Eligible participants can receive up to 1.8 CLE credit hours. AILA will administer CLE credit only to individuals who register and log into the web seminar. AILA cannot verify your attendance and participation in this program unless you register directly for the web seminar and use your name to log in to participate in the program. Therefore, persons who log in or listen in on the web seminar as part of a group will not be able to obtain CLE credit.

Please note that your jurisdiction may limit the amount of distance learning credit you can earn. To view details on your jurisdiction's credit restrictions and CLE requirements, visit the CLE Center.

AILA has filed for CLE and specialized credit in all jurisdictions with mandatory CLE requirements. For details about specific approvals, contact us at cle@aila.org.

• AILA applies for accreditation upon attorneys’ request after participation for the following states: AR, DE, IA, ID, KS, KY, LA, ME, MN, MS, OR, TN and WY. Programs are typically approved.
• Florida and Rhode Island - Attorneys must apply on their own for approval of seminars in FL and RI. Programs are typically approved.
• The OnDemand Recording format does not qualify for CLE credit in the following jurisdictions: MO and PR. Please note that your jurisdiction may limit OnDemand credit based on the date of the original presentation. View the OnDemand Downloadable Expiration Chart for more details.

To receive CLE credit for the live event, attorneys must record web seminar attendance and the CLE code provided within one week of the web seminar date via webCLE.

Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a seminar recording.

Michael S. Vastine (DL), AILA Removal Defense Section Steering Committee Vice Chair, Miami Gardens, FL

Michael S. Vastine is a Professor of Law and Director of Clinical Programs at St. Thomas University College of Law. Michael has both represented individual clients and authored amicus curiae briefs in major litigation regarding immigration and crimes and the due process rights of immigrants, representing groups including AILA and Catholic Legal Services, in cases before the United States Supreme Court, the U.S. Courts of Appeals, the Florida and Connecticut state supreme courts, and the Board of Immigration Appeals. Michael also publishes on these topics and has made hundreds of presentations at conferences of the immigration bar. He is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Temple University Graduate School of Music, and Georgetown University Law Center. In 2013, Michael received the AILA (National) Elmer Fried Award for Excellence in Teaching.

Amanda J. Bernardo, San Diego, CA

Amanda J. Bernardo is the Deputy Director of the American Bar Association’s Immigration Justice Project, where she oversees dozens of attorneys and advocates providing free legal services to those facing deportation in the San Diego region. Prior to moving to California to join IJP, Amanda spent ten years practicing removal defense and handling complicated affirmative immigration matters in New York in the non-profit and private sectors. Amanda received her law degree from Brooklyn Law School (2012).

Glykeria Teji, Newark, NJ

Dr. Glykeria Teji serves as Managing Attorney of the Detention and Deportation Defense Initiative in the Center for Social Justice of Seton Hall Law. Dr. Teji graduated from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, School of Law (2010) and she received a master’s in law from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. Dr. Teji was awarded the title of Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) from Delaware Law School (2022).

Colleen Ward, Chicago, IL

Colleen Ward is a staff attorney at the National Immigrant Justice Center with the Detention Project. She represents low-income clients at detention centers across the Midwest on a variety of detained cases, including bond, fear-based claims, cancellation of removal, refugee adjustment, complex waivers, and criminal removability issues. She holds a JD from George Washington University Law School and a BA in Political Science from Boston College.