Clinic: Immigration

• Semester: Spring 2021
• Course ID: 697C
• Credit Hours: 6
• Unique: 29510

Description

This course will be taught online via Zoom.  Some clinic activities relating to casework will be conducted in person.

Students in the Immigration Clinic represent vulnerable low-income immigrants from around the world before the immigration and federal courts and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Students gain hands-on experience by taking on the primary responsibility and decision-making authority for their cases under the mentorship of the clinic faculty. The clinic’s caseload varies each semester focused primarily on detention and deportation defense and asylum cases. The clinic has handled cases for clients from, among other countries, Mexico, Colombia, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Eritrea, Pakistan and Nepal. Students provide assistance and direct legal representation to women and children detained at the Hutto and Karnes immigration detention centers. Students also engage in national and international human rights advocacy projects and collaborate with other organizations to reform and improve the rights of immigrants in the United States. Through client representation and advocacy as well as the classroom component of the clinic, students learn substantive immigration law. Students also develop client relationship skills and practice a variety of legal advocacy techniques. The clinic allows students to explore different models for effective and collaborative lawyering.

The Immigration Clinic meets for class two times per week for an hour and a half. Two special orientation sessions are held at the beginning of the semester in addition to the regular classes.  Classes are currently conducted synchronously online via zoom; attendance is required.  Supervision meetings are generally conducted online via zoom but may be held in person where all participants agree. Where possible, casework is conducted remotely although some work will be completed in the clinic office at the law school.  Depending upon client representation needs, in-person meetings with clients, moots and appearances before the Immigration Court or DHS may be required.  Students may need to travel to San Antonio where the Immigration Court and DHS offices are located. Grading is on a pass/fail basis for this six-credit hour clinic. There is no final exam or paper. Students should expect to spend 10-20 hours per week on clinic work, including class time.  Students are encouraged to apply for the clinic during early registration as enrollment is limited and faculty permission is required to register. Students should submit an electronic application, available at https://law.utexas.edu/clinics/application-information/, by the end of the early registration period. For more information about the Immigration Clinic, contact Denise Gilman (dgilman@law.utexas.edu) or Elissa Steglich (esteglich@law.utexas.edu).

SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS - CLINIC

APPLICATION REQUIRED. Application and/or instructions on how to apply for this clinic can be accessed on the web: https://law.utexas.edu/clinics/application-information/ Professor keeps his/her own waitlist