Terry Lawson

A long-time immigrant rights and anti-violence advocate, Terry works in close collaboration with UnLocal’s Education and Outreach, Legal, and Development teams to build collective power with New York’s immigrant communities. Terry joined UnLocal from the Immigrant Defense Project (IDP) where she championed the right of immigrant New Yorkers to attend court without fear of ICE arrest and helped secure a court rule, a federal court injunction, and legislation ending the practice. Prior to IDP, Terry was the Director of the Family and Immigration Unit at Bronx Legal Services where she also co-led the Bronx Domestic Violence Roundtable. Terry is a co-founder and steering committee member of the Bronx Immigration Partnership and a member of the New York State Unified Court System’s Advisory Council on Immigration Issues in Family Court, the Bronx Impact Advisory Council, and Confluence. Terry began her legal career as a litigation associate at Sidley Austin LLP, where she handled several pro bonomatters. She is the recipient of the NYC Bar Association’s 2019 Legal Services Award and was recognized as a 2018 Domestic Violence Advocate by the Mayor’s Office to End Domestic and Gender-Based Violence. A graduate of Yale College, Terry has a Masters in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School and a JD from Georgetown University.​