The Milwaukee Bar Association has selected Catholic Charities’ Legal Services to Immigrants program as the 2011 Pro Bono Publico Award organization winner. Immigration Attorney, Barbara Graham, services director of the program, accepted the award at the 8th Annual State of the Court Luncheon on Wed., Oct. 12, at the Wisconsin Club Grand Ballroom in Milwaukee.
“We were flattered to receive this award, and truly appreciate the pro bono attorneys who make our work possible,” stated Graham. “The attorneys from Quarles & Brady, Foley & Lardner, Miller Coors and Northwestern Mutual who are on the pro bono panel treated our clients as attentively and with as much diligence as their paying clients. Our program serves some of the poorest of the poor…people who would never be able to pay for quality, legal services. It gives me great pride to work with such dedicated and caring professionals."
Catholic Charities' Legal Services to Immigrants staff, from left: Attorney Peter O'Meara, Supervising Attorney Barb Graham, and Attorney Adela Meráz.
Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee provides broad-based immigration legal services to newcomers to the United States who are seeking to become citizens or reunify with family members living here. They also assist individuals trying to secure asylum or temporary protection in the United States. The team of pro bono attorneys work on petitions for residency for immigrant victims of domestic violence and other serious crimes, asylum petitions, and assist clients whose immigration problems require additional legal help outside the area of immigration. Catholic Charities represents clients before the Immigration Court for detained and non detained immigrants petitioning for documentation for U.S. residency and immigrant victims of domestic violence. The program, established in the year 2000, serves poor and low-income people in the ten counties of southeastern Wisconsin.
It is easy to be taken advantage of when you are a “stranger” in another country. Threats of deportation, unscrupulous landlords, employers, “notarios” or attorneys, looking for their own financial gain while preying on the fears of undocumented immigrants are a commonplace occurrence. Catholic Charities provides legal counsel and assistance for those that society often sees as the “stranger” in our midst.
For new immigrants to this country, the road to citizenship can be a daunting journey. Our government is based on documents and documentation – much different than many Latin American cultures where it is often difficult to secure even basic forms. With the help of Catholic Charities, that road to citizenship has become an easier one to travel. Legal Services to immigrants typically works with newcomers to our country who are seeking to become citizens or reunify with family members living in the United States. Our services also assist individuals who are trying to secure asylum or temporary protection in the U.S.
In addition, VAWA, the Violence Against Women Act, was created in 1994 and renewed in 2000 with a broader umbrella of protection that now gives immigrant victims of domestic violence a mechanism in which to gain lawful residency in the United States. VAWA protection is extended to anyone in an abusive situation, male or female, who is married to a U.S. citizen or lawful permanent resident. A good portion of Catholic Charities’ VAWA work is trying to keep parents together with their children who were born here and are now citizens. Service: Provides information sessions, legal counsel and assistance for vulnerable individuals. Clients Served: Newcomers to the U.S. who are seeking to become citizens or reunify with family members living in the United States, individuals trying to secure asylum or temporary protection in the U.S., and immigrant victims of domestic violence. Fees for Services: Information sessions are at no charge. Legal counsel fees are on a sliding scale based on an individual's ability to pay.
Service Area: Throughout the ten counties of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
Barb Graham St. Patrick Parish 731 W. Washington Street Milwaukee, WI 53204 bgraham@ccmke.org 414-643-8570
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