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Immigration Law Clinic
Class Term:
Fall Term 2022-2023
Catalog Number:
5880
Professor(s):
Professor
Clinic
Credits:
4 (2 Contact, 2 Field)
Graduation Requirements:
Experiential Learning
Priority:
3rd Year Priority when offered in the Fall, 2nd Year Priority when offered in the Spring
Full Year Course:
No
Category:
Standard Courses
Additional Information
Credits for the clinic are allocated to the classroom contact hours (2 credits of clinic per semester) and supervised field work (1 field hour of credit is equal to 52 hours of client work). During the first semester the Clinic will address substantive aspects of the Immigration and Nationality Act as well as 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 2 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 will attend the weekly case supervision meetings. The community based organizations with which the Clinic will collaborate include Jewish Family & Children's Service and the Latino Family Center, among others.
Grading Details
Students will receive a grade at the conclusion of each semester, however, in the event that a student does not complete the second semester the student shall receive a W for the course, thus nullifying the grade for the prior semester. Students will receive 4 credits per semester. Each student will receive a letter grade based on some or all of the following factors: Participation in classes and case rounds meetings Ability to work effectively with clients Commitment and case management Litigation and advocacy skills Research skills and demonstrated knowledge of the applicable law Professionalism before the court, community organizations and peers
Description
The Immigration Law Clinic is a two semester clinic. Students may enroll in either the spring or the fall semesters. Students will receive a grade at the conclusion of each semester, however, in the event that a student does not complete the second semester the student shall receive a W for the course (for both semesters), thus nullifying the grade for the prior semester. Students will receive 4 credits per semester.
In the Immigration Clinic students represent immigrants requesting asylum, facing removal from the United States, and seeking special protection under the Violence Against Women Act. 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. Clinic students also assist their clients in overcoming linguistic and cultural barriers that could impede their clients' 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.
Students are also expected to collaborate with community based organizations that serve the foreign born population in the city.