White & Case lawyers in the New York office continually provide counsel to unaccompanied alien children as part of our Immigration Court Juvenile Docket initiative. The Juvenile Docket of statewide cases is made up of illegal minors who have been detained by Homeland Security, mostly teens from Central America, escaping poverty and gang violence. One day each month, a group of approximately eight lawyers, led by counsel Jim Stillwaggon and staff attorney Aaron Brooks or associate David Suggs, interviews these children, adjourns their cases and takes on the ones we can help as clients. Most of them qualify for Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, which means they are orphans or children who have arrived in this country without parents or guardians. These children are taken to New York State Family Court, where we assist them in having a guardian appointed, which allows them to apply for Permanent Residence.

"It is incredible what these children have survived," says Aaron. "Most of them come from places where there is no electricity and running water and they are actively pursuing a better life. They are all in school and trying to learn English. They frequently tell me they would like to become lawyers, so that they can help people in their circumstances in the future."

We were the first law firm to apply new changes to the New York Surrogate Court Procedure Act, which now allows the appointment of a guardian for defendants up to the age of 21 in certain situations, to these cases. Before this, children who were arraigned under the age of 18, but had a birthday before their Family Court proceedings, were unable to get any sort of assistance.

The Firm convinced the Family Court to hear cases up to the age of 21 and we have been very successful in obtaining Permanent Residence for these children, or in rare cases, asylum based on the threat of gang violence or administrative closure based on extreme hardship.

To learn more or become involved yourself, contact Jim Stillwaggon or Patrick Rickerfor.