Capacity Building Initiative
Launched in 2022, ImmDef’s Capacity Building Initiative strengthens both our internal infrastructure and the broader national movement for universal representation in immigration court. Through this program, we enhance our ability to provide high‑quality legal defense in removal proceedings while offering technical assistance and training to partner organizations across Southern California that are developing their own universal representation models.
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As one of the largest nonprofit immigration law organizations implementing a universal representation model since 2015, ImmDef is a recognized leader in immigration legal services. Our team is uniquely positioned to mobilize experienced staff, share best practices, and support regional partners working to expand access to government‑funded immigration legal representation.
Building Capacity for Universal Representation
ImmDef’s Capacity Building Initiative brings together a suite of programs designed to expand our ability to deliver high‑quality legal representation under our universal representation model. These efforts include RepresentLA, ImmDef’s pioneering Spanish Language for Lawyers Program, the Jurisdictional Capacity Building Program, robust legal internship and fellowship opportunities, ongoing professional development, comprehensive legal training resources, and interpretation services.
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Collectively, these programs increase access to free immigration legal services and strengthen the network of nonprofit immigration attorneys across Southern California. By investing in training, language access, and organizational capacity, ImmDef helps build a more resilient and effective universal representation movement.
Represent LA
Launched in 2022–2023, RepresentLA is funded through a public-private partnership between Los Angeles County, the City of Los Angeles, and Philanthropy. ImmDef manages both detained and non-detained removal defense program branches for eight organizations in the region. Through this effort, we help expand a merits-blind universal representation approach to provide free legal help for immigrants in Los Angeles, ensuring that low-income residents facing deportation receive high-quality deportation defense lawyers regardless of their case outcome or ability to pay.
Spanish Language for Lawyers Program
ImmDef’s trailblazing Spanish Language for Lawyers Program addresses the growing need for Spanish-speaking immigration lawyer nonprofit practitioners who can serve unrepresented clients. The program attracts licensed attorneys with limited Spanish proficiency and helps them strengthen their legal Spanish through professional classes and tutoring. Beyond language, we train practitioners to lawyer effectively and compassionately in Spanish using culturally competent principles. Over a 10-week period, attorneys participate in intensive classes while receiving on-the-job immigration removal defense training and CLEs. Thanks to this program, more than 300 children in Southern California—who otherwise would not have had representation—have been supported by a culturally competent, linguistically fluent attorney.
Jurisdictional Capacity Building (JCBO)
In 2023 ImmDef became the Southern Region Jurisdictional Capacity Building Organization (JCBO) for the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Removal Defense Network. ImmDef provides technical assistance to removal defense legal service providers across the state, with an emphasis on organizations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange County, and the Inland Empire. Through this statewide effort, we help increase California immigration legal defense capacity by offering support with case management, substantive case assistance, 1:1 meetings, monthly office hours, and quarterly convenings.
Internships/Fellowships
ImmDef strengthens the immigration legal ecosystem by welcoming seasonal interns and fellows who gain hands-on experience with deportation defense across our four office locations. We partner with local and national law schools through career fairs, externships, substantive panels, and summer clerkships. Through our fellowship program, we welcome IJC fellows, EJW and similar post-grad fellows, as well as school-specific placements such as Georgetown Fellows, helping create the next generation of nonprofit immigration attorneys.
Internal Training
Our Capacity Building team empowers ImmDef staff through comprehensive professional development that enhances legal expertise, practical skills, and cultural competency. Team members gain access to a wide range of training resources, including MCLE‑accredited internal and external courses; virtual and on‑site training centers featuring updated practice advisories, templates, and manuals; and a specialized law library with IRAC‑formatted unpublished BIA decisions. Staff also benefit from curated professional memberships and learning opportunities—all designed to elevate the quality of legal services for immigrants and strengthen the impact of our nonprofit immigration law center.