Tahirih Houston teams up with Association of Corporate Counsel and Baker & McKenzie to help survivors’ access justice
An intensive, two-day legal clinic at Tahirih Houston this Thursday and Friday will set the wheels of justice in motion for a group of immigrant survivors of domestic violence hoping to rebuild their lives.
Tahirih Houston is teaming up with lawyers from the Houston chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel and Baker & McKenzie to hold the two-day legal clinic. Participants will prepare U visa petitions for a group of courageous survivors of violence.
U visas provide temporary legal status to victims of certain crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to assist law enforcement and government officials in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity.
“Our partners from ACC Houston and Baker & McKenzie will work with our clients during the clinic to develop the heart of the U visa application, the client’s affidavit. At the close of the clinic, they will have developed a substantial document that has the potential to safeguard a courageous woman from vulnerability, violence and abuse,” said Anne Chandler, the director of Tahirih Houston.
ACC Houston provides professional and business services to 1,100 in-house counsel in the Greater Houston Area, and Baker & McKenzie is an international law firm dedicated to meeting the challenges of the global economy in the 21st century.
“ACC Houston really appreciates the opportunity to work with the Tahirih Justice Center and Baker & McKenzie. We see pro bono service as an important way to give back to the community, and the clinic is an opportunity to serve individuals in need,” said Tim Howard, the pro bono coordinator for ACC Houston.
Since its founding in 2009, Tahirih Houston has trained hundreds of professionals to address the needs of immigrant women and girls fleeing gender-based violence. In 2013 alone, Tahirih Houston trained more than 700 professionals throughout the Greater Houston Area.
