Author: Christian Galens

Tuesday June 13^th, 2023

2:00pm – 4:00pm EDT

2 hours of General CLE credit

Cost: $65

Register here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/546059687160618075

Program Overview:

This CLE will explain what unemployment benefits are, the process by which a claimant qualifies for benefits, and guide you through how to analyze a case where a claimant has quit, been discharged, or had their hours reduced. This CLE will also cover the appeals hearing process before an Appeals Referee and useful tips for advocacy.

Presenter:

Benjamin Holt

Benjamin Holt is a Staff Attorney at the Central Intake Unit of Legal Aid of North Carolina. He works on a variety of cases but focuses on unemployment benefits. He has developed and presented trainings on and drafted educational materials for clients and the public about unemployment benefits. Prior to joining Legal Aid in 2022, Benjamin served as an Appeals Referee at Division of Employment Security. He has heard and written decisions in over 1500 cases. Benjamin has ruled on cases covering a variety of issues including qualification, eligibility, antedating, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and Pandemic Mixed Earners Unemployment. He graduated from American University in 2011 with a BA in international studies and from Duke University School of Law in 2014 with a JD and LLM in international and comparative law. He is licensed to practice law in North Carolina.

Author: Christian Galens

For over two decades, the Battered Immigrant Project of Legal Aid of North Carolina has provided critical legal assistance to immigrants suffering from domestic abuse, sexual assault, and human trafficking. Now, the project team is excited to announce they have changed their name to Immigration Pathways for Victims, or IMMPAV.

Rona Karacaova, managing attorney at IMMPAV, says on the change, “When Legal Aid of North Carolina’s Battered Immigrant Project was created in 2002, due to federal restrictions, its focus was to assist immigrant victims of domestic violence. Since that time, the scope of the immigration services which Legal Aid of North Carolina provides has expanded to include services for victims of sexual assault and human trafficking due the federal government’s recognition that that immigrant victims of these crimes are especially vulnerable and need legal services. Thus, we are now changing our name to Immigration Pathways for Victims (IMMPAV) to accurately reflect the services we provide immigrant victims of crimes.”

IMMPAV will perform the same duties and responsibilities of the Battered Immigrant Project. With this name change, the team aims to continue handling the same category of cases with the same efficiency, efficacy, and empathy that they’ve regularly employed over the last twenty years.

Karacaova continues, “IMMPAV’s goal is to help victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and human trafficking obtain the immigration benefits which Congress created for them. These benefits include employment authorization and legal status so that victims can emerge from the shadows, work, and support their family members without being tempted to return to abusive situations in order to provide shelter and food for their children and themselves. Immigration law is complex, and the process to apply for various benefits is confusing and can take years. Without our assistance, many victims and their family members would not be able to access the benefits to which they are entitled.”

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