A NOTE FROM OUR FOUNDER

As a community of attorneys and advocates committed to human rights, equal justice, democracy, and the rule of law, our work has never been more important. The invasion of Ukraine creating a new wave of refugees; the likelihood that Roe v. Wade will be overturned by the Supreme Court; increasingly hostile state legislative attacks on reproductive rights, LGBTQ+ rights, and voting rights; the ongoing crisis for asylum seekers at the border; the worsening climate crisis; the continuing need to fight for racial justice - for these reasons (and so many others) we must continue to show up where we’re needed, when we’re needed.

That is exactly what we’re doing. Thanks to our incredible network of supporters and volunteers, we were able to quickly mobilize a nationwide pro bono project to help Ukrainian nationals in the U.S. apply for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) and Employment Authorization Documents (work permits). More than 2,500 attorneys have already signed up to participate. 

We’re also producing key research and analysis on state-level policies contributing to racial disparities, like our recent report on corporal punishment in public schools. We’re fighting the climate crisis by getting new infrastructure funds into communities that need them the most for clean energy and climate sustainability projects. We’re continuing to defend the rights of asylum seekers at our southern border. And we are preparing to train attorneys nationwide to become advocates in the fight for state-level legislative reform. 

We couldn’t do this work without supporters like you. Thank you.

 

TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine

L4GG has launched the TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine, a remote pro se clinic to provide legal assistance in applying for Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Ukrainian Nationals in the US. 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. To apply for this new form of temporary relief, eligible Ukrainian nationals must fill out a lengthy immigration application form known as an I-821. 

Our new clinic will provide Ukrainian nationals with free lawyers to assist them in the immigration application process, as well as in applying for work permits so they can provide for themselves and their families while they shelter in the U.S. We have recruited more than 2,500 pro bono attorneys from 130 law firms and companies to participate. They began assisting clients in early May. 

The TPS Pro Bono Project for Ukraine is a great example of how L4GG specializes in quickly launching and scaling pro bono projects when legal needs emerge during crises. 

 
 

INFRASTRUCTURE FUNDING FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

When the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) passed Congress in late 2021, L4GG began building a nationwide Decarbonization and Climate Resiliency Funding Clinic to provide legal assistance to municipal leaders on how to secure funding for new climate projects from this once-in-a-lifetime investment. After working with 42+ cities in 24 states on clean energy, we know that local governments and communities will need legal assistance in order to receive, use, and implement the new funding. 

We are now partnering with World Resources Institute (WRI) and a group of intrepid volunteers from Davis Wright Tremaine to conduct research, develop materials, and train both local leaders and state administrators on IIJA funds and its equity provisions to assist disadvantaged communities. We’re collaborating with coalition partners like NRDC, EarthJustice, WRI, RMI, SSDN, and many others to track the guidance, create training materials, and provide direct assistance that ensures the new $550 billion of new funding goes where it’s needed most.  

This effort will have a long-lasting impact on the policies surrounding equity funding and the use of infrastructure dollars for climate projects.

 
 

CORPORAL PUNISHMENT IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Did you know that: 

  • nineteen states still allow corporal punishment in public schools?

  • corporal punishment may include striking a student by hand, choking them, hitting them with a baseball bat, or subjecting them to electric shock?

  • each state that uses corporal punishment in public schools disproportionately uses this form of state-sanctioned violence against at least one marginalized community, like Black students or students with disabilities? 

If you weren’t aware that this abusive practice with racist roots was still active, you wouldn’t be alone. L4GG released a new report documenting the impact of corporal punishment in public schools, and what governments can do to stop it. 

The report was written with the assistance of more than a dozen pro bono volunteers, and thanks to their efforts we can now bolster advocacy efforts to end this harmful practice. We’ll work directly with state legislators and with our grassroots partners working in the 19 states identified in the report.

You can access the report at L4GG.org/CorporalPunishmentReport.

 
 

ANDRES’ STORY

Deaf and unable to communicate in standard sign language, Andres arrived in Brownsville in March 2020 fleeing persecution in his home country of El Salvador. He had traveled to the U.S. with his sister Alessandra and his 1-year-old niece. With Andres’ disability, Alessandra is the only person in the world with whom he can converse.

Despite these extreme vulnerabilities, Andres was turned away—denied his right to
protection while awaiting his asylum case. The family was detained by ICE for over a week before
being placed into the “Migrant Protection Protocols” program and unceremoniously dumped onto the streets of Matamoros. They were not given any food, water, or services from the American or Mexican governments. They were simply told to wait until the US was ready to hear their asylum claim. So they joined the thousands of others waiting for months and even years in the refugee camp in Matamoros.

L4GG filed a parole request for the family, advocating for their release into the U.S. Finally, after much persistence, our request was granted. The family spent 11 months in a tent, struggling to survive and waiting for assistance, and they could still be there, if not for the industrious, enduring work of our staff and volunteers.

 
 

INVEST IN HUMAN RIGHTS AND EQUAL JUSTICE

Support our critical work on immigrants’ rights, climate change, racial justice, and other emergent legal issues. We count on your donations, large or small, one-time or monthly. L4GG Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit.