The International Human Rights Committee of the International Law Section of the State Bar of Texas presents its on-going series of webcasts on topics of interest to the section’s lawyers. Register Now for this upcoming CLE!
"Recent Developments in Asylum and Immigration: From Afghanistan to the US-Mexico Border"
December 2, 2021
2:00-3:30 pm CST (Virtual)
Free of Charge
Approved for 1.5 Hours of MCLE
Course No. 174140997
Texas Lawyers self report your MCLE Hours at My Bar Page
Joshua Newcomer is a principal in the Houston office of McKool Smith. His practice focuses on complex commercial litigation, with an emphasis on financial, fiduciary, and international disputes. Prior to joining McKool Smith, Joshua was an associate at an international law firm. He also previously served as a law clerk to the Honorable Carolyn Dineen King of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and to the Honorable William H. Yohn Jr. of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Before attending law school, Joshua was an associate consultant for L.E.K. Consulting in Boston and Singapore, where he focused on business strategy and shareholder valuation.
Maran Turner, Panelist
Maran Turner is executive director of Freedom Now, an organization that protects individuals and communities from government repression and defends human rights through direct legal support, targeted high-leverage advocacy, and capacity-building analysis and assistance. Most recently, Maran assisted Afghani refugees seeking to emigrate after the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan. Prior to joining Freedom Now, she was a lawyer with the Southern Africa Litigation Centre (SALC) in Johannesburg, South Africa from 2006 to 2007, where she managed a team of pro bono lawyers and worked with Southern African jurists on human rights litigation. Prior to her position with SALC, she was an associate with DLA Piper LLP (US) where she was honored as Pro Bono Attorney of the Year for her international human rights work representing notable human rights defenders such as former Czech Republic President Václav Havel and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Desmond Tutu. Maran holds a B.A. from the University of Texas at Austin and a J.D. cum laude from the University of Miami.
Nicole Ramos, Panelist
Nicole Ramos is the Director of Al Otro Lado's Border Rights Project. Al Otro Lado is a binational legal aid and defense organization that provides services to migrants, refugees, and deportees in the United States and Mexico. The Border Rights Project works with asylum seekers in Mexico who wish to present themselves to immigration authorities in order to seek asylum in the United States. In addition to providing legal orientation and accompaniment, the project engages in human rights monitoring and impact litigation as well as broader media campaigns, and advocacy efforts to challenge systemic human rights violations committed by state actors, including advocacy before international human rights monitoring bodies. Nicole is an Adjunct Professor at Temple University Beasley School of Law and lectures extensively at universities, law schools, and professional conferences throughout the United States.
