CLINIC Convening 2023 - Reunited and Reignited
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown
May 17 - 19, 2023
Register Now!
Registration for CLINIC Convening 2023 is now full!
What is CLINIC Convening?
CLINIC Convening is CLINIC’s annual conference that brings together legal practitioners, advocates and nonprofit leaders from all over the country to network, learn and gain insight about the current state of immigration law. CLINIC Convening is the only conference that provides a comprehensive education on immigration law, program management and advocacy. We come together not only to educate and share our work in immigration but also to celebrate the impact and contribution of immigrants through this country’s history.
Join 500 immigrant advocates in Phoenix, May 17-19, as we continue protecting the legal rights of immigrant families and promoting their dignity in the Catholic tradition of welcoming the stranger for more than 30 years.
CLINIC Convening 2023 will be an in-person event, held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown hotel, May 17-19, 2023. There is not a virtual option for the 2023 event.
Highlights
- Network with CLINIC affiliates, staff and leaders in the field
- Learn local, state and federal advocacy tools
- Discover new tools in our general skills workshops
- Advanced trainings on immigration law topics
- Specialty trainings for experienced practitioners
- Trainings on sustaining and expanding immigration legal services programs
- Government speakers
- CLE credit hours
- Explore Phoenix
Registration - Registration is Closed
To register for any CLINIC training, you must have an account and you must be logged in. Registration is now open and will close on Wednesday, May 3. CLINIC Convening 2023 will be an in-person event, held at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown hotel, May 17-19, 2023. There is not a virtual option for the 2023 event. The registration fee includes access to workshop sessions on all days of Convening, breakfast on both days, the Awards Luncheon on 5/18, and both receptions.
Registration Rates
| Type | Rate |
|---|---|
| CLINIC Affiliates | $440 |
| Nonprofit Agency Staff | $460 |
| Government Employees | $500 |
| Law Students | $500 |
| Private Attorneys and Staff | $600 |
Hotel and Travel Information
Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel
340 North 3rd Street
Phoenix, AZ 85004
(602) 262-2500
Check in: 4 p.m. | Check out: 11 a.m.
The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel offers CLINIC attendees discounted hotel accommodations for $179, plus 12.57%, per night in applicable taxes. Hotel accommodations are “first come, first served” and may sell out at any time. The CLINIC hotel rate will be available until Monday, May 8, 2023, or until the room block sells out. On May 9, 2023, all unreserved rooms will be released to the general public. Please reserve your hotel room through the CLINIC Convening online reservation page.
The Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel is located just 4 miles away from Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. Taxi service from the airport to the hotel, is available for a $17 flat rate fee. Ride Share services are also available. For more information regarding transportation options in Phoenix, please visit the Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Travel page.
Hotel Room Sharing Option
CLINIC provides the hotel room sharing option to assist Convening participants in arranging affordable hotel accommodations. However, CLINIC cannot guarantee any room sharing arrangements and bears no liability for any such arrangements. Please review the Room Sharing Agreement for more information. The room sharing option is only available to registered Convening participants and sign up is available during the registration process.
Workshop Tracks
Over three days, industry experts lead workshops for learners of all levels on how to navigate the United States’ complex immigration legal system. More than two dozen workshops on a variety of legal subjects, policy updates and program management tools focus on the following tracks:
- Humanitarian
- Building Your Skills
- Family
- Removal Defense and Advanced Selected Issues
- Community Outreach & Advocacy
Schedule-at-a-Glance
Times are listed using Mountain Standard Time. The schedule is subject to change with additional sessions added weekly.
- Wednesday, May 17
-
08:00 am - 07:00 pm CLINIC Convening Registration Open
08:30 am - 04:00 pm LawLogix Power User Workshop
(Separate Registration Required; Directions for registration will be sent to registered Convening participants only)10:30 am - 03:15 pm General Skills Workshop
The foundational skills presented in these short sessions are accessible at every level, whether you are an immigration advocate,
legal services staff member or a volunteer. Attendees can pick and choose which sessions to attend throughout the day.12:30 pm - 04:00 pm Practical Skills for Representing Asylum Seekers Before the Asylum Office - MAX CAPACITY REACHED
(Separate Registration Required; Additional Fee)04:30 pm - 06:00 pm Welcome Plenary
06:30 pm - 09:00 pm Opening Reception
- Thursday, May 18
-
07:00 am - 07:45 am Mass
07:00 am - 07:45 am Morning Yoga with Kate Adams
07:00 am - 05:00 pm Registration Open
07:45 am - 08:45 am Breakfast Open
08:00 am - 08:45 am (RIS) Reunited and it Feels So Good - Join RIS for Breakfast!
08:00 am - 05:00 pm Exhibits Open
09:00 am - 10:30 am Concurrent Workshops
1. Navigating Bars to Relief for Afghan Clients
2. Selected Issues in Adjustment of Status for U Nonimmigrants
3. All About Preference Categories: Retention, Revocation, Reinstatement, CSPA and Automatic Conversion
4. Making Your Way Through the Grand Canyon of Religious Worker Immigration Law
10:30am - 11:00 am Refreshment Break
11:00am - 12:30 pm Concurrent Workshops
2. The Effect of Travel on Naturalization Eligibility and LPR Status
3. Top 10 Issues in Immigration Program Management
4. Reunited; Not Revoked-All Things Religious Worker Permanent Residency
5. Community Organizing and Other Strategies for Promoting Immigrant Inclusion
12:45 pm - 02:15 pm CLINIC Awards Luncheon
02:30 pm - 04:00 pm Concurrent Workshops
1. Health-Based Grounds of Inadmissibility
3. Non-LPR Cancellation: Preparing and Proving the Case
4. Federal Policy Changes: The Year in Review
5. Grant Proposal and Application Strategies
04:15 pm - 05:45 pm Concurrent Workshops
1. Basics of Asylum Law and Procedure
2. Client and Witnesses Preparation
3. Tips, Trends, and Challenges in DOJ R&A
4. Common Waivers in Family-Based Cases
06:15 pm - 07:30 pm Equifax CONNECT Happy Hour, Hosted by Equifax
Join the LawLogix Equifax team in the garden of St. Mary's Basilica for a special reception for Convening attendees. Enjoy refreshments with your LawLogix friends and meet some of your favorite customer support representatives and product engineers. Basilica docents will be available for a tour through this beautiful and historic building. CLINIC Convening badges required for this event.
- Friday, May 19
-
07:00 am - 07:45 am Mass
07:00 am - 07:45 am Morning Yoga with Kate Adams
07:00 am - 02:00 pm Registration Open
07:45 am - 08:45 am Breakfast Open
08:00 am - 04:00 pm Exhibits Open
09:00 am - 10:30 am Concurrent Workshops
2. Crime-Based Inadmissibility
3. Update on Public Charge/Affidavit of Support
4. State and Local Efforts for Change: 2023 State and Local Legislative and Policy Updates Thus Far
5. Peer to Peer Guided Conversation
10:30 am - 11:00 am Refreshment Break
11:00 am - 12:30 pm Concurrent Workshops
1. Ethical Boundaries and the Scope of Immigration Representation
2. Prior Removal Orders, Unlawful Presence, and the Permanent Bar
4. Addressing Problems in Case Processing: Working with Agencies to Troubleshoot Your Case
12:30 pm - 02:15 pm Lunch on Your Own / Meet with Exhibitors
02:30 pm - 04:00 pm Concurrent Workshops
1. Selected Issues in Adjustment of Status
04:00 pm Exhibits Close & End of Convening
Continuing Legal Education
CLE for Attorney Participants
Certificates will only be distributed to those who attend live workshops. Certificates will be sent approximately two weeks after CLINIC Convening 2023.
CLINIC is authorized by the State Bar of California to provide minimum continuing legal education (MCLE) training. If you are a California attorney, you are eligible to claim 1.5 hours of MCLE credits for each live workshop you attend, for up to a total of 10.5 credit hours. If you are an attorney licensed in another state, please check with your state bar to determine whether this training qualifies for MCLE credit.
DOJ Accredited Representatives and other nonprofit professionals will receive a certificate of attendance for CLINIC Convening 2023.
CLINIC Events Health Policy
CLINIC makes the health and safety of all conference attendees a priority. We are committed to following all U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines as well as local health and facility protocols to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and will adopt enhanced health and safety measures, as appropriate, at CLINIC Convening 2023. The following minimum standards are currently required for in-person participation.
Attendee Requirements
The following minimum standards are currently required for in-person participation. Note: all requirements are subject to change. Updates to the requirements will be made on the event website, on the CLINIC Events app and will be communicated by email.
- All attendees must agree to CLINIC's Waiver and Release of Liability for Communicable Disease through the CLINIC registration site.
- Currently the state of Arizona, the city of Phoenix and all conference venues do not have COVID-19 vaccination or mask requirements.
- Find more information on Arizona’s COVID-19 protocols here.
- Find more information on local Phoenix, Arizona COVID-19 guidance here.
- Find more information on the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown’s COVID-19 protocols here.
CLINIC Health and Safety Protocols
- CLINIC will have hand sanitizer and face masks available to all attendees.
- CLINIC will utilize a low-contact check-in process at registration.
- CLINIC will ensure hand sanitizer stations are positioned at key high-traffic areas.
- CLINIC will work with the hotel to ensure regular disinfecting and cleaning of high-traffic areas and touch points.
CLINIC’s Years of Service Awards
Each year CLINIC recognizes the commitment and dedication of affiliate staff members who have contributed to their organization for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 or 30 years. 2023 award recipients will be recognized for their hard work and dedication to immigration and advocacy during the luncheon event on May 18, 2023. Recipients must be registered for Convening to be recognized at the luncheon.
Nominate an Award Recipient by April 26, 2023 (Deadline Passed)
See Last Year's Recipients
Lily Gutierrez Memorial Fund
In memory of Lily Gutierrez, former CLINIC Regional Director and longtime Board Member, who devoted her life to serving migrants and newcomers, the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. has created the Lily Gutierrez Memorial Fund.
Lily Gutierrez, a native of El Paso and accredited immigration representative, was a vital figure in the Catholic Church's work with newcomers for 40 years, working at CLINIC since its inception in 1988 until 1998, and subsequently serving two terms on its board of directors from 2001 to 2007. Her legacy includes the countless individuals she helped immigrate to the United States, the families she reunited who now have made their lives in the United States because of her assistance, the foundation she laid for CLINIC’s network, the charitable immigration programs she established and the working relationships she nurtured with immigration agencies nationwide.
Lily was well-known and well-loved throughout the country. She began her career as an immigration legal services provider with the U.S. Catholic Conference. A familiar face at the ports of entry, she welcomed newly arrived immigrants processed through the U.S. Consulate in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, upon their first entry through the El Paso ports.
She led the resettlement of Vietnamese refugees arriving in El Paso in the late 1970s and became a national expert in the resettlement process throughout the next three decades. She played a lead role in the refugee resettlement program in El Paso, welcoming people from Ethiopia, Cuba, China, Iraq, Iran and many other countries.
Her message was always clear: people are more important than laws; migration is a reality, especially in the U.S.-Mexico border region; and no matter their reason for migrating or immigration status, the human dignity and rights of people must be protected at all costs. CLINIC has chosen to honor Lily’s legacy by extending (in her name) the work she did so devotedly to create charitable immigration programs throughout the nation.
Contributions to the Lily Gutierrez Memorial Fund provide scholarships, covering the cost of registration, to the staff of CLINIC affiliates whose organizational budgets prohibit them from attending CLINIC Convening. Please donate here and add "LG Fund" to the "Memo" field. Thank you for your support.
Media Policy
To request consideration for press access, send an email to jdickey@cliniclegal.org with your name and publication/organization.
CLINIC Convening Over the Years
- 2023 - Reunited and Reignited - Phoenix
- 2022 - Power in Community - Virtual
- 2021 - Charting a New Course - Virtual
- 2019 - Laying a Foundation of Justice - Pittsburgh
- 2018 - Defending Hope and the American Dream - Tucson
- 2017 - A Welcoming America for All - Atlanta
Sponsorship and Exhibiting
CLINIC Convening’s most successful sponsors and exhibitors are organizations that provide resources or services to immigration attorneys, community-based organizations, nonprofits, religious institutions or advocacy groups. Past sponsors and exhibitors have included, but are not limited to:
- Government agencies
- Associations for legal professionals
- Consulates
- National religious organizations
- Immigrant advocacy groups
- Volunteer service organizations
- Legal research subscriptions
- Legal technology
- Translation services
- Visa service providers
For questions, or to become a sponsor, please contact convening@cliniclegal.org.
Convening Sponsors
Platinum Advocate
Gold Advocate
Friend of CLINIC
National Catholic Reporter
