Expert Witness Testimony in Asylum and Deportation Cases

Session Submission Type: Workshop

Description

Many sociologists have knowledge and skills that could be used for expert testimony in deportation defense or asylum cases, but few actually do such work. The workshop introduces participants to the idea of expert testimony, and offers overviews of how successful defenses against deportation or claims for asylum are made, and the role of experts in that process. Workshop participants include a lawyer from the Center for Gender and Refugee Studies at UC Law School, and two sociologists who have done expert testimony for asylum and deportation cases.

The Workshop is one step in a larger effort to bridge the gap between research and practice by enabling more sociologists to become expert witnesses This workshop aims to give sociologists the tools to understand the legal requirements for asylum claim and how their expertise can be used by attorneys to support asylum cases. The learning goals are for participants to understand the deportation defense and asylum claim processes better, and to think about doing such work in the future. We have done these workshops several times and are actively working to help develop the capacity of experts and of this network to match them with lawyers and applicants who need their help.

Sub Unit

• Workshops / Professional Development Workshop

Presenters

• Robert Courtney Smith, Baruch College, CUNY

• Cecilia Menjivar, University of California-Los Angeles

Session Organizers

• Robert Courtney Smith, Baruch College, CUNY

• Cecilia Menjivar, University of California-Los Angeles