Online Nonprofit Immigration Legal Services Directory Launches

New York, September 26, 2011 – A new online resource provides searchable listings for more than 900 free or low-cost immigration legal services providers in all 50 states. The National Immigration Legal Services Directory allows users to search by geographic region, types of legal assistance provided, populations served, and languages spoken.

The Directory was developed by the Immigration Advocates Network (IAN), a collaborative effort of leading immigrants’ rights organizations, and Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit that works to increase access to justice through innovative uses of technology, and one of IAN’s founders. The directory was developed with support from the Four Freedoms Fund.

The Directory will initially be made available through the IAN website (www.immigrationadvocates.org/nonprofit/legaldirectory). Nearly 5,000 nonprofit and pro bono immigration advocates are members of IAN, with access to thousands of immigration law and policy resources. The Directory will assist them in connecting clients with needed legal services. A public version of the directory designed to help low-income immigrants find legal assistance on their own will be launched this fall.

“The National Immigration Legal Services Directory exemplifies IAN’s goal of using technology to overcome barriers and to improve coordination among immigration advocates and service providers,” said Matthew Burnett of the Immigration Advocates Network.

“The Directory is a valuable tool for overstretched legal and social services advocates, who can now easily access referral information for clients in need of immigration services,” said Maria Odom, Executive Director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC). “At a time of unprecedented need, anything that helps advocates work more efficiently and effectively is hugely beneficial.”

Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) is a collaborative effort of leading immigrants’ rights organizations designed to increase access to justice for low-income immigrants and strengthen the capacity of organizations serving them. IAN promotes more effective and efficient communication and collaboration among immigration advocates and organizations by providing free, easily accessible and comprehensive online resources and tools. IAN’s partners include the ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, American Bar Association Commission on Immigration, American Immigration Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association, ASISTA, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Pro Bono Net, and the Advocates for Human Rights. For more information, visit www.immigrationadvocates.org.

Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing access to justice through innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation. Pro Bono Net uses innovative web-based platforms—www.probono.net, www.lawhelp.org and www.lawhelpinteractive.org —to recruit and support volunteer lawyers and provide direct information and tools for self representation to low-income communities. For more information, visit www.probono.net.