CLE - DACA/DAPA

William S. Boyd School of Law
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

 February 27, 2015
1:30 – 4:30 pm
3 CLE credits/.5 ethics credit

Understanding Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA)
and Deferred Action for Parental Accountability (DAPA)

To Register - click here

Presenters
Professor Fatma Marouf and Professor Michael Kagan
William S. Boyd School of Law, Thomas & Mack Immigration Clinic

Gabrielle Jones, Deputy Directing Attorney, Family Justice Project, Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada

Gabrielle Jones joined Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada in 2008 as a staff attorney in the Family Justice Project. Gabrielle represents victims of domestic violence in TPO hearings, divorce, custody and guardianship matters. Gabrielle also manages the law clerk program at Legal Aid Center where she recruits, places and supervises the law clerks throughout the office. Prior to coming to Legal Aid Center, Gabrielle was the managing attorney at Louisiana Civil Justice Center where she assisted victims of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in the Gulf Coast.

Gabrielle is a graduate of the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana and earned her law degree with honors in 2001. While in law school, she was Articles Editor for law review. Gabrielle received her undergraduate degree in Government and Sociology from McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Gabrielle is licensed to practice law in Nevada, Louisiana and Washington, D.C.

Kathia Pereira, Pereira Immigration Law Group

Kathia is the founding partner of Pereira Immigration Law Group and is dedicated to share information about immigration laws with the community. With more than 10 years of experience dedicated to immigration and nationality law, attorney Pereira is a leading source of help and information in our community.

Program Overview

This CLE will provide an overview of the President’s recent executive actions on immigration, including criteria for the new DACA and DAPA programs, including the criminal bars and enforcement priorities relevant to DACA and DAPA, how to complete the application, and what documentation should be provided in support of the application. In addition, the presenters will discuss potential pitfalls and ethical obligations of attorneys representing these applicants. The program will include a question and answer session with the presenters and a panel of experienced immigration lawyers.

The presenters will discuss the ways in which representing clients in their DACA and DAPA applications implicate a lawyer’s professional conduct. In particular, given the complexity of the US Immigration System, the temporary nature of deferred action, the discretionary nature of deferred action, and the length of time that it can take the agency to process applications, issues surrounding competence, the scope of representation, communicating with the client, and advising the client will come up during representation. Additionally, lawyers must be informed about what benefits applicants can and cannot expect to obtain with deferred action, and this implicates how a lawyer advises her client and how a lawyer communicates regarding her services. This discussion will focus on the following Nevada Rules of Professional Conduct: NRCP 1.1 – Competence; NRCP 1.2 – Scope of Representation; NRCP 1.4 – Communication; NRCP 2.1 – Advisor; and NRCP 7.1 – Communications Concerning a Lawyer’s Services. 

Agenda

• Introduction
• Overview of DACA and DAPA including criminal Bars, enforcement priorities and ethical issues
• Break
• Documentation for DACA and DAPA
• Frequently asked questions - Q & A with attorneys
• Closing remarks

Fee Schedule

Cost of registration is free but attorneys must agree to volunteer for a minimum of two community Ask-A-Lawyer events.