News, awards & recognitions
November 2023
MA Attorney General's Office and Immigrant Legal Services Grant Program
PAIR is honored to be a recipient of an Immigrant Legal Service Grant from the MA Attorney General's Office. The funds will be used to expand PAIR's community engagement Know Your Rights Education Initiative, and for PAIR to meaningfully conduct legal education workshops and share legal updates to those who seek help with professional interpretation and translation services. See press release here.
August 2023
Chelsea and PAIR Immigration Legal Services Program
PAIR is honored to launch a new program with the City of Chelsea's Department of Housing and Community Development focused on providing high-quality legal services to low-income Chelsea residents. See press release here.
MAY 2023
"Biden administration employs Trump-style immigration tactics"
PAIR's Anita P. Sharma, alongside Audrey Robert-Ramirez of Ramirez & Kain, LLC and Jill Seeber of the Mabel Center for Immigrant Justice, wrote a piece on the end of Title 42 and the Administration’s push to find ways to expel asylum seekers to the U.S. See the piece here.
APRIL 2023
Metta Health Center and the Passage to Healing Program
PAIR is excited to join the Metta Health Center of the Lowell Community Health Center, which services the Northshore, to launch the Passage to Healing program, which will provide holistic legal representation to survivors of torture in conjunction with primary and behavioral health care provided by Metta. See relevant press releases here and here.
MARCH 2022
Anita P. Sharma's Sabbatical
PAIR is so thrilled for Anita P. Sharma, our Executive Director, as she takes a well-deserved sabbatical (March 28 - June 27, 2022)! We wish her a restful, rejuvenating and fulfilling 3 months. See her announcement here.
FEBRUARY 2022
Winter Newsletter
PAIR shares the latest happenings at the organization, updates in immigration law, and the recent client wins of our pro bono partners in our Winter 2022 Newsletter here.
NOVEMBER 2021
Susan Cohen's "Journeys from There to Here"
PAIR is so excited to share that Susan J. Cohen, our Board President and renowned immigration attorney, has written an incredible book with Steven T. Taylor! Susan will be donating all of the proceeds from Journeys From There to Here to PAIR. Thank you, Susan, for your profound dedication to asylum seekers and the immigration community at large! Purchase the book here; read more about the book here.
OCTOBER 2021
Elena Noureddine and Irene Freidel's First Circuit Win
Congratulations to PAIR's Elena Noureddine and Irene Freidel on another big First Circuit win around adverse credibility on October 18th: Lopez Troche v. Garland (No. 20-1718)! See the full decision here.
SEPTEMBER 2021
PAIR Stands in Solidarity with the Haitian Community
PAIR stands in solidarity with the thousands of Haitian asylum seekers who have come to our border and to MA seeking protection. See our full statement here.
AUGUST 2021
PAIR Awarded Community Grant from Rippleworks
PAIR is honored to be a recipient of a generous $50,000 Community Grant Award from Rippleworks to support our mission and vision to help asylum seekers and detained immigrants gain immigration relief.
MAY 2021
Running for Justice
Thanks to the generosity of John Hancock, PAIR is proud to have received two charity bibs for the 2021 Boston Marathon, which was postponed to October 11th. Our 2021 runners are Sarah Sherman-Stokes of the Boston University School of Law and Alex Lai of Lazard, who will raise money to support PAIR's programs.
MARCH 2021
PAIR Stands in Solidarity with the AAPI Community
PAIR stands with the Asian American and Pacific Islander community following racial violence targeting AAPI businesses and immigrant working class women. See our full statement here.
MARCH 2021
Irene Freidel's First Circuit Win
Congratulations to PAIR's Irene Freidel for an incredible First Circuit win on March 15th: Cuesta-Rojas v. Garland, No. 20-1302 (1st Cir. Mar. 15, 2021) (Lynch, Lipez, and Barron). See the full decision here.
FEBRUARY 2021
PAIR Organizes Virtual "Know Your Rights" Day
On February 10, 2021, PAIR participated in its fourth "Know Your Rights" Day at Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA), where the PAIR staff and pro bono attorneys met with over 100 high school students to discuss recent changes in immigration policy and basic constitutional and immigration rights.
DECEMBER 2020
PBI Highlights Mintz Levin and PAIR's COVID-19 SIJS Work
PAIR is honored to be mentioned alongside Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. in a Pro Bono Institute feature, "Serving Immigrants Through Pro Bono In The Pandemic". Please see the article here.
DECEMBER 2020
The Clowes Fund Highlights PAIR
PAIR is honored to be highlighted by The Clowes Fund, a family foundation that supports our legal work with asylum seekers and detained immigrants. Please see PAIR's description on the Fund's grantee spotlight page here.
OCTOBER 2020
Elena Noureddine Selected as BU Law Honoree
PAIR is proud of Legal Director Elena Noureddine, who was honored by the BU Law Immigrants’ Rights & Human Trafficking Program during the fourth year celebration of its mentorship program to connect current Program students with BU Law alumni in the immigrants’ rights and human trafficking fields.
SEPTEMBER 2020
Running for Justice
Thanks to the generosity of John Hancock, PAIR is proud to have received two charity bibs for the 2020 Boston Marathon, which for the first time ever, was a virtual race on September 14th. Our 2020 runners were Eduardo Gonzalez of Mintz, Levin, Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky and Popeo, P.C. and Peter Kraft of the Harvard School of Public Health, who raised money to support PAIR's programs.
AUGUST 2020
Anita P. Sharma Selected as a Circle of Excellence Honoree
PAIR is proud of Executive Director Anita P. Sharma for her nomination as a Circle of Excellence honoree for Lawyers Weekly's 2020 “Top Women of Law” event. Please join us as we celebrate her accomplishments on Tuesday, November 17, 2020.
JUNE 2020
PAIR Stands in Solidarity with Black Lives Matter
PAIR stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement, and our staff members, clients, and our communities who are speaking out about the systemic racism that communities of color face on a daily basis. See our full statement here.
MARCH 2020
PAIR Organizes "Know Your Rights" Day
On March 6, 2020, PAIR participated in its third "Know Your Rights" Day at Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA), where the PAIR staff and pro bono attorneys met with over 200 high school students to discuss recent changes in immigration policy and basic constitutional and immigration rights.
NOVEMBER 2019
Seth Purcell Receives Community Service Award
PAIR is proud of Staff Attorney Seth Purcell, who received a Community Service Award from The Refugee Immigration Ministry for his commitment to representing asylum-seekers in Massachusetts.
SEPTEMBER 2019
Anita P. Sharma Receives Silver Key Award
PAIR is proud of Executive Director Anita P. Sharma for receiving the Charitable Irish Society's Silver Key Award. PAIR is so honored to receive this recognition and feel fortunate to have Sandra Moody and all at the Charitable Irish Society as community partners. The awards ceremony will be held on September 14, 2019 at 6:30 p.m. at the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel.
JUNE 2019
Anita P. Sharma Selected as a 2019 Barr Foundation Fellow
PAIR is proud of Executive Director Anita P. Sharma for being recognized for her outstanding leadership contributions to the Greater Boston community and for being selected as a 2019 #BarrFellow, along with 11 other exemplary civic leaders.
MAY 2019
PAIR Receives MATA's 2019 Friend of Justice Award
PAIR is grateful to be selected for the Massachusetts Academy of Trial Attorney's 2019 Friend of Justice Award. Please join us at the Annual Dinner and Awards Ceremony on Thursday, May 16, 2019.
MAY 2019
PAIR Awarded Sustaining Grant by Cummings Foundation
PAIR is honored to be a recipient of the prestigious Cummings Foundation Sustaining Grant to support access to justice to asylum seekers. We were grateful to accept the gift at Awards Reception, hosted by Cummings Foundation, on May 2, 2019. For more information, please view the press release.
FEBRUARY 2019
PAIR Organizes "Know Your Rights" Day
On February 15, 2019, PAIR participated in its second "Know Your Rights" Day at Boston International Newcomers Academy (BINcA), where the PAIR staff and 10 pro bono attorneys met with over 200 high school students to discuss recent changes in immigration policy and basic constitutional and immigration rights.
JANUARY 2019
PAIR Celebrates 30 Years!
This is a very exciting year for PAIR as we celebrate our 30th year anniversary. Since 1989, PAIR has been the leading provider of pro bono immigration services for immigrants in Massachusetts. As part of our 30th year celebration, PAIR will host a social issues talk and series of pro bono immigration trainings. We are excited to highlight these critical issues and to recruit new volunteers. All events are posted on our Training page.
DECEMBER 2018
Access to Justice for Immigrant Families
In December 2018, PAIR launched its Access to Justice for Immigrant Families Initiative, generously supported by the Rowland Foundation and housed across PAIR's Asylum and Detention programs, to provide holistic legal care to immigrant women and children. Leading the Initiative is Senior Attorney Elizabeth Badger. Gabriella Chavez will also join PAIR as the Social Services Coordinator/paralegal to coordinate needed social services and legal support. immigrants.
OCTOBER 2018
Running for Justice
Thanks to the generosity of John Hancock, PAIR is proud to have received two charity bibs for the 2019 Boston Marathon. Our 2019 runners are Larry Tobin of The Shapiro Foundation and Hannah Bornstein of Nixon Peabody, who will be running this historic Boston race on April 15 and raising money to support PAIR's programs.
SEPTEMBER 2018
Community Engagement Appointments
PAIR's Executive Director Anita P. Sharma was appointed as 2018-19 Co-Chair of the Asylum Liaison Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) NE Chapter. Staff attorney Elena Noureddine was appointed as the Pro Bono Committee Liaison for 2018-19. In addition, PAIR's Anita P. Sharma was appointed as a steering committee member of the Boston Bar Association's Delivery of Legal Services Committee.
AUGUST 2018
PAIR Awarded Grant by the Open Avenues Foundation
PAIR is honored to be a recipient of a generous $25,000 grant by the Open Avenues Foundation to support access to justice to immigrants in detention. Please join us at the Awards Reception, hosted by the Open Avenues Foundation, on September 27, 2018.
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