CAST's Individual Technical Assistance program is tailored specifically for professionals, such as legal providers, social service providers, law enforcement, and program managers, who are actively engaged in assisting survivors of human trafficking with legal matters. If you are a survivor seeking help, we would recommend contacting the CAST Hotline at 1-888-539-2373.
About our Technical Assistance
Our TA services are designed to achieve the following goals: explain relevant laws and regulations, identify potential errors in adjudication interpretations, and offer strategic suggestions to address legal challenges.
We do not conduct extensive research or fact-gathering, provide final legal assessments or determinations, serve as the final reviewers of legal matters, or act as mentors for requesters seeking legal advice.
Requesting Technical Assistance from CAST
If you need technical assistance from CAST, please submit your request through our TA REQUEST FORM. For your convenience, we've included an explanation below outlining the various types of requests that CAST provides and a guide on how to submit the various types of requests.
Our typical response time is within 15 business days. Please note that our response time may extend beyond 15 business days due to the high volume of inquiries. When we are experiencing high volume, priority is given to the following requestors:
- OVC Grantees
- Requests Related to Court or Filing Deadlines
- Individuals Who Have Completed CAST Trainings
**CAST does not provide phone consultations. Please do not request a phone consultation using the request form. If you would like to speak on the phone, sign up for our Legal Working Group Calls.
Requests from Legal Assistants, Paralegals, Legal Interns, Law Students, & Law Graduates
To ensure proper supervision and discourage the unauthorized practice of law, we require legal assistants, paralegals, legal interns, and law graduates to provide their legal supervisor’s contact information in all individual technical assistance requests. Supervising attorneys and DOJ accredited representatives can expect to be copied on our response to such technical assistance requests. We appreciate your cooperation and understanding.
WALKTHROUGH GUIDE: HOW TO SUBMIT A TA REQUEST
Supporting Resources
Our free resources and guidelines are available on our TTA webpage. We encourage requesters to review these resources before seeking additional assistance. In some cases, we may recommend that you review relevant materials before you seek further TA. This helps ensure that the TA provided is targeted and beneficial to your specific needs. If necessary, we may refer requesters to mentors for more comprehensive guidance and support beyond the scope of TA.
Types of Technical Assistance Requests
Please review the list below to understand the type of assistance that we provide:
Case Consultations or General Information
Case consultations are for troubleshooting or strategizing specific cases. In these consultations, CAST recommends case strategies tailored to the individual request. General Information requests, on the other hand, are not specific to particular cases; they involve questions about general processes or current trends. In response to these requests, CAST does not offer case-specific strategies and instead provides general information about the trends in the given context. For both case consultations and general information requests, please be sure to include enough information so we can send you a written response as we do not provide phone consultations.
Case Consultations for Human Trafficking Analysis Assistance
Practitioners often reach out to us with questions about whether a particular scenario qualifies as trafficking. We understand that, as legal practitioners, it's crucial for you to present a compelling argument within the legal definition of severe forms of trafficking. We're here to support you in building that argument. Hence, we don't simply provide a yes or no response to whether a given fact scenario constitutes trafficking.
If you're uncertain whether a case involves trafficking, we encourage you to complete our EMP model and share it with us for review. Select the following options on the TA request form when you are making your request:
- Topics to be covered: Other
- Type of Assistance Needed: Document Review
- What type of document do you need us to review?: Other Document Review
- Facts and Questions: Include a summary of the case's facts and any questions that can help us understand where you need assistance.
- Attach the completed EMP worksheet when prompted
We'd like to let you know that sending us an EMP model is optional; you can go ahead and request a case consultation without it. However, we've noticed that practitioners who go through this process often gain confidence in their analysis of the legal definition of human trafficking.
Document Review Requests
Currently, we offer document reviews for T visa Requests for Evidence (RFEs), T visa denials, and T visa appeals, which include a review of USCIS decisions and your responses. We also review non-immigration documents, such as post-conviction relief applicant statements or victims' compensation documents.
Please note, however, that we do not currently provide initial T visa declaration reviews. If you are interested in this service, we encourage you to sign up for notifications about our upcoming trainings, specifically our Intensive T Visa Declaration Review Workshop. This workshop is offered regularly and provides in-depth guidance on the initial T Visa declaration review process. We also provide an Initial T Visa Declaration Rubric to help practitioners assess client directions.
For T Visa-related document review requests, completion of two e-learning courses is required:
To proceed, you'll need to achieve a passing score on the self-assessment on each course.
Be aware that we can only review your documents once these prerequisites are fulfilled. If your request is time-sensitive, we recommend you submit it quickly and complete the required courses. This proactive approach ensures sufficient time for a comprehensive review.
While we aim to respond within 15 business days (or even sooner for urgent requests), we would highly encourage you to submit early. Your proactive approach guarantees timely assistance and allows us to provide you with the best possible support.
Referral Options for Clients
If you are searching for an agency to refer your client to, review the lists of organizations funded to provide services to trafficking survivors, including legal providers, on our Service Referral Lists.
Call our 24/7 response line at 888-539-2373 to refer your client to CAST. CAST’s direct services are only available to survivors in Los Angeles County.
Overuse and Ethical Conduct Policy
We value the responsible use of our TA services. Requesters who repeatedly abuse TA services, such as by seeking comprehensive advice without reviewing our free supporting materials, accessing our training resources, or following previous advice, may be directed to consult advisory materials and guidelines instead of receiving individual assistance.
Additionally, we retain the right to refuse assistance to any practitioner based on a history of plagiarism, unauthorized practice of law, or other ethical violations. We will review these situations case-by-case to ensure compliance with our ethical standards and legal requirements.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation in following our TA policy. We are here to help you navigate trafficking-related legal matters effectively and responsibly.