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.