As part of the firm’s Political Asylum and Immigrants’ Rights Pro Bono Project, lawyers across Sidley’s U.S. offices handle impact litigation and individual representations, including asylum cases and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) cases, on behalf of asylum-seeking immigrants and refugees fleeing persecution abroad. We also represent victims of trafficking, domestic violence, and other crimes who are seeking immigration status.
Sidley also partners with several legal departments of our corporate clients to host clinics and staff cases to help asylees and refugees obtain lawful permanent resident status and bring family members to the United States.
Our clinic work was an important part of our pro bono program in 2025.
We regularly partner with several legal departments of our corporate clients to deliver pro bono legal services. Together with the assistance of the National Immigrant Justice Center (NIJC), we host quarterly clinics to help asylees and refugees obtain lawful permanent resident status and bring family members to the United States.
In addition, we have a strong partnership with Safe Passage Project, a New York organization that offers us remote clinic opportunities that our corporate clients are able to join from all over the country. In collaboration with Safe Passage Project, Sidley lawyers and in-house legal teams from corporate clients assist immigrant children and families navigating the immigration system on matters involving asylum, SIJS, and related forms of humanitarian relief. Through these clinics, volunteers provide direct legal support, conduct client interviews, prepare applications and supporting materials, and help vulnerable young people access legal protections and stability.
Similarly, we work alongside the Anti-Recidivism Coalition (ARC) to support individuals seeking second chances through criminal record relief and reentry assistance. Through remote and in-person clinics, Sidley lawyers and in-house counsel collaborate to interview clients, assess eligibility for record-sealing and expungement remedies, and prepare petitions that can help remove barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities.
