Immigration Advocates Network Nominated For Best Law Site in the 15th Annual Webby Awards

April 13, 2011 - PRLog -- Pro Bono Net announced today that the Immigration Advocates Network (http://www.immigrationadvocates.org) has been nominated for Best Law Site in the 15th Annual Webby Awards.   This marks the site’s third Webby nomination.

The Webby Awards is the Internet's most respected symbol of success. The 15th Annual Webby Awards received nearly 10,000 entries from all 50 U.S. states and over 60 countries worldwide.

The Immigration Advocates Network (IAN) is a free national online network that supports legal advocates working on behalf of immigrants' rights.  It was developed by Pro Bono Net, a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to justice, and 11 leading immigrants’ rights organizations, with support from the Carnegie Corporation of New York.

As a nominee, IAN is also eligible to win a Webby People's Voice Award, which is voted online by the global Web community. From now until April 28th, IAN fans can cast their votes in The Webby People's Voice Awards at http://webby.aol.com.

“Immigration is a complex and high stakes area of the law that is affecting communities around the country more than ever before,” said Michele Garnett-McKenzie, Director of Advocacy at The Advocates for Human Rights and chair of the IAN Working Group. “IAN has been transformational, allowing immigration advocates to connect with the experts in this increasingly complex area of law regardless of their financial resources or geographical limitations.”

“We’re very proud to be recognized by The Webby Awards for the third year in a row,” said Mark O’Brien, Executive Director of Pro Bono Net.  “IAN demonstrates how technology can connect and empower a community of people dedicated to a common goal, in this case improving access to justice for low-income immigrants.”

Webby Award winners will be announced on May 3rd and honored at a star-studded ceremony on June 13th where they will have an opportunity to deliver one of The Webby Awards’ famous five-word speeches.

The Webby Awards is presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences, a global organization whose members include director Darren Aronofsky, Martha Stewart, Huffington Post Media Group President Arianna Huffington, Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone, musician David Bowie, and Internet co-creator Vint Cerf, Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson, and R/GA Chairman and CEO Bob Greenberg.

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About Pro Bono Net: Pro Bono Net is a national nonprofit dedicated to increasing access to justice via innovative uses of technology and increased volunteer lawyer participation. Pro Bono Net uses innovative web-based platforms—www.probono.net, www.lawhelp.org and www.lawhelpinteractive.org —to recruit and support volunteer lawyers and provide information and self-help tools to low-income communities.

About Immigration Advocates Network: IAN is a collaborative effort of leading immigrants’ rights organizations to increase access to justice for low-income immigrants. IAN partners include: ACLU Immigrants' Rights Project, ABA Commission on Immigration, American Immigration Council, American Immigration Lawyers Association, ASISTA, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Immigrant Legal Resource Center, Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service, National Immigration Law Center, National Immigration Project of the National Lawyers Guild, Pro Bono Net, the Advocates for Human Rights.