The hot-button issue of immigration and the law will be examined by Emma Buckthal, supervising immigration attorney at the Buffalo office of Volunteer Lawyers Project, at the next Brown Bag lecture on Wednesday, April 3, noon at Williams Center S204. “Conflicts: Causes and Consequences” is the theme of the 2018-2019 Brown Bag Lecture Series.
In a basic Immigration 101 presentation, Ms. Buckthal will discuss common misconceptions about immigrants, immigration law and the work that her agency does to help those in need.
"With so much in the news these days about refugees, immigrants and those seeking asylum, we need to understand the difference between the terms and what each means to the legal status of those seeking refuge in our country,” Buckthal said.
Providing legal assistance on behalf of immigrants before United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Executive Office for Immigration Review and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is the focus of Buckthal’s work at Volunteer Lawyers Project, which she joined in 2010. She represents immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking.
Buckthal, who is also the NGO attorney representative on the Western District of New York Humane Trafficking Taskforce, previously served as a volunteer at Volunteer Lawyers Project for three years. Buckthal received her J.D. summa cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School and a B.A. magna cum laude from Alfred University.
Volunteer Lawyers Project was created by Neighborhood Legal Services, Inc. and the Bar Association of Erie County to provide free civil legal services to low-income individuals and small not-for-profits in Western New York. It is affiliated with the New York Immigrant Family Unity Program and the Western New York Immigrant Assistance Center.
Funding support for the Brown Bag series is provided by the Carnahan Jackson Fund of the Fredonia College Foundation. Food, served beginning at 11:30 a.m., is offered by FSA.
