“The Refugee and Immigrant Rights Litigation Clinic was
unquestionably my most enjoyable and rewarding experience of law
school. In the course of the year-long clinic, I worked on
successful asylum cases for refugees from several countries
including Belarus, Iraq, and Togo. My experiences in this
clinic solidified my belief in the immensely positive impact that
the law can have upon peoples' lives. The Clinic allowed me
to interact one-on-one with clients so that I developed an intimate
understanding of their stories and struggles. My representation of
clients at actual immigration court proceedings was an incomparable
experience which gave me confidence and helped sharpen my trial
advocacy skills. Indeed, my proudest moment of law school was
witnessing the family of one of our clients break down in tears at
the moment when the Immigration Judge announced that he would grant
asylum. I highly recommend anyone with even a remote interest in
international law, human rights law, public interest work, and of
course, immigration and refugee law to apply to this clinic.”
“The SJU Immigrant and Refugee Rights Litigation Clinic was one of
the most gratifying experiences I had in law school. First
and foremost, you have your own caseload and your own clients.
Since the Clinic is for two semesters, you have time to cultivate a
relationship with them while you work on their case. You share
their hardships and successes with them, and you take pride in
being able to make a difference in their lives. It's what
lawyering is all about. Second, none of these cases are easy.
Mario and Mark are preeminent in their field and, as such, tend to
take the especially tough cases that dwell in the murky and
unsettled areas of immigration law. Their "throw-you-into-the-fire"
technique of teaching makes you learn quickly and think on your
feet. Also, you often have the chance to do real substantive
work, like writing motions, memos and briefs, representing clients
in immigration hearings, and even dabbling in federal practice.
Third, it's a real pleasure to work under Mario's
supervision. As a teacher, he is open, patient and
kind. He takes as much time as he can to explain what needs
to be done and to give you feedback. And he always has a
sense of humor. I learned a lot from him, not just about
immigration law, but about how to be a good lawyer. I
couldn't recommend the Clinic more highly.”
“I participated in the Immigration Rights Litigation Clinic during
my third year at St. John's, and it was the most challenging and
rewarding experience of my law school career. I found it
challenging because I was unfamiliar with immigration and refugee
rights law but wanted to build the best cases I could for my
clients, some of whom had experienced unimaginable things in their
home country. With the help the professors and fellow students
during roundtable discussions, I learned to develop my cases,
research country conditions and immigration law, prepare court
submissions, and appear before immigration judges. Besides from
gaining these valuable trial advocacy skills, I found it incredibly
rewarding to see my clients' cases through to the final hearing and
share their relief and joy at being able stay in this
country.”