PARDS Academician/Expert Search

PARDS can provide attorneys and asylum applicants with assistance from region-, country-, and/or issue-specific experts who will objectively and dispassionately assess the meritorious nature of asylum, deportation, Convention Against Torture (CAT) claims. Following their review of the application, PARDS will engage the proposed expert in an introductory conference call, either with the attorney, and/or applicant. Following acceptance of the proposed expert's country-specific credentials, they will provide a detailed verbal merit assessment, wherein they (1) reconcile the applicant's written statements with reality on the ground, (2) reflect upon current country conditions, and (3) address their repatriation concerns.

Following a careful review of the Department of State's Country Reports on Human Rights Practices and Profile of Asylum Claims and Country Conditions report, specific to the country(-ies) to which the applicant faces repatriation, for any and all claim-relevant statements presenting an accuracy concern (distortion written into, and/or significant omission written out of same), the expert can craft a corrective lens enabling the trier of fact to discern the meritorious nature of the claim.

Where an applicant presents documents which they purport to have been issued either by a foreign governmental agency, or non-governmental organization (NGO), a country-specific expert, who has has access to and reviewed similar documents through the course of their country-specific research, can authoritatively discern the authenticity of the document in question. It should be noted that in this specific excercise, the expert is employing certain specific academic vs. forensic criteria.

Following a finding of `fraud' by all too many foreign-based U.S. Embassy "document authentication investigators," `document experts' at the FBI's Quantico forensics lab, and subsequent diligent analysis by internationally known and respected country-specific scholars, the latter often concludes that asylum applicants hold no monopoly on fraud. Academics routinely dismiss the conclusions of government investigators' as `sloppy,' their research `shoddy,' and the logic of their findings, either without foundation,` `tortured,' or `non-existent.' The conclusions of country-specific experts when offered under oath, either through affidavit, and/or testimony, have been accepted as such and the `official' government findings set aside as without foundation. Boiler plate assessments penned by unscrupulous, untrained, and/or overwhelmed Embassy officials are profoundly troubling patterns of deception.

Experts can memorialize their observations, either through a written claim-specific critique (affidavit), and/or testimony, the latter of which is available, either telephonically from their office or home, or in-person (dependent upon individual court requirements).

In the case of an affidavit, preliminary drafts can be forwarded, either by fax, or e-mail for timely review and the submission of written recommendations for amendment. The final notarized (affidavit), or unnotarized (declaration) can be forwarded both by fax and commercial courier.

In the case of telephonic testimony, the expert will advise of their location on the date, and the phone number through which they can be reached to provide same. A distinction should be made regarding the time the hearing is scheduled to begin versus the time the expert can expect the court call.

In the case of an in-person testimony, it is important to advise the expert of the exact street address and entrance location to the building, floor and suite number, and the time the hearing is scheduled to begin versus the time which the expert is expected to take the stand.

PARDS can provide experts from the following disciplines:

• Anthropology
• Business
• Children's Issues
• Communications (freedom of the press)
• Criminology
• Cultural Studies
• Demographics
• Development
• Diplomatic Relations
• Disability Issues (goverment policies, public attitudes toward and treatment of the disabled)
• Document Authentication (foreign government issued, non-governmental organization issued)
• Ecology
• Economics (country-specific, field-specific employment opportunities)*
• Education (country-specific, primary, secondary, post-secondary, vocational, special educational needs, goverment policies regarding)*
• Environment
• Ethnography (inter-ethnic relations, government policies and attitudes toward minorities)
• Familial Studies
• Gender Studies
• Geography
• Government Studies
• Health Care (pathology-specific, quality and availability of, goverment policies regarding)*
• History (contemporary)
• Human Development Issues
• Human Rights
• Immigration and Emigration (government policies, public attitude toward and treatment of immigrants)
• International Affairs, Relations and Studies
• International Law
• Journalism (freedom of the press)
• Judiciary (country-specific)*
• Labor Studies (rights, freedom of association and collective bargaining, forced and compulsory labor, slavery, discrimination, child labor)
• Law (country-specific)
• Linguistics
• Military (conscription policies, hazings, avoidance and desertion penalties, service alternatives)
• Minority Studies (ethnic, religious and social)
• Nutrition (quality and availability of)
• Political Economy
• Political Science
• Prison Systems (conditions)
• Psychology
• Public Administration
• Public Policy
• Quality of Life (country-specific)*
• Refugees (government policies and public attitudes toward and treatment of)
• Regionalists
• Religion (government policies, public attitude toward and treatment of, traditional vs. non-traditional religions)
• Risk Assessments (country-specific)*
• Rural Studies
• Science and Technology
• Sexual Orientation (government and public attitude toward and treatment of)
• Social Welfare
• Sociology
• Terrorism (state and non-state sponsored)
• Torture (psychological and physical, practices, post-event diagnostics and treatment)
• Transportation System
• Urban Studies
• Women's Issues (domestic violence*, FGM)
* Comparison and Contrast Hardship Analysis (U.S. standard vs. Country "X")

For more information, phone us at 609-497-7663.