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The National Center for Refugees and Immigrant Children Receives 2007 Emil Gumpert Award and $50,000 Grant From the American College of Trial Lawyers

Posted on: Tuesday, 7 August 2007, 12:22 CDT

WASHINGTON, Aug. 7 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The American College of Trial Lawyers (ACTL), one of the premier professional organizations composed of the best trial lawyers in the U.S. and Canada, today presented its Emil Gumpert Award to the Washington-based U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants (USCRI). The $50,000 cash grant, co-funded by The American College of Trial Lawyers and the Foundation of the American College of Trial Lawyers, will benefit the USCRI's National Children's Center, a program that matches unaccompanied immigrant children with pro bono attorneys to represent them in immigration proceedings. ACTL past president Michael A. Cooper of Sullivan & Cromwell LLP in New York, presented the award at a ceremony at the National Press Club.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070807/DCTU023 )

The Emil Gumpert Award, honors public or private programs dedicated to maintaining and improving the administration of justice. "Among the many inspiring and worthwhile programs that submitted applications this year, the Children's Center really stood out. As a result of the tireless and committed work of the Center and its pro bono volunteers, children who come from some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable are helped to a new life full of freedom and opportunity," said ACTL President David J. Beck of Beck, Redden & Secrest, L.L.P. in Houston.

"We are thrilled to receive the Emil Gumpert award recognizing our work on behalf of unaccompanied immigrant children who, without our help, would stand alone before an immigration judge. The funding will allow the Center to reach out and educate the legal community about these children and to document best practices on identifying and responding to their legal needs," said Lavinia Limon, President of USCRI. "By providing technical assistance to family and juvenile attorneys, law school clinics, and local direct service organizations, the Center will ensure that appropriate legal benefits are identified by attorneys representing minors and that such relief is raised at master calendar hearings."

According to Joseph D. Cheavens, a Houston attorney with Baker Botts, LLP and Emil Gumpert Committee Chair, "[t]he College is proud to recognize and support those who dedicate themselves to provide a voice to those who would otherwise become disenfranchised and marginalized by their unfortunate circumstance. These are children who, through no fault of their own, find themselves alone in a system which is complicated and difficult to navigate even for experienced lawyers."

The Emil Gumpert Award is named after the founder of the ACTL, an eminent trial lawyer, State Bar president and trial judge in California. Applications were received from legal service organizations, law schools, children's advocacy groups, criminal justice programs, state courts and bar associations throughout North America. Last year, the Emil Gumpert Award was given to Legal Aid University of Boston.

About The Children's Center:

Most child clients of USCRI's Center come to the United States alone and without resources. Coming from 30 different countries worldwide, they have

experienced such horrors as trafficking, persecution, or domestic violence. The Center receives referrals of unaccompanied immigrant children from social service professionals, detention attorneys, family members and concerned individuals in cities all over the country. The majority of these children come from Central America (Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras), but others come from China, Iraq, Poland, and Nigeria. The Center interviews the children and matches them with pro bono attorneys who will represent them in immigration and related proceedings. For more information, visit http://www.refugees.com/.

About The American College of Trial Lawyers:

The American College of Trial Lawyers is an honorary association comprised of experienced trial lawyers in the United States and Canada who have mastered the art of advocacy and adhere to the highest standards of ethical conduct and professionalism. The College is dedicated to furthering the administration of justice and improving the ethics and standards of the trial profession. The College's Fellowship represents all branches of trial practice enabling the organization to speak with a balanced voice on important issues affecting the legal profession and the administration of justice. The organization's current membership includes 5,600 lawyers and Judicial Fellows. For more information, visit http://www.actl.com/.

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070807/DCTU023PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

American College of Trial Lawyers

CONTACT: Scott Bryan of the American College of Trial Lawyers,+1-949-752-1801, sbryan@actl.com

Web site: http://www.actl.com/http://www.refugees.com/

Source: PRNewswire-USNewswire

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