The course is an experiential course integrating lawyering theory, skills and doctrine in the context of representing noncitizens (seeking nonimmigrant U status) in partnership with the community group, the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice (NOWCRJ). Students will be assigned to work in pairs, under the supervision of a NOWCRJ attorney and Prof. Hlass, on one U nonimmigrant status application for a NOWCRJ client. Students will learn the substantive law of U Nonimmigrant Status, as well as ethics and professionalism, as they develop lawyering skills including: client-centered interviewing, investigating facts, researching and analyzing relevant law, case planning, developing a theory of the case, creative problem-solving, strategic decision-making, collaborating, legal storytelling, cross-cultural lawyering and consequences of implicit bias, and legal writing, including affidavits and advocacy-focused letter briefs. This course has a weekly seminar, as well as an expectation of 10-15 hours of fieldwork weekly to complete the 135-hour fieldwork requirement. Enrollment is by application and is subject to the approval of the faculty. (5 Credits. all experiential, including 3 non-classroom credits.)
Spring 2019
Laila Hlass & Mary Yanik
Immigration Law
Experiential Courses
—Clinics