Eleanor Acer
Director
Refugee Protection Program
Joined Human Rights First in 1996

As the director of Human Rights First’s Refugee Protection Program, Eleanor Acer supervises Human Rights First’s pro bono representation program and works with our Washington staff on matters related to domestic refugee policy. Under Eleanor’s leadership, Human Rights First has obtained asylum for more than 90% of our refugee clients in the New York and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. Eleanor oversees our 1,000-member volunteer lawyer network, maintains the quality of our legal service provision to asylum seekers from 88 countries, directs the program’s training component, and guides Human Rights First’s staff attorneys. Eleanor speaks and writes regularly on issues relating to U.S. asylum law and policy.

Before coming to Human Rights First, Eleanor was an associate handling federal litigation at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP and before that at Lord Day & Lord, Barrett Smith. She has coordinated mentoring programs and has served on the International Human Rights Committee and Immigration Committee of the Association of the Bar of New York.

Eleanor received her J.D. from Fordham University School of Law (1988) and her B.A. in History from Brown University (1984).