Greenspun Shapiro was honored by the Capital Area Immigration Rights Coalition with its “Impacting Justice Award” several months ago for its pro bono immigration work. Awards were also won by U.S. Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal from Washington State, as well as several major D.C. law firms.
CAIR is the major immigrant rights advocacy organization in the Washington, D.C. area and is heavily involved in direct representation of immigrants, lawyer training, education, and services for immigrants.
Partner Jonathan Shapiro, who is a Visiting Professor at Washington and Lee University Law School in Lexington, Virginia, filed habeas cases on behalf of two immigrants who had been charged with minor crimes in Virginia and had pleaded guilty only to learn later that their pleas triggered deportation proceedings. Along with a volunteer law student, Shapiro litigated the cases in the Virginia Circuit Courts. The claims in both cases were based on the United States Supreme Court case of Padilla v. Kentucky, which held that it is ineffective, and a violation of the constitution, for lawyers to fail to advise their clients of the immigration consequences of guilty pleas.
Shapiro has also been instrumental in helping to organize immigration law training sessions for Virginia lawyers, taught by CAIR staff lawyers.