August 12-13, 2025: ASISTA Virtual CLE Conference: Get (Back) Into the Good Fight!

ASISTA Virtual CLE Conference

Get (Back) Into the Good Fight! Current Strategies to Protect Immigrant Survivors

Tuesday, August 12 & Wed., August 13, 2025 (12-5pm ET)

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Calling all practitioners, new and experienced, who would like to refresh their knowledge on legal protections and procedures for survivors in this moment! This 2-day virtual conference will suit practitioners just starting, or those who are seasoned but who do not currently specialize in U, T, and VAWA-based benefits, including attorneys, DOJ Accredited Representatives, paralegals, and other legal advocates.

Led by ASISTA attorneys and experts from around the country, panelists will review how to apply for survivor-based immigration remedies, conduct trauma-informed representation, assess a client’s facts to determine eligibility or identify red flags, and consider critical strategy choices in the current enforcement environment. Throughout the conference, participants will have the opportunity to ask questions and apply what they learn through hypothetical case scenarios. 

Fundamentals/Intermediate Training: 8 CLE credits

Day ONE, Tuesday, August 12th (12-5pm ET)

Session One: (2 hrs.) 12 – 2 pm ET

Building Blocks of a Humanitarian Case: Immigrant survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and other crimes face myriad barriers accessing safety and justice. To combat these barriers, Congress, regulators, and policy makers have built numerous pathways to temporary and permanent immigration statuses and protections. In this interactive session, participants will examine protections such as VAWA self petitions, the U visa, the T visa, and adjustments of status based on these protections. We will review the current requirements and discuss the best evidence to prove a survivor’s eligibility.

Speakers: Cristina Velez, ASISTA; Rebecca Eissenova, ASISTA

Session Two: (2 hrs.) 3 – 5 pm ET

Inadmissibility Grounds and their Effects on Survivor-Based Relief: Grounds of inadmissibility are often present in survivor-based cases, but there are also often ways to overcome them and still obtain relief. In this interactive session, participants will review grounds of inadmissibility common for survivors, as well as the bases for obtaining waivers or exceptions. The session will build on knowledge from Session 1 to assess hypothetical clients’ facts and determine eligibility for relief.

Speakers: Kelly Byrne, ASISTA; Lia Ocasio, ASISTA

Day TWO, Wednesday, August 13th (12-5pm ET)

Session Three: (2 hrs.) 12 – 2 pm ET

Trauma-Informed Lawyering in Troubling Times: The current high-enforcement landscape is troubling to immigrant survivors, many of whom have already suffered feelings of extreme fear and powerlessness, which may resurface. In this session, participants will delve into trauma-informed advocacy methods, from intake to decision. We will explore best practices for working with clients who have experienced trauma, and reflect on the ways secondary or vicarious trauma can impact effective advocacy. 

Speakers: Anna Obregon, Alianza Nacional de Campesinas; Rebecca Eissenova, ASISTA

Session Four: (2 hrs.) 3 – 5 pm ET

Strategy Development in High Enforcement Moments: Building on knowledge from the first three sessions, we close the conference by preparing participants to meet the present moment of high immigration enforcement. Survivors can no longer expect leniency from ICE or immigration adjudicators just because of their sensitive experiences, but they still retain certain protections. This session will consider hypothetical scenarios to understand how to identify risks of various strategies, address enforcement concerns with anxious clients, and effectively adapt when the landscape seems to change each day.

Speakers: Maha Khalil, Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP); Cristina Velez, ASISTA; Lia Ocasio, ASISTA

Prices for full training (4 sessions = 8 CLE credit hrs.)

• $82.80 SPECIAL Rate Law Students

• $362.25 Legal Staff/Advocates/Non-Profit 

• $467.75 ASISTA Member Private Attorney

• $621 Non-member  

Note: Early bird pricing ends on August 4th. Prices for this training will increase $51.75 on Tuesday, August 5th. Registration will close the day before the training on Monday, August 11th, 2025 at the end of the day.

Please note that effective June 29, 2024, training fees include all credit card processing costs. There will be no separate charges when paying by credit card. If you choose to pay by check, you will receive a 3.5% discount (please contact manager@asistahelp.org to confirm the correct amount). Please mail checks to: ASISTA, PO Box 12, Suffield, CT 06078.

Note: 8 hrs of Texas MCLE credits will be applied for this conference. Certificates of attendance will be available upon request and completion of training.

Questions: Contact Maria at manager@asistahelp.org with any questions.

    www.asistahelp.org

    ASISTA mailing address: PO Box 12, Suffield, CT, 06078