Please join us for a trauma informed interviewing training for lawyers to support the New Sanctuary Coalition Pro Se Legal Clinic. (If you're not a lawyer and interested in joining our clinic, please check out our training page and we look forward to meeting you!)

The training will be led by Geoff Kagan-Trenchard, Senior Staff Attorney with the New York City Anti Violence Project. About this training:

As attorneys, we take the worst stories people carry and try to mold them into cognizable claims for relief. One of our greatest assets are the memories of the people we serve, particularly the specific details we use to show credibility. However, the effect of trauma on memory is well documented - often times the most painful moments are hardest to clearly remember. So how can we as attorneys help people remember the things anyone would want to forget?

In this training we’ll discuss the latest research in neuropsychology and what it can tell us about how we remember. We will review concrete techniques to reduce stress during interviews as well as how to best support them before, during, and after testimony.

Finally, we’ll look at what we can do to support ourselves and our colleagues in this vital and difficult work.

About the NSC Pro Se Clinic:

The New Sanctuary Coalition believes in empowering our affected communities to understand and lead their own legal cases to the greatest extent possible. The clinic is run by NSC staff and the bulk of the work is done by trained volunteers who work in solidarity with our immigrant Friends.

Every Tuesday, the clinic works with roughly 150 people seeking immigration help. Our Friends work with nearly 300 volunteers to ensure that they are able to assert their legal rights as immigrants. Since its inception in 2014, the Clinic has helped thousands of people file timely asylum claims, change the venue of their deportation hearing, secure representation, and get support from their community.

Volunteer attorneys are an integral part of this community that struggles every day to fight for the right of everyone to live in dignity. Attorneys provide limited legal consultations, review pro se applications, and answer questions to the best of our ability in this ever-changing climate.