The earthquake that struck Haiti in January affected at least 3 million people living in the impoverished island nation. Its effects were also felt in other countries where Haitian refugees and other immigrants live. In the US, Shearman & Sterling’s pro bono efforts have helped many Haitians with immigration issues following the disaster.

After the earthquake, Haiti was designated a Temporary Protected Status (TPS) country by US Citizenship and Immigration Services, meaning immigrants from Haiti who were already in the US without status can file applications to remain in the US and work for a limited amount of time (currently 18 months for Haitians), with or without immigration status. With more than 100,000 Haitians living in the US without immigration status before the earthquake, the TPS program could benefit thousands.

The firm’s Latin American Professional Development (LAPD) affinity group immediately looked for ways to help victims, says LAPD co-chair Abigail Berry. The firm’s Pro Bono team mentioned to LAPD advisor partner Antonia Stolper that the Legal Aid Society was sponsoring TPS clinics around New York City. Members of the LAPD then organized teams that provided the full volunteer staffing sought by Legal Aid for two such clinics. LAPD lawyers worked side by side with Legal Aid's staff attorneys, assisting a number of Haitians applying for temporary protected status.

In order to qualify for protected status, explains associate Christian Gloger, a member of LAPD, immigrants from TPS-qualified countries must fill out a form and submit documents proving they are from the affected country and have been in the US continuously before, during, and after the qualifying event. During the TPS clinics in New York, pro bono attorneys met with immigrants to assist them with this process.

One immigrant Gloger assisted was a 62-year-old HIV-positive man who lost his wife and his home in the earthquake. “Even aside from those losses, there would be no medical help available for him if he returned to Haiti, so obviously he’s much better off in the US for now,” Gloger says. He also helped a young woman in her early 20s who had been in the US without status for several years, noting, “Her English is perfect, she’s been going to school, and for her, this was the perfect opportunity to gain status – I got the impression the TPS process was very helpful.”

Other organizations also sought volunteer attorneys to help Haitians. Sanctuary for Families matched associate Andrew Lipson with a woman needing assistance with her TPS application. Lipson says, “I wanted to be involved in some capacity in helping Haitians after the earthquake. Donating to charities on the ground in Haiti is one thing, but being able to help an individual face to face who is at risk of being sent back to that devastation was an opportunity to do something more personal.” Lipson has met with a woman from Haiti twice (with Patrick Vergin, of Shearman & Sterling's IT team, helping to translate) in order to help prepare and submit her TPS application. “Hopefully, at the very least, this will give her an opportunity to remain here while relief efforts in Haiti progress, and allow her to attend school or support herself in the American job market in the meantime,” Lipson says.

In addition to providing pro bono assistance at the TPS clinics, Shearman & Sterling shared its knowledge with other law firms and organizations, co-hosting a training webinar for those interested in learning more about assisting Haitian immigrants with TPS applications. Julie Dinnerstein, co-director at Sanctuary for Families, and Jojo Annobil, supervising attorney of the Immigration Law Unit at The Legal Aid Society, participated in the webinars, which drew more than 100 attorneys interested in learning about how to help.

The firm’s attorneys also continue to assist Haitians with other immigration questions. Associate Alexander Marcopoulos successfully represented a Haitian-born woman in her petition for a change of immigration status under the Violence Against Women Act, which allows the immigrant spouse of an abusive US citizen to leave the relationship without fear of losing her ability to become a citizen.

The firm's pro bono efforts also took one of the firm's attorneys to Haiti. Counsel Jeff Salinger participated in a multi-law firm initiative at the country’s refugee camps for one week in May. A team of attorneys supported by translators, local NGOs, and medical staff interviewed women from the camps who have experienced sexual assault. Having documentation of these assaults may help the victims obtain humanitarian parole out of Haiti.

Other attorneys who have provided pro bono assistance to Haitians recently include: Danielle Asaad, Abigail Berry, Vittorio Cottafavi, Jeannetta Keta Craigwell-Graham, Jessica Delbaum, Kristopher Thomas Ferranti, Fernando Garrido, Gustavo Gonzalez, Sumeet Jain, Hee Won (Marina) Moon, Pamela Okehie, Eva Rasmussen, Christian Rudloff, and Karen Saah.

“We’re proud of the efforts of the LAPD group and our other attorneys who have stepped up to help Haitians,” says Saralyn Cohen, the firm’s Director of Pro Bono. “Once again, our firm has shown that we’re willing and able to lend our professional skills to those in need.”