Kids In Need of Defense (KIND)

  • To Volunteer, Contact:
    Claire Valentin
    617-207-4138
  • Organization Type: Nonprofit Legal Services Provider

KIND helps unaccompanied children who face the immigration system alone. KIND helps children who have come to the United States without a parent or legal guardian, and are unable to find or afford an attorney to represent them in immigration proceedings.

KIND was founded by Angelina Jolie and the Microsoft Corporation to create a pro bono movement of law firms, corporations, nongovernmental organizations, universities and volunteers to provide quality and compassionate legal counsel to unaccompanied refugee and immigrant children in the United States. KIND serves as the leading organization for the protection of unaccompanied children who enter the US immigration system alone and strives to ensure that no such child appears in immigration court without representation. We achieve fundamental fairness through high-quality legal representation and by advancing the child's best interests, safety, and well-being.

KIND has offices in fourteen cities in the United States - Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Fresno, Hartford,  Houston, Los Angeles, Newark, New York, Northern Virginia, Orlando, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington DC. The Boston office also encompasses a team working in Rhode Island.

KIND finds pro bono attorneys in highly regarded law firms and corporations who agree to represent KIND's child clients in their immigration proceedings. KIND pro bono coordinators in each office provide training on representing unaccompanied children in the U.S. immigration system and comprehensive mentorship until the case is completed. No immigration experience is necessary.

Listing up-to-date as of September 2023.

  • County(s) of Volunteer Opportunity: Bristol, Essex, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth, Suffolk
  • Area of law: Immigration & Naturalization
  • Populations Served: Asylum Seekers, Children, Detained individuals, Immigrants, Individuals who are not in legal immigration status, Juveniles, unaccompanied minors
  • Opportunities For: Interpreters, Law Students, Lawyers, Paralegals, Senior Lawyers
  • Malpractice insurance is provided for volunteers: Yes
  • Training Provided: Yes
  • Training Required: Yes
  • CLE credit for trainings: No
  • CLE credit for pro bono: No
  • Mentoring or supervision offered: Yes
  • Volunteer lawyers need to meet a caseload or hours requirement: No
  • Types of projects in need of Pro Bono help: Litigation: Trial/Direct Representation, Translate legal documents
  • Volunteers may participate long-distance: No
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