WilmerHale lawyers from the firm’s New York office recently partnered with lawyers from firm client Cisco at a pro bono legal clinic hosted by New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG) at First Ukrainian Church in Manhattan to provide legal assistance to Ukrainian refugees.
At the clinic, teams of WilmerHale and Cisco pro bono lawyers met individually with approximately 25 Ukrainian nationals to provide advice regarding their legal rights and available forms of immigration relief. In addition, the volunteer lawyers screened the clients for other legal needs and provided referrals for additional social and legal services through NYLAG and other nonprofit organizations.
More than 275,000 Ukrainian refugees have entered the United States since February 2022, and tens of thousands are now living in New York. Many are still in need of legal assistance as they pursue pathways to lawful immigration status, family reunification, employment authorization and housing.
To address these needs, WilmerHale and Cisco lawyers partnered with NYLAG. NYLAG is a leading civil legal services organization with an Immigrant Protection Unit dedicated to ensuring that low-income immigrants in New York City can secure legal status and, with it, access to health care, employment, housing, education and other basic necessities.