Who We Are

We are committed to justice and the alleviation of human misery through the promotion of the principle of equal access to the system of justice and the provision of legal services to the neediest members of the community.

Catholic Charities Legal Services, Archdiocese of Miami, Inc., also known as Catholic Legal Services (CLS), is a nationally recognized agency with an experienced team of attorneys and immigration professionals. Our mission is to provide professional legal services, both application assistance and attorney representation before the Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Immigration Courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals, to those who come from foreign lands who lack sufficient means to obtain representation without regard to faith or national origin.

In addition to its professional competencies, Catholic Legal Services' staff reflects the diversity of the population it serves, allowing for culturally sensitive and linguistically appropriate services. Our clients come from all paths of life. We serve people from 185 countries and territories.

Catholic Legal Services grew out of the G.W.L. Legal Project, established in 1994 at Notre Dame D'Haiti Pierre Toussaint Center to provide legal services and immigration representation to refugees and immigrants from Haiti. The project rapidly expanded beyond the Haitian community because of the vast immigrant community in South Florida. Incorporated on January 8, 1998, when the G.W.L. Legal Project (1994) merged with the Catholic Legal Immigration Network in Miami (1988), CLS has become one of the most active nonprofit providers of legal immigration services in Florida.

CLS has served refugees and immigrants from around the world. Most CLS clients come from across the Americas, and CLS staff reflect their diversity of language and culture.

More than two thousand individuals seek the services of CLS each month including immigrants seeking to reunite with their families, many of whom were separated at the border; political and religious refugees seeking safety and security, many of whom have experienced persecution and torture; battered spouses and their children; religious workers seeking to minister to U.S. religious communities; and long-term residents of the United States with significant family and community ties who face deportation. These services include representation before the Immigration Court (IC), Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA), United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), United States Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Juvenile Court (JC).

These individuals, ranging from 2 months to 104 years of age, confront a complex immigration law system and a confusing bureaucracy. Many have unhealed wounds from a painful past and then encounter unexpected bigotry and barriers as they adjust to a new culture and way of life. They often face an uncertain future. However, with CLS help, many deserving immigrants and refugees persevere and realize their dreams for a bright and secure future in the United States.