“We all remember what living through our teenage years is like. I cannot imagine going through that time without a parent and in a situation where my safety and survival was uncertain. We knew filing and fully litigating a dependency action in less than 30 days would be extremely difficult. Recent court decisions significantly restricting the avenues to obtain dependency made success even more unlikely. But, we knew that without any help, this minor would most certainly be denied any chance at immigration status. So, we took a chance and were overjoyed with the result and the future possibilities the minor may now have.” – Alison Brown
Alison Brown at Holland and Knight worked diligently to ensure dependency was granted for an orphan child. She made it a priority to be thoroughly prepared and was dedicated to familiarizing herself with the dependency statute. The court found that the child had no parent or legal custodian capable of providing supervision or care. The child will now be eligible for protection in the United States via Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. The case was placed with Holland and Knight through the assistance of Carolyn Salisbury, Director of the Lawyers for Children America Miami Office. We also received local court practices insight from Maryam Kassaee, Attorney at Legal Aid of Palm Beach County.