Conner & Winters Partners with Catholic Charities, Serving Afghan Evacuees by Providing Free Legal Services
Tulsa, Okla. (January 25, 2022) – Conner & Winters, LLP, a premier, full-service law firm in the region, announced today its commitment to helping Afghans who recently arrived in Tulsa as part of the resettlement program being coordinated by Catholic Charities of Eastern Oklahoma. Conner & Winters will assist in the asylum application process and will devote at least 500 hours of pro bono legal work this year.
“It’s truly an honor and privilege to serve these new members of the Tulsa community. As lawyers, we feel a duty to help where we think we can have a significant impact. The need for assistance is huge, and we encourage our friends and colleagues in the legal community to join in the effort in any way they can,” said Isaac Ellis, a partner with Conner & Winters.
Conner & Winters is just one of several law firms in the Tulsa area committed to helping Afghan evacuees gain legal status through the asylum process. As of today's release, more than 670 evacuees have arrived in Tulsa. The families that have arrived were evacuated from Afghanistan after it was seized by the Taliban in August 2021. Some of the individuals arriving in Tulsa assisted our U.S. servicemen and women in Afghanistan and were permitted to come to the United States as part of a special immigrant visa program.
“As Oklahoma has welcomed the largest number of Afghan evacuees per capita in the nation, we have been so pleased to see how the broader Tulsa community has stepped up to welcome them and assist with their living and legal needs. We are thrilled that such an influential law firm like Conner & Winters has agreed to partner with us to help ensure that our new Afghan neighbors will be able to stay and build new lives here in Tulsa,” said Kojo Asamoa-Caesar, pro bono coordinator for Catholic Charities Immigration Legal Services.
The U.S. State Department asked Catholic Charities, the primary evacuee resettlement agency for Oklahoma, to receive 800 Afghan citizens and help them relocate to the Tulsa Area. The organization will provide everyone with the basics needed to live in the community, while the legal community works in tandem to offer legal counsel.
Catholic Charities will host an all-day virtual attorney training on Friday, January 28 from 8:30 to 4:30 p.m., with CLE (continuing legal education) credit eligibility, pending application approval. If you or your law firm are interested in joining the united effort being contributed by so many in the legal profession, please email Asamoa-Caesar at kasamoa-caesar@cceok.org.
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About Conner & Winters, LLP
Founded in 1933, Conner & Winters, LLP has six offices located in Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Northwest Arkansas, Dallas, Houston, and Washington D.C. The firm serves a broad range of clients in local, state, regional, national, and international arenas. Its clients include businesses of all sizes and types, from locally owned companies to multi-national corporations and individuals, estates and trusts, municipalities and other public-sector organizations, institutions, and charitable foundations. Conner & Winters, LLP, is a full-service firm with more than 100 attorneys successfully representing numerous areas of practice. For more information, visit www.cwlaw.com.
About Catholic Charities
The mission of Catholic Charities is to be Christ’s merciful love to those who suffer. Last year, more than 80,000 people in need benefited from Catholic Charities’ 15 programs. Assistance is provided without regard for race, color, or creed; approximately 80% of those served are not of the Catholic faith. Most programs are offered at the main campus at 2450 North Harvard Avenue in Tulsa, and assistance is also offered at outreach centers in Bartlesville, Broken Arrow, McAlester, Muskogee, Poteau, Sallisaw, Stillwater and Wilburton. The majority of funding for services is provided by individuals and private charitable organizations. For more information, go to cceok.org.