Bar Leadership Initiative
"Won't You Be My Neighbor"
The 2024-2025 BLI Class worked with Hello Neighbor to develop the BLI's "Won't You Be My Neighbor" legal referral guide, an international film and an educational training video, produced by the BLI Class. Learn more about the project below.
About the BLI Project
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The 2025 BLI Class chose to partner with Hello Neighbor, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit dedicated to resettling immigrants and refugees. Together, the organizations developed a comprehensive legal referral guide translated into five different languages — those languages most commonly spoken by refugees — Spanish, French, Dari, Arabic and Swahili. Click the buttons below to view the translated guides.
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This legal referral guide is designed to be an essential resource for individuals navigating the community and legal system. It provides vital information on an array of services and programs, including family law services, criminal law services, tort law services, immigration law services, victim support programs, crisis intervention programs, protection from abuse programs, addiction services, mental health services, pro se assistance services, civil rights advocacy, consumer protection (debt and bankruptcy) services, health and disability law services, education law resources, elder law services, employment law services, pro bono services, community organization support and immigration protection services.
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By making this resource widely available and accessible, the project is empowering vulnerable individuals with the tools they need to establish stability and security in their new communities. In addition to the legal referral guide, the BLI class produced an educational training video featuring legal experts in the fields of family law, criminal law, tort law and immigration law. These videos are designed to dispel cultural misconceptions and provide crucial legal insights that will enable refugees to navigate common legal challenges more effectively. Click here to view the videos on the ACBA YouTube Channel.
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These efforts are deeply informed by thorough research into the issues most frequently faced by refugees in our community, ensuring that our resources are tailored to address their most pressing needs. To further support "Hello Neighbor" and raise awareness, the BLI class is organizing this public reception that will showcase an international film alongside our educational training video. The reception serves not only as an opportunity for community engagement but also as a fundraising event to bolster Hello Neighbor’s efforts. To honor the diverse cultures of the refugee communities we serve, the event is being catered by a local restaurant that pays tribute to the culinary traditions of these communities.
