Ethical Implications: Recalendaring of Administratively Closed Cases
Under the current administration, the Office of Principal Legal Advisor (OPLA) has been filing motions to recalendar administratively closed cases at a feverish pace. Our panel of experts will address the many ethical and practical issues that surface for the attorney of record on these cases (sometimes a decade or more after they were closed). In addition, they will discuss the challenge of working diligently and competently representing clients as the cases pile up.
Featured Topics
- Challenges connecting with former clients after years without communicating, including outdated contact information for the client or when attorneys have changed firms/organizations
- The standard of maintaining competence and diligence under ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct (MRPC) 1.1 and 1.3
- Determining how to proceed, alternate forms of relief, and appropriate fees for appearing under MRPC 1.5
- Filing motions to withdraw: what attorneys need, and how to decide
- Advising clients of the risk of dismissal and ICE waiting in the hall
- Responding when DHS attorneys misstate the record in motions to recalendar
AILA Membership Benefit – Access to Free Seminar Recordings (CLE Credit Available for $35)
Enjoy access to free seminar recordings as an AILA Member. AILA encourages live attendance for those wishing to ask the speaker questions. CLE credit is included with purchase for live participants.
Recordings will be available approximately two weeks after the live event date. AILA members can access these seminars, with no CLE credit, for free. Recordings are CLE eligible in most jurisdictions and a $35 administration fee is required to obtain CLE credit.
Contact us at cle@aila.org or visit AILA’s Web Seminar Recordings page for more information about receiving CLE credit for a web seminar recording.
| Product Details | |
| Event Date | October 9, 2025 |
| Format | Web Seminar |
| Length | 90 minutes |
| CLE Eligible | Yes. Live attendance must be recorded in My CLE by Thursday, October 16, 2025. This deadline does not apply to the OnDemand format. |
| Digital Library | Digital goods (MP3, PDF, ZIP, etc.) are available for download for two years after purchase. |
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 by October 16, 2025 via My CLE.
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.
Farah Al-khersan (DL), AILA Ethics Committee Chair, Ann Arbor, MI
Farah Al-khersan is a solo practitioner in Ann Arbor, Michigan. She is Chair of the AILA National Ethics Committee. She specializes in family-based immigration as well as humanitarian and complex removal cases. Ms. Al-khersan is also Chair of the AILA -Michigan Chapter Socialization and New Member Committee as well as a member of the State Bar of Michigan Unauthorized Practice of Law Committee.
Craig Dobson, AILA Well-Being Committee Chair, New York, NY
Craig Dobson is an ethics and immigration lawyer at Dobson Law LLC. He advises and represents lawyers in disciplinary matters and currently chairs AILA’s Lawyer Well-Being Committee. A past chair of AILA’s National Ethics Committee, he also co-chairs AILA New York’s Ethics, Practice Management & UPL Committee. He has long been active in lawyer ethics leadership nationally and locally and is also a National Board-Certified Health & Wellness Coach.
Kamala W. Sessoms, Atlanta, GA
Kamala W. Sessoms is a founding and managing partner at Sessoms Law Group, LLC in Atlanta, Georgia. Her practice focuses on removal defense, family, and humanitarian immigration law.
