Volunteer Attorneys

Lack of experience is not a barrier to providing pro bono representation to asylum seekers! Asylum cases are carefully screened by Project staff for eligibility for asylum in the U.S. When you take a case, you will be teamed with an experienced immigration attorney, who will be available throughout the case to consult with you on case strategy and legal and procedural issues.  You will also have the support of the Project staff attorneys, program assistants and volunteers, all committed to providing the assistance you need to successfully represent your client.   Pro bono attorneys are provided with a copy of our Volunteer Attorney Manual and are encouraged to attend our Annual Asylum Conference.  Practice Alerts and topical roundtables keep you updated on changes in law and procedure affecting your client.

If you are interested in representing an asylum seeker, the first thing to do is to join probono.net today and view a list of current asylum cases in need of volunteer attorneys. Go to Probono.net  Click on the link to Join This Practice Area. Complete the form and click the submit button at the bottom of the form. Minnesota Advocates staff will approve your access to probono.net within 24 hours, giving you access to a list of current asylum cases as well as practice advisories, links to legal resources, a brief bank, country conditions resources, and other information designed to support you as you represent your pro bono asylum client.

Since 1984, Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights' Refugee & Asylum Project has provided legal representation to hundreds of asylum seekers through our pro bono panel. Each year, the Project accepts over 100 new cases for pro bono representation.

Click here to view the online resources for volunteer attorneys representing asylum seekers.


Volunteer Translators/Interpreters

Volunteer translators and interpreters can assist in preparing an client's application for asylum by translating supporting documents for the application or interpreting at interviews and meetings with the client's attorney and immigration officials. Minnesota Advocates keeps a database of volunteer translators and interpreters to call upon as client needs are determined. If you are fluent in English and one or more other languages, and are interested in serving as a volunteer translator or interpreter, join our translator database today! Email us about your interest at [email protected] with your name, mailing address, phone number and languages you are fluent in, in addition to English. For more information, or if you have questions, call 612.341.3302.


Volunteer Doctors, Psychiatrists and Psychologists

A professional evaluation of a client's physical and mental health is often a critical element supporting their asylum claim. Volunteer health professionals can help corroborate a client's claim that he or she was tortured in their country of origin, or that they have a credible fear of being tortured if they return to their country of origin.  By confirming that the client's physical and psychological symptoms are consistent with the type of abuse that the client reports, the volunteer health professional can support the client's credibility.  Licensed doctors, phychiatrists and psychologists who are interested in volunteering to assist low-income asylum clients can email [email protected] or call 612.341.3302 to learn more about how they can become involved in providing this critical service.

Youth Speakers Bureau

Minnesota Advocates is in search of high school students who are interested or active in human rights to become volunteer speakers at events or to community groups.  We especially encourage immigrant and refugee students to join our youth volunteer speakers group.  If you sign up, then we may contact you periodically to ask if you'd like to speak on a certain date.  We will meet with you in advance to plan the details of your talk, which can be 10-60 minutes long, depending on the type of presentation.  Audiences range from community and church groups to K-12 classrooms and youth groups.  Email Megan or call 612.341.3302 if you are interested or have questions.


Volunteer Accounting Assistant

Minnesota Advocates relies on volunteers to help with all aspects of the work in the organization.  Periodically we are in need of accounting assistance and other related duties.  The Volunteer Accounting Assistant helps to create and run financial reports so that all of our programs are managed efficiently.  No accounting experience is necessary, although familiarity with a computer is helpful.  Interested persons should email [email protected] or call 612.341.3302 to find our more about becoming a volunteer.

Volunteer for International Women's Day

Our tenth annual International Women's Day Celebration will take place on March 12, 2005.  Our planning begins in September and continues through early March, and

we are looking for volunteers to help with a wide variety of event-planning tasks:

• Overall planning as member of Steering Committee
• Follow-up contacts with potential workshop presenters and co-sponsoring organizations
• Food and beverage donations
• Graphic design and printing of flyers and programs
• Publicity
• Mailings
• Logistics - audio/visual needs for workshops and performances; display tables; food donations, set-up and clean-up
• Volunteer coordination for the day of the event
• Registration (and pre-registration)
• Research on International Women's Day celebrations in other countries

Contact: Mary Hunt, 612-341-3302, ext. 107 or [email protected].

Volunteer Translators - Stop Violence Against Women

The Women's Human Rights Program is seeking a volunteer translator who is fluent in Russian or any of the languages used in the CEE/NIS region. The volunteer will assist with the Stop Violence Against Women website (www.stopvaw.org), which provides resources and message forums for women's advocates in Central and Eastern Europe, the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and the U.N. Protectorate of Kosovo. The volunteer will translate training modules on domestic violence, sexual assault, sexual harassment, and trafficking from English to the applicable language. In addition, the volunteer may be asked to translate laws in the region from the applicable language to English. If interested, please contact Rose Park at 612-341-3302 ext. 106 or email [email protected].

Volunteer Graphic Designers

The Women's Program at Minnesota Advocates for Human Rights is soliciting design ideas for the Stop Violence Against Women website as well as the website logo and newsletter. The website is located at www.stopvaw.org. The website provides resources and message forums for women's advocates in Central and Eastern Europe, the Newly Independent States of the former Soviet Union, Mongolia and the U.N. Protectorate of Kosovo.

In particular the Women's Program would like assistance in completing the following website, logo and newsletter design tasks:

• Creating a new website design using a different color scheme and the country pages the home page (perhaps with a banner of flags across the top of the home page which can be linked to the country pages).
• Creating a unique logo for the website that reflects the STOPVAW mission to promote women's human rights by informing and connecting women's advocates around the world. We anticipate that the logo will be featured both on the website and on a newletter distributed to STOPVAW users.
• Creating a design for a STOPVAW newsletter that would be consistent with the design of the website. The Women's Program Staff Attorneys can provide you with more information about the sections that we anticipate will be included in the newsletter.