Founded in 2006 by attorneys Stacy Cozart and Jennifer Peyton, the C. Lyonel Jones Pro Bono Immigration Committee honors the memory of the former Legal Aid Executive Director. Legal Aid works with the Committee to conduct intake, evaluate cases and place clients with volunteer immigration attorneys. Ms. Cozart and Ms. Peyton serve as volunteer mentors for pro bono cases and often recruit law students from CSU Cleveland-Marshall College of Law and Case Western Reserve University Law School to participate in Committee events.

On April 19, 2008, the Pro Bono Immigration Committee participated in Citizenship Day, held at Legal Aid’s Cleveland office. The American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) designates one day annually for nationwide “citizenship drives”: clinics which provide legal assistance to lawful permanent residents eligible for naturalization. The day was an impressive success, thanks to the efforts of over fifty volunteer attorneys, paralegals and law students. The Committee has also combined forces with Catholic Charities, organizing clinics to assist refugees with the sometimes daunting process of status adjustment. Ms. Cozart estimates over two hundred area families are eligible and will attend the refugee clinics scheduled for this summer.

If you would like to volunteer, please e·mail: probono@lasclev.org