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Fund Legal Fees to Help Teen & Family to Stay in Community
0% complete
$3,240 raised of $20K
46 donations
After locals S and her teen daughter, T (initials used to protect identities), were mistreated and/or defrauded by three different immigration lawyers (details below), a group of neighbors in the Charles Village-Remington-Hampden area are seeking to raise funds to cover the legal fees for the family, who we’ve known for years. S and her family have been legally living and working in the community for ~15 years.
Why we are fundraising: The family has used all of their savings on legal costs, including payments to lawyers who misrepresented their credentials, provided incomplete/inconsistent communication, and neglected to file court documents. Those savings were intended to cover T's college costs, books and board in particular.
Details on S's case (mother):
- S's first immigration lawyer failed to submit the required evidence to support her case, so it was closed.
- Lawyer 2 reopened the case but then stopped responding to S after receiving filing fees.
- Lawyer 3 then filed her case, so S now has an upcoming hearing.
Details on T's case (teen daughter):
- Due to their first lawyer’s negligence and lack of communication, the family was never given notice of a regular hearing for T. T did not attend the hearing because they were not aware of it.
- A deportation notice was issued for T. She can be deported at any time.
- Lawyer 3 told S that there is nothing she can do for her, despite T starting college at the end of the month.
- T and S are now with Lawyer 4, who filed motions and appeals earlier this week. Neighbors have also been in touch with a CASA lawyer and a pro bono lawyer friend to ensure Lawyer 4 is filing correctly and charging appropriate fees.
The family is worried about deportation, and upset because they have done nothing wrong and are here legally. Deportation is a risk due only to lawyers' irresponsible acts, so this group of neighbors is raising funds to ease the financial stress and help support the family as they continue through this process. $20,000 will cover what has already been paid to lawyers.
Organizer and beneficiary
Lauren Czaplicki
Beneficiary