ImmigrationProf Blog

Clinical Fellow, International Human Rights Clinic, Duke University School of Law

Clinical Fellow, International Human Rights Clinic, Duke University School of Law  Duke Law seeks to fill a Clinical Fellow position in its International Human Rights Clinic beginning July 1, 2024 for two years. Duke Law has deep faculty, student and institutional engagement in human rights and international law. Working under the supervision of the Clinic's faculty, they will help supervise student fieldwork in Clinic projects and participate in the planning and teaching of the Clinic seminar. They will also assist in coordinating elements of the human rights program at Duke Law, including its Human Rights in Practice series and Human Rights Pro Bono Program.  The Clinical Fellow will also work closely with faculty and staff in the Clinic and the broader Law School to expand Duke Law's experiential learning opportunities in human rights, including through student placements in competitive summer and semester fellowships and externships in human rights and related fields. The individual selected for the position will receive mentorship in teaching, scholarship, and human rights lawyering and will have an opportunity to work with the faculty affiliated with the Center for International and Comparative Law. The term of the appointment is two years, comprised of two one-year contracts. Salary and benefits will be commensurate with experience and competitive with similar fellowship positions at other top U.S. law schools. Please note that this appointment requires that the Clinical Fellow be in-residence. For details on applications, click here.

KJ

Legal Fellow Opening: Community Health Law Partnership Clinic (Community HeLP), University of Georgia School of Law

 

Professor Jason Cade

The Community Health Law Partnership Clinic (Community HeLP) at the University of Georgia School of Law seeks a full-time Legal Fellow to start on or after July 1, 2024. The fellowship is a one-year commitment with the option to renew a second year depending on performance and funding availability.  The fellow will join a dedicated and welcoming community of faculty, clinicians, staff attorneys, legal fellows, and students at the University of Georgia School of Law, where there are now 18 well-supported clinical and externship programs. Fellows at UGA Law enjoy the opportunity to develop their own pedagogical skills and scholarship, if interested, among other support. 

Community HeLP is a two-semester legal clinic that focuses on the intersection of immigration status and health. Working under the supervision of clinic director Jason Cade and staff attorney Kristen Shepherd, law students engage in a variety of interdisciplinary advocacy, including humanitarian and family-based immigration benefits, advocacy on behalf of immigrant detainees, and public education on issues at the intersection of health and immigration. The clinic has represented women alleging medical abuse and neglect in a detention center, workers hurt by a gas leak at poultry plant, asylum seekers, families and individuals fleeing violence here and abroad, and other noncitizen clients whose health is affected by social determinants that have legal solutions. Visit the clinic’s website for more information. 

The Legal Fellow will be expected to maintain a docket of cases and projects, help supervise students using a clinical practice model, and engage in outreach and collaboration with community partners. The position will involve occasional travel for court, administrative hearings, and other clinic work.  

Candidates must possess a JD degree from an ABA-accredited law school by the position start date and should be licensed to practice in at least one state, preferably Georgia. Applicants who are not yet licensed are expected to secure admission to a state bar within 12 months, preferably Georgia. 

Candidates should possess outstanding skills in administrative advocacy; excellent written and oral communication abilities; a demonstrated commitment to public interest law and working with underserved populations; strong organizational and time-management skills; an ability to supervise law students effectively; and an ability to build and maintain community relationships. Fluency in both Spanish and English is a significant plus. 

The University of Georgia is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, genetic information, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation or protected veteran status. A background investigation will be required as part of the hiring process. 

For further information, contact Jason Cade, Director of the Community HeLP Clinic, at [email protected]. Applications received by Dec. 6, 2023, are assured of consideration. After that date, applications will be considered on a rolling basis until the position is filled. 

 

To apply, please use this link.

 

KJ

University of Houston Law Center names Anna Cabot Director of the Immigration Clinic

It was announced yesterday that Clinical Associate Professor J. Anna Cabot is now running the Immigration Clinic at the University of Houston Law Center. Cabot took on the director role this fall.  According to her law school bio,

"Prior to teaching at the UH Law Center, Professor Cabot was the Practitioner in Residence in the Gender Justice Clinic at American University Washington College of Law. There she taught and supervised students representing clients with cases spanning immigration, housing, family law, domestic violence protection, wills, and name-and-gender change. Additionally, from 2014 to 2018, Professor Cabot was the William Davis Clinical Teaching Fellow at the University of Connecticut School of Law, teaching in the Asylum and Human Rights Clinic.

Professor Cabot’s research interests include the intersections of gender and cultural difference with global migration, immigration laws, and international law, and crisis-responsive clinical pedagogy. Most recently, Professor Cabot wrote a chapter for a book discussing expert country conditions testimony in fear-of-return immigration claims: Understanding the Legal Framework for Asylum: A Guide for Expert Witnesses in Practicing Asylum: A Handbook on Expert Witnesses in Latin American Domestic Violence, LGBTI, and Mother/Child Cases (Kimberly Gaudermann ed.) (forthcoming)."

KJ  

Call for Applications for Center for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) Fellow

Director Phil Schrag

The Center for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) at Georgetown Law announces that it is now accepting applications for its annual fellowship program in clinical legal education. CALS will offer one lawyer a two‑year teaching fellowship (July 2024‑June 2026), providing a unique opportunity to learn how to teach law in a clinical setting.

This fellowship is particularly suitable for lawyers with some degree of practice experience who now want to embark upon careers in law teaching. Most of our previous fellows are now teaching law or have done so for substantial portions of their careers.

Since 1995, CALS has specialized in immigration law, specifically in asylum practice. Guided by faculty and fellows, law students represent clients in immigration court and in asylum adjudications by the Department of Homeland Security. Applicants with experience in U.S. immigration law, particularly those who have represented asylum applicants in immigration court, will therefore be given preference. The fellow must be a member of a bar at the start of the fellowship period; therefore, this fellowship is not suitable for current law students.

The fellow will receive full tuition and fees in the LL.M. program at Georgetown University, and a stipend of 70,000 in the first year and 75,000 in the second year. On successful completion of the requirements, the Fellow will be granted the degree of Master of Laws (Advocacy) with distinction.

Former holders of this fellowship include Mary Brittingham (1995-97), Andrea Goodman (1996-98), Michele Pistone (1997-99), Rebecca Story (1998-2000), Virgil Wiebe (1999-2001), Anna Marie Gallagher (2000-02), Regina Germain (2001-2003), Dina Francesca Haynes (2002-2004), Diane Uchimiya (2003-2005), Jaya Ramji-Nogales (2004-2006), Denise Gilman (2005-2007), Susan Benesch (2006-2008), Kate Aschenbrenner (2007-2009), Anjum Gupta (2008-2010), Alice Clapman (2009-2011) Geoffrey Heeren (2010-2012), Heidi Altman (2011-2013), Laila Hlass (2012-2014), Lindsay Harris (2013-2015), Jean C. Han (2014-2016), Rebecca Feldmann (2015-2017), Pooja Dadhania (2016-2018), Karen Baker (2017-2019), Faiza Sayed (2018-2020), Deena Sharuk (2019 -2021), Alison Coutifaris (2020-2022), Jocelyn B. Cazares-Willingham (2021-2023).  The current fellows are Iman Saad and Lauren Hughes. The faculty members directing CALS are Andrew Schoenholtz and Philip Schrag.

To apply, send a resume, an official or unofficial law school transcript, a writing sample, and a detailed statement of interest (approximately 5 pages). The materials must arrive by January 31, 2024. The statement should address: a) why you are interested in this fellowship; b) what you can contribute to the Clinic; c) your experience with asylum and other immigration cases; d) your professional or career goals for the next five or ten years; e) your reactions to the Clinic’s goals and teaching methods as described on its website anything else that you consider pertinent. Address your application to Directors, Center for Applied Legal Studies, Georgetown Law, 600 New Jersey Avenue, NW, Suite 332, Washington, D.C. 20001. Send it  electronically to [email protected].

CALS welcomes and considers applications from any and all interested applicants without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran, or other protected status. If you have any questions, call CALS at (202) 662-9565 or email them to [email protected].

KJ

At the Movies: Safe?

 

Safe? from Lynn Marcus on Vimeo.

Lynn Marcus of Arizona Law recently shared a 21-minute documentary about a U of A Immigration Law Clinic case that lasted almost 19 years. Here's the link to "Safe?"  and a brief description of the story:

"Seventeen years after fleeing Guatemala as teenagers, a young couple has finally obtained visas that should lead to permanent residence. But misdemeanors in the husband’s past and increasingly restrictive immigration policies cast a pall over the future. Will evidence of good character and his family’s needs be enough to convince officials to let the husband stay with his wife and children in the U.S? 

The case involves U visa applicants applying for adjustment of status. The video is intended to personalize issues in the immigration system such as the use of prosecutorial discretion and to illustrate the harm that by policies that limit or eliminate favorable exercises of discretion for individuals with a criminal record can cause. You may find it raises other topics to discuss with students, such as the importance, to advocates, of developing good working relationships with the government's attorneys."

KJ

Position Opening -- Stanford Law Clinical Supervising Attorney, Immigrants’ Rights Clinic

The Mills Legal Clinic of Stanford Law School invites applicants for a Clinical Supervising Attorney position with its Immigrants’ Rights Clinic (IRC). The Clinical Supervising Attorney will join the thriving clinical community at Stanford Law School, where, together with the clinical faculty and staff, they will train law students to work on immigrants’ rights litigation and advocacy. We seek candidates with a demonstrated commitment to collaborative work, intentional lawyering, and a growth mindset.  Click here for details.

KJ

Immigration Clinical Position at Harvard Law

 

Thank you to the @BostonGlobe for covering this important work. https://t.co/KvvCbbn0zM #WelcomeWithDignity

— HLS_Immigration (@HLS_Immigration) June 23, 2023

The Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program is searching for a Clinical Instructor to start immediately to supervise law students on litigation, policy advocacy, and deportation defense. The Clinical Instructor will supervise students in  the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy and the Crimmigration Clinics. The Clinical Instructor will engage in district court and appellate litigation and direct representation of individuals seeking immigration relief, defense against deportation, and release from immigration detention.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.  Applications are encouraged by August 9.

KJ

Professor Elizabeth McCormick, R.I.P.

Dan Kowalski at Bender's immigration Bulletin offers a stirring tribute to our departed immigration colleague and friend, Elizabeth McCormick.  Among many other things, Professor McCormick founded and directed the Immigrant Rights Project, a University of Tulsa College of Law clinical education program in which law students represent clients in immigration matters.  She taught Immigration Law, International Refugee and Asylum Law, and Professional Responsibility.

Professor McCormick’s scholarship and advocacy focused on immigration law and policy, in particular the intersection of federal immigration law and policy and state and local immigration enforcement efforts, including the battle over sanctuary cities.

KJ

 

Immigration Article of the Day: Designing Sanctuary by Rick Su

Designing Sanctuary by Rick Su, Michigan Law Review, Forthcoming

Abstract

In recent decades, a growing number of cities in the United States have adopted “sanctuary policies” limiting local participation in federal immigration enforcement. Existing scholarship has focused on their legality and effect, especially with respect to our nation’s immigration laws. Largely overlooked, however, is the local process through which sanctuary policies are designed and the reasons why cities choose to adopt them through city ordinances, mayoral orders, or employee handbooks. This Article argues that municipal sanctuary policies are far from uniform, and their variation reflects the different local interests and institutional actors behind their adoption and implementation. More specifically, municipal sanctuary policies can be broadly categorized into three models: administrative sanctuary, political sanctuary, and silent sanctuary. Each of these models reflects a specific approach in how cities choose to balance their political relationship with residents, thei r administrative relationship with employees, and their intergovernmental relations with the state and federal government. Moreover, these three models correspond with different eras in sanctuary’s development and anti-sanctuary responses at the state and federal level. This typology highlights the structural and institutional forces that have contributed to the diversity of sanctuary policies in the United States. In addition, it calls into question many of the assumptions in the sanctuary literature about the assessment of sanctuary policies, the goals of anti-sanctuary efforts, and the effect of all of this on local policymaking.

KJ

Depaul Celebrates Refugee Law Graduate

It is graduation season and a good immigrant success story is in order.  The Chicago Tribune ran a story about a DePaul law grad, his refugee story, and his work in the DePaul Asylum and Immigration Clinic.   Download Depaul

KJ

Immigration Article of the Day: The US Immigration Courts, Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Systemic Immigration Failures: The Causes, Composition, and Politically Difficult Solutions to the Court Backlog by Donald Kerwin and Evin Millet

The US Immigration Courts, Dumping Ground for the Nation’s Systemic Immigration Failures: The Causes, Composition, and Politically Difficult Solutions to the Court Backlog by Donald Kerwin and Evin Millet, Journal on Migration and Human Security (2023)

Abstract

The US immigration court system seeks to “fairly, expeditiously, and uniformly administer and interpret US immigration laws” (DOJ 2022a). It represents the first exposure of many immigrants to due process and the rule of law in the United States, and occupies an integral role in the larger US immigration system. Yet it labors under a massive backlog of pending cases that undermines its core goals and objectives. The backlog reached 1.87 million cases in the first quarter of FY 2023 (Straut-Eppsteiner 2023, 6). This paper attributes the backlog to systemic failures in the broader immigration system that negatively affect the immigration courts, such as:

 

•  Visa backlogs, United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) application processing delays, and other bottlenecks in legal immigration processes.

 

•  The immense disparity in funding between the court system and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) agencies that feed cases into the courts.

 

•  The failure of Congress to pass broad immigration reform legislation that could ease pressure on the enforcement and court systems.

 

•  The lack of standard judicial authorities vested in Immigration Judges (IJs), limiting their ability to close cases; pressure parties to “settle” cases; and manage their dockets.

 

•  The absence of a statute of limitations for civil immigration offenses.

 

•  Past DHS failures to establish and adhere to enforcement priorities and to exercise prosecutorial discretion (PD) throughout the removal adjudication process, including in initial decisions to prosecute.

 

•  The location of the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which oversees US immigration courts, within the nation’s preeminent law enforcement agency, the Department of Justice (DOJ).

 

•  The misconception of many policymakers that the court system should primarily serve as an adjunct to DHS.

 

•  A past record of temporary judge reassignments and government shutdowns.

 

The paper supports a well-resourced and independent immigration court system devoted to producing the right decisions under the law. Following a short introduction, a long section on “Causes and Solutions to the Backlog” examines the multi-faceted causes of the backlog, and offers an integrated, wide-ranging set of recommendations to reverse and ultimately eliminate the backlog. The “Conclusion” summarizes the paper’s topline findings and policy proposals.

 

Click here to register for a webinar on the paper.

 

KJ

DePaul's Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic in the News

A news report features the work of DePaul's Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic.  Sioban Albiol, Professor of Legal Practice, is the Director of the DePaul Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic and was interviewed for the story.  Some if the students who work in the clinic understand the importance of legal representation first hand.  The story quotes students:

"My parents immigrated in the 90s from Poland and my dad actually filed for asylum, but he was not granted," said Camilla Mroczkowski, student attorney Asylum & Immigration Law Clinic

"I was an asylum seeuker myself back in 2011. I was part of the revolution in Syria," said Emad Mahou, student attorney Asylum and Immigration Law Clinic.

KJ

Cornell Law Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic Celebrates 20th Anniversary

 

Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Common

Owen Lubozynski for Cornell Law School News reports that "[t]wenty years ago, Cornell Law School established its Asylum and Convention Against Torture Appellate Clinic. Since then, some 200 students have represented close to 100 clients. In a system where the vast majority of asylum seekers lose their appeals, the clinic has won an estimated sixty-six percent of its cases."

Congrats Cornell Law and the Clinic!

KJ

Call for Applications: UDC, Director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic

UDC Law is hiring for a new Director of the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. Click the link for details.

KJ

Call for Applications for Immigration Postdocs at Cornell Law Immigration Law and Policy Research Program

From Stephen Yale-Loehr 
Professor of Immigration Law Practice, Cornell Law School:

"Hi all: We have two great postdocs in our immigration law and policy research program at Cornell Law School.  One has written an article on immigration federalism that has been accepted by Duke Law Journal;  the other has written an article on private refugee sponsorship models that will be published in the Georgetown Immigration Law Journal.  They have also both coauthored several op-eds.

We are looking for another person who is as talented as our two current postdocs.  Attached is a job posting for a one-year immigration postdoc position at Cornell Law School.  The same info is also available online at https://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/jobs/24303  The new postdoc will start this summer.

If you know any potential applicants or other lists, please forward.  Thanks, Steve Yale-Loehr"

KJ

News from Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic

This week, the Stanford Law School Immigrants’ Rights Clinic filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against DHS regarding the Dedicated Docket Program. The complaint is here: Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco v. DHS. The complaint is filed on behalf of the Justice & Diversity Center of The Bar Association of San Francisco. 

The Clinic has been busy.  Last week, it released a new pro se guide (in English and Spanish) for individuals on the Dedicated Docket.   

KJ

Stanford Law School Immigrants' Rights Clinic's Dedicated Docket Guide

The Stanford Law School Immigrants' Rights Clinic has released a new pro se guide for individuals on the Dedicated Docket. The guide provides an overview and description of the Dedicated Docket and to provide advice regarding how one may assert their rights while on this fast-paced docket.  This guide was prepared for noncitizens in proceedings in the San Francisco Immigration Court, but may be helpful for others on the Dedicated Docket in other jurisdictions. The guide was created and written by law students under the supervision of Lisa Weissman-Ward and Jayashri Srikantiah.  It was produced on behalf of the Justice & Diversity Center of the Bar Association of San Francisco.

English: English Language Dedicated Docket Pro Se Materials

Spanish: Spanish Language Dedicated Docket Pro Se Materials

Here is a student blog post describing the experience of serving as pro bono attorneys for individuals on the Dedicated Docket as part of the development of these materials.  

KJ

Willamette Opens Immigration Law Clinic

Professor Beth Zilberman joined the faculty in summer 2022 to launch the Immigration Law Clinic at Willamette University College of Law and strengthen immigration course offerings.  The fall semester has included a successful soft launch for the Clinic.

Nearly all students enrolled in the Clinic represent clients seeking asylum based on a fear of persecution.  Clinic students have also worked on a variety of cases under the Alien Tort Statute and the Torture Victim Protection Act, which allow noncitizens to bring tort claims for violation of the law of nations.

Clinic students also engage in human rights fact-finding and reporting. Most recently, the Clinic prepared Human Trafficking and Native Peoples in Oregon. The report was in follow-up to Modern Slavery in Our Midst: A Human Rights Report on Ending Human Trafficking in Oregon.

KJ

Podcast Interview with Professor Holly Cooper

 

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Immigration Law Clinic Co-director and Professor Holly Cooper discusses her work to improve conditions for unaccompanied immigrant children in government custody. Professor Cooper walks us through the recent preliminary injunction in the national class action lawsuit Lucas R. v. Becerra that ensures more procedural protections for migrant children.   UC Davis Law's podcast about faculty scholarship, Justice Defined: Scholars of King Hall, focuses on research areas including immigration, business, civil rights, environmental and constitutional law and more.  ‌ ‌ ‌

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UC Davis School of Law | 400 Mrak Hall Drive, Davis, CA 95616

 

 

KJ

Open Position: ProBAR - Director ProBAR

 

 

The South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project (ProBAR), a project of the American Bar Association (ABA), is looking for a new Director!  The ABA seeks an experienced immigration lawyer committed to and adept at working with a diverse staff and client population to lead ProBAR on its path of providing vital legal services to immigrants and asylum-seekers in South Texas. If you are dedicated to advocating for vulnerable populations and serving detained adults and unaccompanied children on the frontlines of immigration, then this is your opportunity to fulfill your purpose with a dynamic, highly recognized nonprofit organization.

Details here.

KJ