Furnishing this information does not constitute legal advice. If you are an asylum-seeker, it is strongly advised that you obtain the assistance of a licensed attorney (not a notary public or immigration consultant).

For more information about accessing legal representation in Colorado, please go to

http://www.ailacolorado.org/ and http://www.usdoj.gov/eoir/probono/freelglchtCO.htm.

Regina Germain, Legal Director
LL.M. Georgetown University Law Center; J.D., magna cum laude, University of Pittsburgh School of Law; B.S. Foreign Service, cum laude, Georgetown University

Ms. Germain is a nationally recognized expert on refugee and asylum law. She is a frequent lecturer on asylum law and is the author of AILA's Asylum Primer: A Practical Guide to U.S. Asylum Law and Procedure (4th ed. 2005, American Immigration Lawyers Association). Prior to assuming the position of Legal Director, Ms. Germain was a visiting professor at the University of Denver and an advocacy fellow at Georgetown University Law Center when she taught asylum law in a clinical setting. From 1995 to 2001 she served as the Senior Legal Counselor in the Washington Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). She has testified as an expert witness before the U.S. House of Representatives and has also served as an expert in federal and administrative court proceedings.

As Legal Director, Ms. Germain recruits, trains and mentors volunteer attorneys and law students. She maintains a legal website and a resource library for volunteers, including links to legal resources, asylum and refugee law treatises, and videotapes and DVDs which explain the U.S. asylum process. She coordinates monthly asylum breakfasts for volunteer attorneys and seasoned asylum practitioners to discuss legal and procedural issues and to hear from local, national, and international experts in the field. Recent speakers have included: Board of Immigration Appeals Member Juan P. Osuna; Jane R. Kochman, Senior Protection Office for UNHCR; Immigration Judge Donn Livingston; Ronald Rosenberg, Associate Counsel, Refugee and Asylum Law Division, US Citizenship and Immigration Service; and Steven Lang, Pro Bono Coordinator for the Executive Office for Immigration Review at the U.S. Department of Justice.

If you are a lawyer or law student and interested in volunteering or would like more information about the next asylum breakfast or volunteer training, please contact Ms. Germain by email at rgermain@rmscdenver.org or by phone at 303-321-3221,

ext. 220.