Immigration Law Clinic
General Description
Clinic students represent immigrants requesting asylum, facing removal from the United States, and seeking special protection under the Violence Against Women Act. Students also help clients to overcome linguistic and cultural barriers that could impede their success in the U.S. legal system.
Clients may include refugees, immigrant women and children survivors of domestic violence applying to change their status, persons with criminal convictions who seek relief from removal from the United States, and other immigrant populations.
Services to the Public
Clinic personnel specialize in serving immigrants in removal proceedings and asylum cases, as well as survivors of domestic violence.
Potential clients should call the clinic at 412.648.1300 to request an appointment.
Description of Fieldwork / Client Representation
In representing clients under the supervision of the clinical professor, students perform all aspects of case preparation including interviewing clients, writing pleadings, appearing in Immigration Court, appearing before administrative agencies, and managing post-relief issues.
Students are also expected to collaborate with community-based organizations that serve Pittsburgh’s foreign-born population, such as the Jewish Family & Children's Service and the Latino Family Center among others.
Description of Classroom Component
During the first semester, the clinic will address substantive aspects of the Immigration and Nationality Act and other applicable national and international law as well as advocacy and lawyering skills relevant to students' work at the clinic.
Second-semester students will not attend the weekly two-hour classroom session but instead will devote significantly more time to effective case management and client representation before the Immigration Court and other agencies, and engage in other assigned clinic-related work such as client interviewing and outreach activities. Second-semester students also will attend the weekly case supervision.
Credits
2-semester clinic, 3 credits each semester.
Transcript / Awarding of Credits
The Immigration Law Clinic is a two-semester clinic. Students may enroll in the spring or the fall semesters, but must complete 2 semesters in order to receive credit
Extension
To be determined.
Eligibility Requirements / Prerequisites
Evidence
Application Procedure and Selection Basis
Enrollment limit: 8 students per semester
Enrollment priorities/preferences: 3L, fluency in languages other than English, and experience with community work.
Students that have taken Immigration Law
Additional Contact
412.648.1300
Faculty / Staff
Sheila I Velez-Martinez, Director
Nadine Hamlett, Administrative Assistant
