This has overwhelmed providers like the Bar Association of San Francisco, which has a special representation program for HIV-positive naturalization applicants. An increase in immigration detainees has prompted organizations such as the New York-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights and the Association of the Bar of the City of New York's Community Outreach Program to recruit more volunteer attorneys. Customarily, the need for legal representation has been met in significant part by volunteer lawyers, many of whom find pro bono immigration work personally rewarding. There are also efforts to address cutting-edge issues in the field. Such initiatives are particularly valued by associates because they can gain practical experience while finding personal fulfillment.
Law firms find value as well in immigration pro bono work.
Developing an asylum case, for example, exposes litigators to the lawyering skills needed for handling the litigation challenges of complex commercial cases. Law firm partners acknowledge that, for many young lawyers, pro bono immigration work means hands-on trial experience. Legal assistance is often essential to ensuring fairness in immigration proceedings. Lawyers can be guarantors of due process and nondiscrimination. While the efforts of volunteer lawyers may not always resolve basic structural inequalities in the immigration area, they are nonetheless a significant resource.