The NYT Afghan Asylum Project

January 11, 2022


Event Overview Tab

Webinar

Working as part of a coalition of law firms, Cleary Gottlieb partnered with The New York Times (NYT) to host a panel discussion and training focused on supporting evacuated Afghan journalists and other NYT employees seeking asylum in the United States.

Director of Pro Bono – U.S. Katherine Hughes moderated the panel discussion, which included NYT Vice President and Deputy General Counsel David McCraw, who detailed the NYT’s efforts to evacuate dozens of its employees after Kabul fell to the Taliban, and NYT reporter Fatima Faizi, who discussed her life as a journalist in Afghanistan. The discussion was introduced by NYT General Counsel Diane Brayton and NYT Vice President and Assistant General Counsel Joanna Helferich, with background on the project provided by representatives from coalition member firms Simpson Thacher and Vinson & Elkins.

Pro Bono Immigration Attorney Kyle Dandelet moderated the training portion of the event, which included litigation associate Rebecca Rubin and representatives from Catholic Charities, Davis Polk, Gibson Dunn, and the NYT.  The session provided a substantive overview of U.S. asylum law and explained how law firm coalition members can volunteer to represent NYT employees and their family members seeking asylum in the United States.

For more information on the NYT’s evacuation of its Afghan employees, click here.