Biography
Leslye Orloff is an Adjunct Professor and Director of the National Immigrant Women’s Advocacy Project (NIWAP) at American University, Washington College of Law. NIWAP provides training and technical assistance that supports attorneys, judges, police, prosecutors and victim advocates in their work with immigrant victims of domestic and sexual violence and child abuse. NIWAP also advocates for laws, policies and practices that enhance legal protections for immigrant women and children and immigrant victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and human trafficking. Ms. Orloff’s 38-year career includes working collaboratively with experts across the country to develop and implement immigration relief, public benefits access and family law protections for immigrant women, children and survivors. She was involved in drafting the Protection for Immigrant Victims of Violence Against Women of the Violence Against Women Acts of 1994, 2000, 2005, and 2013, the Trafficking Victims Protection Acts of 2000 and 2008, legal services access for battered immigrants in 1997 and 2005 and welfare access for battered immigrants in 1996. She has also worked with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies to implement these laws. She was a co-founder and co-chair of the National Network to End Violence Against immigrant Women (1992-2011).
Ms. Orloff has published numerous law and social science journal articles, curricula, and training materials for attorneys, law enforcement, judges and other professionals on legal rights and services options for immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and other crimes. National recognition of Ms. Orloff’s work on behalf of immigrant women includes: Governor Andrew Cuomo’s New York State Council on Women and Girls COVID-19 Domestic Violence Taskforce 2020; 2015-2016 Chair Health-Mental Health Subcommittee of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Advisory Committee on Family Residential Centers; 2015 Social Educational Exchange Fellowship from the Eurasia Foundation for Gender Issues; 2012 Daynard Public Interest Fellowship, Northeastern University Law School, the 2007 Sheila Wellstone Award for her work on VAWA; the 2007 annual Maryland Rosalynn B. Bell Award; a Harvard Law School Wasserstein Public Interest Law Fellowship in 2002; and a Kellogg National Leadership Fellowship in 1994. Ms. Orloff received her J.D. from the University of California at Los Angeles and graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. from Brandeis University.