On January 17, CAIR Coalition published to its website a newly revised second edition of its “Practice Manual for Pro Bono Attorneys Representing Detainees with Mental Disabilities in the Immigration Detention and Removal System.” The manual is the latest step in CAIR Coalition’s long-running efforts to expand access to high-quality pro bono representation for detained non-citizens with mental disabilities.
As with the original manual, CAIR Coalition benefited enormously from the generous contributions of its pro bono law firm partners in producing the revised edition. CAIR Coalition is immensely grateful to the team of pro bono attorneys from Cooley LLP, Covington and Burling LLP, and McDermott Will & Emery who researched and drafted the chapters of the manual. In addition, undertaking a project of this kind would not have been possible without McDermott Will & Emery’s sponsorship of Stephen Dekovich’s Equal Justice Works fellowship, which focuses exclusively on representation and advocacy for detainees with severe mental disabilities. CAIR Coalition is also thankful to Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP for its assistance with the design and distribution of the manual.
In the coming months, CAIR Coalition will be organizing and participating in a series of trainings on mental health issues based on the approaches and strategies outlined in the practice manual. The first of these trainings will be held on February 21 at the D.C. offices of Cooley LLP. Please contact Stephen Dekovich at sdekovich@caircoalition.org or (202) 331-3320 ext. 13 for more information or to RSVP.
