PAIR Pro Bono Asylum Victories of 2011

Marisa Howe, of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo P.C., successfully represented a woman from Guinea victimized by gender violence.  The case was appealed to the Board of Immigration Appeals, subsequently remanded to immigration court, and ultimately granted as a result of the hard work and persistence of Attorney Howe. 

Kevin Blume and Gerardo Perez-Giusti, of Dechert LLP, successfully represented a Colombian woman fleeing political persecution.  The client and her family were targeted and threatened for resisting the Fuerzas Armandas Revolucionarias de Colombia (FARC), an armed force opposed to the Colombian government.  With the assistance of his legal team, the client was granted asylum by the Boston Immigration Court.  Ilana Greenstein of Kaplan, Friedman & Associates mentored the case.

Arthur Andersen III and John Reynolds III, of Ropes and Gray LLP, successfully represented a Cameroonian woman fleeing political persecution.  Their client, a student activist and peaceful protester, has suffered multiple beatings and incarcerations from government officials as a result of her political views.  With the dedication of her legal team, the client was granted asylum by the Immigration Court.

Frank White, of Proskauer Rose LLP, successfully represented a client from Cameroon who was fleeing violence due to his social group.  Client was arrested and detained by the Cameroonian police, during which time he was beaten and tortured.  With the help of Attorney White, the client was granted asylum by the Boston Immigration Court.  Anita P. Sharma of the PAIR Project mentored the case.

Doreen Rachal, of Bingham McCutchen LLP, successfully represented a client from the Democratic Republic of Congo in his asylum case, who was targeted by Congolese forces for his ethnicity and political activism.   Client escaped his country, and with Attorney Rachal’s help, is rebuilding his life in the U.S.  Abby Colbert, of the Irish International Immigrant Center, mentored the case.

Doreen Rachal, of Bingham McCutchen LLP, also successfully represented a Nigerian woman fleeing gender violence before the Boston Immigration Court.  The client fled her country to escape from widespread gender violence and has finally found refuge in the U.S. thanks to her legal team at Bingham.  Jane Rocamora, of Greater Boston Legal Services, served as a mentor on the case.

William Dunn of Ropes and Gray, and Amanda Kellar, of Hirsch Roberts Weinstein LLP, successfully represented a Tibetan woman fleeing violent persecution for her political activism, who had been detained, beaten, and tortured for her political beliefs before escaping to the United States.  With the help of her legal team, the client was granted asylum by the Newark Asylum Office.

Charles Kooyman and Andrew O’Connor, of Ropes and Gray LLP, successfully represented a client from Zimbabwe in his asylum case.  The client had been unlawfully detained, beaten, and tortured by government forces for opposing the Zimbabwean government.  With the help of his legal team, the client was granted asylum before the Boston Immigration Court.  Anita P. Sharma of the PAIR Project mentored the case.

Marie Handfield, of Sullivan & Worcester LLP, and David McHaffey, of Barker, Epstein & Loscocco, successfully represented a client from Uganda, who was abducted, imprisoned and tortured for his ethnicity and political activities.  Thanks to the work of his legal team, the client, his wife, and his daughter were granted asylum by the Newark Asylum Office.  Sarah Ignatius, of the PAIR Project, mentored the case.

Amanda Ekey, a student in the BU Civil Litigation Clinic, successfully represented an Algerian family who fled brutal persecution by government forces.  The case was supervised by Elizabeth Badger, Visiting Professor, Boston University Civil Litigation Clinic, Susan Akram, Clinical Professor, Boston University Civil Litigation Clinic and David McHaffey, of Barker Epstein & Loscocco.

Thea Bernas, a student in the Boston University Civil Litigation Program, successfully represented a client from Eritrea who was repeatedly assaulted at the hands of government and military officials.  The case was supervised by Elizabeth Badger, Visiting Professor, Boston University Civil Litigation Clinic and Susan Akram, Clinical Professor, Boston University Civil Litigation Clinic.

Karla Chaffee and Steven Perlmutter, of Robinson & Cole LLP, successfully represented an Ethiopian client who was imprisoned, beaten, and repeatedly threatened by government forces for his support of an opposition party.  Thanks to the dedication of his legal team, client was granted asylum status by the Newark Asylum Office.

Bo Han, of WilmerHale, successfully represented a woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo who was targeted for her political activities.  Anita P. Sharma, of the PAIR Project, mentored the case.

Melissa Bordeaux, a student intern at the law firm Barker, Epstein & Loscocco, successfully represented an Eritrean man who was targeted for his religious views.  The client was detained, beaten, and threatened by Eritrean government officials for refusing to disavow his religion and for speaking out against oppressive working conditions. David McHaffey, of Barker, Epstein & Loscocco, supervised the case.