The Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP) in conjunction with the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, the Washington Law School Foundation, the Seattle University School of Law Access to Justice Institute and Perkins Coie LLP invites you to participate in a Continuing Legal Education program on the Violence Against Women Act and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status.

The Immigrant Families Advocacy Project (IFAP) was founded in 1996 as a partnership between the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) and the University of Washington School of Law. The organization trains and matches law students with pro bono attorneys and eligible immigrant survivors of domestic violence to self-petition for legal permanent resident status under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). IFAP recently expanded its services to include Special Immigrant Juvenile Status petitions, representing immigrant juveniles who have been abused, abandoned, or neglected. IFAP has enabled many immigrant women and children to leave abusive relationships and begin lives free of violence, while providing law students with an opportunity to gain training and experience in immigration law, domestic violence advocacy, and client counseling.

Attorneys who commit to take one IFAP case during the 2003-04 school year can attend the CLE for the cost of materials, $15. At the close of the event, these attorneys will be paired with two law students and assigned a case by NWIRP.

Robert A. Free B.A. University of California at Berkeley, 1969; M.A. Stanford University, 1970; J.D. University of Washington, 1975. Bob is a past President of the Washington Chapter of the American Immigration Lawyers Association and past member of the Board of Governors of the national association. He is a frequent lecturer at local and national immigration law seminars and writes about immigration law for scholarly publications. He is an adjunct professor of law at Seattle University and an attorney with MacDonald, Hoague and Bayless.

Marie Higuera recently rejoined the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project in October as an attorney in the domestic violence unit. She provides representation to victims of trafficking and to immigrant juveniles. Ms. Higuera previously worked with Seattle University’s Access to Justice Institute as the staff attorney for the Immigration Court Project and the Hague Convention Project. Prior to that, she spent seven years as an attorney with Gibbs Houston Pauw. Before entering private practice, she worked with NWIRP as a volunteer, an interim staff attorney, and a Goldmark attorney. Ms. Higuera received her J.D. from the University of Washington School of Law. She has volunteered in the past as an IFAP pro bono attorney.

Grace Huang works as the public policy coordinator for the Washington State Coalition Against Domestic Violence (WSCADV). She is a graduate of the University of Washington School of Law. Prior to her position at WSCADV, Ms. Huang worked for the law firm of Gibbs Houston Pauw, where her practice emphasized immigration law, particularly family-based immigration, asylum, and removal defense. She has previously been employed at Columbia Legal Services, where she primarily worked with public benefits, family law, and immigration law, and at the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where she represented victims of domestic violence. Ms. Huang has conducted numerous trainings both locally and nationally regarding the overlap of domestic violence law, immigration, and public benefits. She currently participates in the Washington State Anti-Trafficking taskforce convened by the Washington State legislature. She also serves as a board member for the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, and is an advisory board member for the National Network on Behalf of Battered Immigrant Women. She is a recipient of the 1999 Northwest Immigrant Rights Project "Golden Door Award" for her advocacy on behalf of immigrants, and the recipient of the 2000 Northwest Women's Law Center Cynthia Gillespie Award, recognizing her work toward advancing legal rights for women.

Andrea Parra is the supervising attorney at the domestic violence unit of the Northwest Immigrant Rights Project, where she represents immigrant survivors of domestic violence in self-petitions, conditional residence waivers and removal proceedings. She has also worked as a removal and citizenship attorney at the same organization. She received her law degree from the University of Los Andes in Bogota, Colombia and obtained a Masters Degree in American Law at Boston University. In Colombia she worked at a Center for Socio-Legal Studies and participated as principal researcher in a number of projects, including "Sex Crimes in Santafe de Bogota", "Congress Watch", and "Human Rights Discourses of Armed Actors." In Colombia, she also worked with domestic violence survivors advocating for their access to legal services. While in Boston she participated in the Battered Women Advocacy Program with Northeastern University and the Boston Medical Center.

3.75 Credits Approved (including .75 Ethics Credits). For more information regarding CLE credits, contact UW CLE at 206-543-0059.

Refunds are available up to five business days prior to the program. In lieu of refund we encourage participants to send a substitute. Please notify UW CLE of any requests for refunds or substitutions. All cancellations are subject to a $30 handling charge.

To request accommodations for the disabled, please contact the office of the ADA coordinator at (206) 543-6450 (voice); (206) 543-6452 (TTY); (206) 685=7264 (fax); or dso@u.washington.edu (e-mail).

Refunds are available up to five days prior to the program. In lieu of a refund, we encourage participants to send a substitute. Please notify the UW CLE of any requests for refunds or substitutions. All cancellations are subject to a $30 handling charge.

To request accommodations for the disabled, please contact the office of the Disability Services Office at least ten days in advance at:(206) 543-6450 (voice); (206) 543-6452 (TDD); (206) 685-7264 (FAX), or dso@u.washington.edu (E-Mail).