Law Clinic

Immigration And Deportation Defense Clinic

Western State College of Law’s Immigration and Deportation Defense Clinic (Clinic) is a five-credit, one-semester course. Students enrolled in the clinic will directly represent real-life clients in a range of immigration matters under faculty supervision. While the clinic’s focus is on immigration law, the skills that students will be exposed to are critical for many practice areas.

Students will learn a range of core lawyering skills while providing direct representation to their clients. During the semester, students may exercise research, drafting, interviewing, client counseling, cross-cultural, trial skills, and more. Students will also learn about the process of lawyering, such as setting goals, planning, doing, reflecting, and making intentional choices in the face of uncertainty.

There will be four components to the Clinic including: 1) a seminar; 2) field work (casework and a project); 3) weekly supervision meetings; and, 4) case rounds.

Students enrolled in the clinic are required to attend a weekly two-hour seminar. The seminar classes will cover a range of topics from immigration law to substantive lawyering skills and case rounds (an opportunity for students to reflect on their fieldwork with other law students enrolled in the clinic). All five units of the seminar are graded.

Students will work on a range of immigration cases and projects, such as providing representation to persons who are detained and vulnerable to immediate deportation; youth that has been abused, neglected, or abandoned by both parents and are seeking relief before state courts and government agencies; and persons seeking post-conviction relief in the criminal legal system to prevent their deportation. Students will also work with community organizations on legal empowerment and advocacy projects such as providing legal information to pro se litigants unable to obtain legal representation while defending themselves against deportation at the Santa Ana Immigration Court.

Students interested in enrolling in the clinic require approval from the clinic director. If you are interested in learning more or applying to the Clinic, email Professor Sabrina Rivera at srivera@wsulaw.edu.