Maintaining a Network of Support and Solidarity
Growing Communication Across the Network
In 2025, CLINIC established a new practice of holding a monthly “Network Call” to gather Affiliates from across the country on an interactive webinar. The goal was to increase communication across the network and foster connection, as well as to share updates and ensure everyone is informed about the latest immigration announcements and policy changes. Typically, the calls are structured around a theme, such as “program management,” or “DOJ R&A,” and include opportunity for breakout sessions so that Affiliates can speak directly to CLINIC staff and one another.
“It’s been a fantastic opportunity to encourage interaction and solidarity among the network, albeit virtual,” said Michelle Sardone, CLINIC’s deputy director. “In a time of so many challenges for legal services providers, there is special strength in listening to one another, sharing best practices, information, and encouragement.”
Celebrating the Successes of Our California ILSSP Project
2025 saw the conclusion of CLINIC’s multi-year project, the Immigration Legal Services Support Project (ILSSP), which was a 30 million partnership with the California Department of Social Services to address California’s urgent need for expanded immigration legal services capacity. The project supported 86 nonprofit legal service organizations to hire and train additional attorneys and Department of Justice Accredited Representatives, significantly increasing access to affordable, high-quality immigration legal services.
This investment funded 105 Department of Justice Accredited Representatives and 33 attorneys, which has led to an almost 25% increase in the capacity of DOJ R&A in the state, dramatically expanding the capacity of nonprofit legal service organizations to meet the needs of immigrant communities.
Luis Guerra, CLINIC's director of field engagement, remarked, "This project shows the transformative power of building capacity at the local level. By strengthening the infrastructure of community-based legal providers, we've not only increased access to services but also created a stronger, more resilient field. This report is both a celebration of what's been achieved and a roadmap for what's possible nationwide."
Capacity Building Institute Launched
CLINIC’s exciting new initiative known as the Capacity Building Institute (CBI) launched in January 2025 with its first cohort of participants. The CBI is an effort to help organizations aspiring to become immigration legal services providers gain the training and organization they need to get recognized by the Department of Justice and eventually join the CLINIC network as Affiliates. The first cohort welcomed 11 organizations, providing hands-on training and support for 6 months. By the end, 6 had become new CLINIC Affiliates and were on the way to gaining recognition and accreditation.
With the second cohort in the latter half of the year, the program expanded and made changes in response to participant feedback. The changes included a lengthened run time (9 months instead of 6), increased support for certain organizations needing it, and curriculum enhancements. Kristen Bowdre, CLINIC's network engagement and development strategist, remarked that the quality of the work submitted by the second cohort has been much higher, showing the strength of the enhanced curriculum.
In the course evaluation, one participant said, “The CBI helped me understand what a strong, compliant immigration program should look like. It gave me structure, clarity, and tools that I didn’t have before. It pushed me to organize our processes in a more intentional way and helped me see the bigger picture of what we’re trying to build. It was a lot [of time investment], but it truly helped.”
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