D R A F T (NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION)
Responding to the needs of attorneys in what has become a burgeoning and
evolving practice area, the Boston Bar Association today announced the launch of
an Immigration Law Section, set to begin on September 1, 2010. The Section will
be free for BBA members for its inaugural year.
"Immigration practitioners in Boston see a variety of clients – including
vulnerable asylum seekers who have escaped great trauma and who have little
resources, U.S. citizens and legal permanent residents who seek status for close
family members, foreign national students who pursue studies in the Boston area
and U.S. businesses seeking talent from the global marketplace," said Anita
Sharma, incoming Co-Chair of the BBA Immigration Section. Sharma is an attorney
working at Political Asylum/ Immigration Representation project here in Boston,
and an alum of the BBA's Public Interest Leadership Program.
Among the specific immigration issues covered by this new section will be
business immigration, family immigration, services to asylum seekers and
refugees, removal defense, and immigration pro bono. The section will provide
immigration lawyers with opportunities to meet with local and national experts
as well as one on one mentoring.
"Immigration issues have been at the forefront of our nation in recent years,
with passionate stances being taken on both sides of immigration reform and
practice," said Ellen Kief, the other incoming Co-Chair of the Immigration Law
Section, and a solo practitioner focusing on immigration and family law. "We are
looking forward to a dynamic year."