Immigration Rights Advocacy Clinic

Immigration Rights Advocacy Clinic - LAWN861

6 Credits

The Immigrant Rights Advocacy Clinic is a rigorous program where students advocate for immigrants at all stages of deportation and collaborate with community-based and advocacy organizations on scale projects. In their individual representation cases, students provide holistic representation to vulnerable immigrants facing deportation. This includes immigrants who are at risk of deportation due to encounters with the criminal legal system and those fleeing persecution. Unlike many areas of law, deportation cases rarely settle. As a result, students gain intensive litigation experience working in highly complex cases. In these cases, students may have the opportunity to develop the factual record, conduct trials, examine witnesses, work with experts, and draft and argue motions. These core litigation skills are transferable to any future area of legal practice. Critically, each individual case offers the chance to secure life-changing relief for the client, including release from immigration detention and the ability to live free from the risk of deportation. In the context of scale projects, students learn how to use the law to challenge injustice on a broader level by providing legal support to community-based and advocacy organizations. Lastly, the clinic features a weekly seminar covering substantive aspects of immigration law, lawyering skills, and nuanced discussion of the immigration laws and policies that affect our clients. This clinic is an excellent opportunity for any student interested in a career in immigration, public interest, or community-based lawyering.