities waited 29% longer than voters in predominantly white communities. 

To combat the discriminatory impacts on voters of color, the report offers the recommendation that states require that employees have time to vote without penalty or loss of wages. The report found that while thirty states require employers to allow their employees time off to vote on Election Day, the vast majority of the states that require leave for voting cap the time requirement at one, two, or three hours. These caps are problematic because voters must often stand in line for far longer, forcing them to choose between their income and exercising their right to vote. Additionally, six states require employers to allow leave, but require that the leave is unpaid.

“Making voting accessible and equitable is a racial justice issue. Significant numbers of people continue to vote in person on Election Day, and while our nation has progressed beyond the overt racism of poll taxes and literacy tests, a persistent barrier has been long lines to vote and the so-called ‘time tax,’ which continues to disenfranchise people of color. Our report hopes to shed light on this disparity and suggest viable solutions to make voting fairer for all Americans.”

— Adam Fernandez, L4GG’s Vice President of Policy and Strategic Engagement

“In order to uphold the tenets of our democracy, it needs to work for everyone. To do that, we recommend policy changes that guarantee that all workers will have the necessary amount of time to leave work to vote without penalty or loss of pay. Our suggestions also provide an explicit private right of action to hold employers accountable if they violate the policy. In this way, we hope to see a new day for racial equity in voting, and the strengthening of our democracy.”

— Joe Spielberger, L4GG's Legislative Counsel on Policy and Strategic Engagement