Jennifer L. Colyer

Jennifer L. Colyer is special counsel in the Litigation Department, and resident pro bono counsel in the New York office.  She joined the Firm in 1993 and became special counsel in 2000. 

As pro bono counsel, Ms. Colyer is responsible for directing the overall pro bono program and supervising individual pro bono projects handled by other attorneys at the Firm.  Ms. Colyer specializes in immigration and criminal defense and LGBT rights cases.  In 2010, she was counsel to the attorney for the child in the landmark case of Debra H. v. Janice R., in which the New York Court of Appeals gave effect to a lesbian couple's Vermont civil union to find that the child had two legal parents.  On the immigration front, Ms. Colyer has extensive experience in asylum, VAWA, U-Visa and cancellation of removal cases and has won asylum based on political opinion, sexual orientation, HIV status and other social group claims.

She also handles family-based immigration petitions.  For the past ten years, Ms. Colyer has defended individuals facing a broad array of criminal charges in federal court.   

Ms. Colyer is a frequent speaker on pro bono topics and has been a guest lecturer for the Pro Bono Management Seminar at Columbia Law School.

In addition, her extensive litigation experience includes a broad range of civil matters as well as substantial work on investigations brought by the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, United States Attorney's office and other criminal and internal investigations.