NITA + Immigration = Awesome!

As a Trial Advocacy professor, I’ll admit that I’m a bit obsessed with NITA programming. They are simply amazing. Which is why I’m beyond excited to learn about NITA’s new program: Advocacy in Immigration Matters.

It’s not cheap. Best to say that up front. Tuition runs $1845 and that doesn’t include travel to Boulder or your accommodations there.

Here’s how NITA is billing the May 2-4 program:

As an immigration lawyer, you know going that going to court for asylum-seekers is rife with greater complexity than ever. The National Institute for Trial Advocacy recognizes this reality and in response, has developed Advocacy in Immigration Matters, a specialized program designed to help you rapidly upgrade your skills in representing asylum-seekers in immigration court.

Unlike other immigration law trainings you may have attended, the emphasis at NITA is on “learning by doing.” Advocacy in Immigration Matters goes well beyond a lecture-focused learning experience. You will learn important advocacy skills by actually using a case file with exhibits, motions, and IJ orders in a simulated court setting just as if it were an actual asylum matter in immigration court. During this three-day program, you will perform case analysis, make and meet objections, prepare your witness, and conduct direct, cross, and re-direct examinations, all before our instructors, who are some of the most experienced, top-flight trial lawyers in the country.

Each day begins with a brief lecture and demonstration of a particular skill you’ll need to best present your case. Your instructors will demonstrate each skill, then tell you why they took a specific approach. When it’s your turn to perform those same skills, they will share constructive, specific ideas on what to refine to help you become a more capable advocate for your clients. Likewise, when you watch your fellow students perform, you will absorb the “teachable moments” their performance renders as well, which means each layer of learning is continually reinforced by what you hear, see, and most importantly do.

In just three days, this Advocacy in Immigration Matters program, as with other the other time-tested, premier programming that NITA is known for, will swiftly refine your trial practice, leaving you with greater skill and confidence that shows up where it matters the most: when you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your client in the courtroom.

Note: The Immigration Court Practice Manual and the Federal Rules of Evidence govern these exercises. Prior to the program, we request that you view online presentations about advocacy skills and thoroughly read the case file and suggested legal authority

If you have professional development funds at your disposal, this would be an excellent expenditure!

-KitJ