Florence Otaigbe-Nkwocha
Immigration Staff Attorney @Church World Service
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WORK HISTORY
Immigration Staff Attorney @Church World Service
Jersey City, NJ, US
Manages daily operations of the Afghan Legal Assistance program ensuring quality provision of legal services to Afghan parolees/evacuees who were resettled in the United States starting around August 2021.Serves as the sole provider of legal representation for more than over 60 individual Afghans of all ages.Has received asylum approvals for at least 15 individuals within a one year timeframe due to USCIS’ expedited processing for Afghans.Regularly offers guidance and direction to colleagues who seek expertise on various immigration matters.Organizes collaborations and partnerships with pro bono departments at internationally recognized firms as well as nationally recognized organizations to provide further assistance pro bono and pro se to CWS Jersey City’s Afghan clients.
EDUCATION
Michigan State University
Bachelor's Degree
L'Institut de Touraine
Study Abroad Program
City University of New York School of Law
Juris Doctor (J.D.)
The Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science
High School
ABOUT FLORENCE OTAIGBE-NKWOCHA
I am an Immigration Attorney at Church World Service Jersey City working in their Legal Services department providing services to asylum seekers and refugees. Prior to joining Church World Service, I worked at a number of public interest legal organizations on issues ranging from immigration to racial justice to family law. I bring a social justice lens to my lawyering, and I hope to play a role in bringing about change in my communities as well as the communities I serve.At CWS Jersey City, I am the Lead Attorney for the Afghan Legal Assistance Program. In the beginning, I was instrumental in laying the foundations for the now fully developed legal department. I facilitated the onboarding of four legal team members into the department including a legal assistant. When creating the Afghan Legal Assistance program at our office, I focused on three key areas: 1) Direct Representation 2) Legal Orientations and Information Sessions and 3) Legal Clinic Development. With over 100 individual Afghans already resettled, I needed to create a program structure that could provide as much legal information as possible while also being able to start providing legal services to as many people as I feasibly could. Since then I have successfully assisted over 15 individuals with obtaining asylum approvals within 1.5 years, and I have also helped 5 Special Immigrant Visa Recipients so far obtain their green cards. In the midst of this, I have conducted legal clinics for Temporary Protected Status and Re-Parole. Outside of my work at CWS, I am involved with the community-based advocacy and campaign work that is of great importance to me personally, and I am also now working as part of a number of bar associations in community with other lawyers both in the field of immigration and otherwise. Though my experience thus far has been in immigration, I believe that it is a field that intersects with so many others. Because of this, I collaborate with those who work in other fields and in advocacy around other issues. my overall goal is help my clients and those that are similarly situated to be able to navigate systems that may be more difficult to face because of the barriers that are inherently set against them.
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