February Chapter Meeting (Hybrid) - Asylum Office
2025-02-27 17:00 - 18:30 (America/New_York)
Join us for our monthly chapter meeting to hear a presentation from Anita Sharma, Jill Seeber, and Eliana Nader about the latest information learned from meetings with the asylum office. This will be in place of the previously scheduled asylum officers’ presentation as they are unable to join the meeting. Please see details below.

When: Thursday February 27 at 5- 6:30 pm

5:00 – 5:30 Chapter Business Meeting;
5:30 – 6:30 Main Meeting

Where: MCLE at 10 Winter Place in Boston
Virtual option: Register here for Zoom link
RSVP to join dinner at Estella (6.30 – 8pm). The Chapter will cover an appetizer and 1 drink per person.

Prior to the meeting, please review meeting notes from AILA NE Asylum Committee’s December meeting with Acting Director Rachael Sundborg and Deputy Director Onyema Kamalu. The meeting addressed members’ problem cases and office procedure questions. Please find updated AO/SAO list here.

AILA NE Wellbeing Roundtable
2025-03-04 12:00 - 13:00
Join an AILA NE Wellbeing Roundtable with wellbeing speakers Brittany Faith and Lily Axelrod from the Mid-South Chapter. Brittany practices employment-based and family-based immigration and Lily practices family-based, humanitarian, and removal defense matters.
Love Yourself
With caring for our clients, family, and friends, having compassion for yourself, often comes last especially when we are our own worst critics carrying around our own internal trauma. Because of this, we forget that “putting our oxygen masks on first” is essential to be able to the foundation of being able to take care of others. This session will discuss how to find to a place of peace and confidence.
Register for the event here.

AILA NE Connected
2025-03-05 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-03-18 17:00 - 18:00, 2025-04-02 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-15 17:00 - 18:00
Join us at AILA NE Connected: Navigating the Trump 2.0 Storm, a supportive space for AILA NE attorneys to connect, commiserate, and strategize.
Held twice monthly – 1st Wednesday of the month at 12 pm (join here) and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 5 pm (join here), this forum is designed to empower and sustain you as you face unprecedented changes and challenges, both professionally and personally.
Whether you’re grappling with:

New or intensifying travel restrictions,
Managing DACA clients under shifting policies,
Responding to mass deportation efforts,
Supporting business clients navigating new standard for common work visa, DOL wage rules or other restrictions
Or just feeling the weight of this turbulent environment

No need to register in advance—and you don’t have to stay for the full hour, or come every session—drop in whenever you are able. Just bring yourself and whatever is on your mind. We will stand together as advocates, allies, colleagues, and friends. We will get through this together!

Open Chats with the Chair
2025-03-07 16:00 - 16:30, 2025-03-21 16:00 - 16:30, 2025-04-04 16:00 - 16:30, 2025-04-18 16:00 - 16:30
Come chat with the Chair using this Zoom link if you would like to:

Learn about getting more involved at AILA, what resources AILA has to offer, or who in the chapter you might seek advice from on a particular topic;
Get oriented as a new member to AILA or to our chapter;
Provide feedback on the chapter’s activities; or
Just to say hi!

AILA New Member’s Division Taza Chocolate Factory Tour
2025-03-08 13:00 - 15:00
Please join AILA New England’s NMD for a tour of the Taza Chocolate Factory located at 561 Windsor Street, Somerville, Massachusetts 02143 on March 8, 2025 at 1:00pm. We will be celebrating International Women’s Day together by reenergizing, recharging, and helping foster our community. The tour is open to all members, however, the tour is capped at sixteen members, so please email ailanenmd@gmail.com to register. Details on lunch after will be provided soon!
Imagine a gender equal world. A world free of bias, stereotypes, and discrimination. A world that’s diverse, equitable, and inclusive. A world where difference is valued and celebrated. Together we can forge women’s equality. Collectively for #IWD2025 we can all #AccelerateAction.

PAIR Project Asylum Office Hours (New Members Division)
2025-03-12 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-09 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-14 12:00 - 13:00
The PAIR Project is delighted to offer New Members Division members monthly open asylum “office hours” hosted by PAIR’s Asylum Program staff – an open Zoom line that members can drop in on to ask questions, discuss their cases, and hear from others.

You can drop in any time during the hour – no need to sign up or pre-schedule
Office hours will be 12:00-1:00pm on the second Wednesday of each month
Join at https://zoom.us/j/95442321927, Meeting ID: 954 4232 1927

AILA NE Social Event: Free Beginner Bollywood class led by our AILA Intern!
2025-03-17 18:00 - 20:00
Please join us for a fun *free* beginner Bollywood class taught by our fantastic AILA intern, Ananya Potlapalli on Monday 3/17 at The Foundry in Cambridge from 7-8 pm (dinner from 6-7pm)! The location is accessible through the Redline stop at MIT and there is free street parking at meters starting 6 pm.
This class is welcome to dancers of all levels and will be a fun way to learn more about Indian culture through dance. Ananya is trained in Bharatanatyam (classical Indian dance) as well as Bollywood and has choreographed and taught dance for the past ten years. She loves dance for the freedom it gives people to express themselves and she is excited to share that with you all! She will be teaching a short choreography and is open to any suggestions or requests you have for this class.
Join us for dinner before the class (6-7pm)! It will be partially subsidized by the Chapter.
Register here! There is a cap of 40 attendees – first come, first served.

KIND Office Hour (Virtual)
2025-03-19 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-04-16 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-21 12:00 - 13:00
KIND Office Hours
Please join KIND Boston for a virtual hour at 12 pm EST to discuss issues on your cases surrounding representation of unaccompanied children, potential community referrals, and volunteer opportunities for those interested.

This is a recurring event on the 3rd Wednesday of each month at 12 pm.
A member of KIND Boston’s Staff will be available for this hour each month for brainstorming and discussion.
Join at https://us06web.zoom.us/j/89432923086, Meeting ID: 894 3292 3086

March Chapter Meeting
2025-03-20 16:00 - 18:30

AILA CLE Committee Brown Bag
2025-03-25 12:00 - 13:00

AILA NE Roundtable: Preparing H-1B Petitions for Beneficiary-Owners Under the H-1B Modernization Rule
2025-03-27 12:00 - 13:00
Under an expansion of the definition of “employer” in the new H-1B modernization rules that became effective in January 2025, it is now possible to file H-1B petitions for beneficiaries who own the employer/business. Come join your colleagues in brainstorming how to prepare H-1B Petitions for beneficiaries who own the business. If you have successfully secured an approval on such an H-1B petition, we want to hear from you!
This workshop/roundtable will be led by veteran AILA NE practitioners and past New England chapter chairs Bennett Savitz, Robin O’Donoghue, and Ed White. Register here!

AILA NE Webinar: Family Preparedness in Uncertain Times (CBO/Pro Bono Committee)
2025-04-10 12:00 - 13:00
Join family law attorney Julie D. Palmer to learn how practitioners and advocates can support families in making legal arrangements to protect their children in the event of parental unavailability. Topics include caregiver affidavits, temporary agent appointments, and guardianship of minors.
Register here.

AILA NE: Immigration Habeas Training for Criminal Defense Lawyers (Immigration Attorneys Welcome)
2025-04-15 16:30 - 17:30
We have over 60 criminal defense lawyers through MA Criminal Defense Lawyers Association who are willing to help AILA attorneys serve as local counsel to file habeas cases. We are also exploring attorneys who can serve as local counsel for other NE states.
This training is designed to educate criminal defense lawyers on how to file immigration habeas cases, but AILA NE immigration attorneys are welcome to attend to hear how criminal defense attorneys will help. If you are interested to sit in on this training for criminal defense lawyers, register here: https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/YTb_Ce76QP2nazlihzHMeA

April Chapter Meeting: Habeas Training with NILA
2025-04-17 17:00 - 18:30
Join us for our April Chapter meeting to receive a training on filing habeas cases in federal district court. We are fortunate to have presenters Trina Realmuto and Kristin MacLeod-Ball from National Immigration Litigation Alliance.

When: Thursday April 17 at 5 – 6:30 pm

5:00 – 5:30 Chapter Business Meeting;
5:30 – 6:30 Main Meeting

Where: VIRTUAL ONLY Register here for Zoom link
What: Trina and Kristin will discuss:

The requirements of habeas petitions
Timing considerations
How to file a writ of habeas
Pre- and post-filing communications

AILA NE Roundtable: AILA NE & Lawyers for Civil Rights (LCR) Roundtable Discussion
2025-04-24 12:00 - 13:00
Register here: https://aila-org.zoom.us/meeting/register/PNi19srsScSTrgZA9JMLqw

This roundtable is meant to foster collaboration between AILA NE and LCR. Join us to learn more about LCR’s incredible advocacy and litigation work on behalf of immigrant communities, explore opportunities to support and engage with LCR’s efforts, and strategize ways we can work together to protect immigrant rights—especially in the face of growing challenges under the current administration.

This is a great opportunity to build community and strengthen our collective impact. We hope to see you there!

AILA NE Webinar: I-9 Compliance (CLE Committee)
2025-04-29 12:00 - 13:00
Join the AILA NE CLE Committee for a webinar focused on I-9 compliance for employers.
Speakers: Katie Minervino (Pierce Atwood LLP) and Nici Kersey (Kersey Immigration Compliance LLC)
Register here: https://zoom.us/meeting/register/uo4eKUZgTJOBm-LL55hgVg

AILA NE Documentary & Fundraiser Event: Las Abogadas and Fundraiser for Latin American Relief Fund
2025-05-01 17:30 - 20:00
In this difficult immigration climate, let’s get together, stand in solidarity, and celebrate the hard work of all of our attorneys!
Please join us for a screening of the documentary film Las Abogadas at the MCLE auditorium on May 1st at 5:30 pm. Las Abogadas is an award-winning documentary film about female attorneys at the southern border fighting back against anti-immigrant policy changes. During this chaotic time, we hope this movie can be a symbol of hope and inspiration as well as an opportunity to connect as a community. See here for more about Las Abogadas, the team that created this documentary, and the featured asylum seekers.
Where: MCLE, 10 Winter Place, Boston, MA (near Park Street on Red/Green Lines)
When: Thursday 5/1

5:30 – 7:00 pm: Documentary Screening on female attorneys on the front lines
7:00 – 8:00 pm: Reception and fundraiser for Latin American Relief Fund

Register here so we can order the right amount of appetizers and beverages!

Retirement Celebration for IJ O'Sullivan
2025-05-14 17:00 - 20:00
When: Wednesday May 14 from 5 to 8 pm
Tickets: $30 per person for light food and drinks. Purchase your ticket here.
Who can attend: Each person can purchase 1 ticket per AILA member or former immigration practitioner.
Unfortunately, we cannot open the event to non-AILA guests (significant others, spouses, and friends who are not immigration practitioners or former practitioners). If slots are still available the day before the event, we may be able to open them up for significant others and friends. In that case, we will make an announcement. Thanks for your understanding.
Please note the venue change below.
The celebration will be at
The University of Massachusetts Club
One Beacon Street, 32nd Fl, Boston, MA 02108
Note: This is not the same location as previously posted.
For those who have already registered, we will also send an additional email informing them of the venue change.

May Chapter Meeting
2025-05-15 16:00 - 18:30

Where do we go from here? A Roundtable Discussion with AILA New England’s DEI committee
2025-05-28 12:00 - 13:00
Where do we go from here? A Roundtable Discussion with AILA New England’s DEI committee
May 28, 2025 at 12pm!

In light of shifting national conversations, we’ll examine how DEI continues to shape the practice of immigration law, the importance of inclusive legal spaces, and the ongoing work of this DEI committee within AILA-NE and beyond. Questions & issues to be addressed:

· What would members like to see the DEI committee doing?
· What is the ongoing benefit of the committee?
· Why DEI still matters for our chapter
· The role of immigration attorneys as DEI advocates
· Sustaining our DEI committee
· Strategies for meaningful engagement & change

For any questions or suggestions contact the chair at samia@samialaw.com We look forward to your voice at the table.

Zoom Link: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86472882783?pwd=[REDACTED]
