Miami Law Immigration Clinic

Immigration Clinic

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Established in the fall of 2009, the Immigration Clinic provides a challenging opportunity for students to advocate on behalf of immigrants in a wide variety of complex immigration proceedings. In addition to helping individual clients, students collaborate with other immigrant rights groups on projects that reform the law and advance the cause of social justice for immigrants. The clinic is dedicated to being an integral part of the wider immigrant and human rights advocacy community in South Florida and the nation.

The clinic works on a variety of Cases, Projects and Resources including Stopping Deportations To Haiti and The Immigration Consequences of Crimes.

As the primary advocates for their clients, students gain:

  • Invaluable first-hand advocacy experience under close supervision.
  • Feedback from others and self-reflection, utilizing active learning techniques and technology that permit self-critique and peer review.
  • Development of core lawyering skills, such as interviewing and counseling, fact investigation, case planning, researching and writing, witness examination, and oral advocacy.
  • Experience working in the field of social justice lawyering, including exposure to the many different roles that social justice lawyers play as advocates.
  • An understanding of how institutional, cultural, economic, and political forces influence how immigrants are treated within our legal system.
  • The opportunity to learn about their own strengths and areas of growth and to develop a commitment to working in the public interest in accordance with their own professional values and goals.

All of the clinic's clients are in removal proceedings before immigration court, the Board of Immigration Appeals, or federal courts. Students have the primary responsibility for preparing cases from start to finish – from an initial factual investigation through to a final merits hearing in an adversarial setting. (Students do not need to be certified by the Florida Bar as certified legal interns in order to appear in court.) The clinic accepts cases of detained and non-detained immigrants on a referral basis from legal service providers and other organizations. A critical component of the class is participation in mock and moot exercises aimed at developing core abilities like interviewing, counseling, and courtroom skills.

The Immigration Clinic's classes focus on substantive law, legal ethics, and structured discussions about clinic cases while also developing lawyering skills and case strategy.

Time Commitment

  • This clinic is a two-semester, 6 credits in-house, live-client clinic.
  • Casework and supervision: Students are required to spend an average of 3-4 hours per credit per week on clinic related casework, weekly supervision and class.
  • Class Requirement: Clinic class meets for one hour and twenty minutes twice a week.

Prerequisites

Successfully Completed 32 Credits

Co-Requisites

Immigration Law

Clinic Director

Rebecca Sharpless
Associate Professor of Clinical Legal Education
Director, Immigration Clinic
305-284-3576, E257
rsharpless@law.miami.edu

Farrin Anello
Supervising Attorney and Clinical Teaching Fellow
305-284-9201
fanello@law.miami.edu

Support Staff

Rose Dominguez
Paralegal
305-284-4542
rdominguez@law.miami.edu

Mary Cruz
Legal Assistant
305-284-1685
mcruz1@law.miami.edu

Immigration Clinic: Student Perspective


LATEST IN THE MEDIA

Law School Students Help Undocumented Immigrants in the Tampa Bay Times (March 14, 2013)

Free Legal Clinics for Deferred Action Applicants in the Orlando Sentinel (March 9, 2013)

Undocumented Residents Can Get Free Legal Help in Plant City in the Tampa Bay Times (March 9, 2013)

UM Law Students Help Undocumented Youths With Status on NBC6 (March 6, 2013)

Professor Sharpless on the blog crImmigration: Chaidez v. US: Assuming Teague Applies, Padilla Announced a New Rule in February 2013.

PDF iconAmerican Immigration Council Challenges Denial of Motion to Suppress Evidence Obtained Through Unlawful Police Conduct (November 28, 2012)

Immigration Clinic Argues in DC to End Deportations to Haiti

Professor Rebecca Sharpless blogs on Chaidez case argued on November 1, 2012 before the U.S. Supreme Court

ACLU delivers a statement on behalf of several groups at UNHRC urging US government to refrain from deporting Haitians (July 4, 2012)

Click here for additional media and press releases


IN ACTION
Flickr icon

See photos of the Immigration Clinic in action on Flickr.

Immigration Clinic project team meet with officials at Krome Detention Center

Immigration Clinic project team meet with officials at Krome Detention Center.

2L Alanna McCoy, delivered the clinic's presentation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights

2L Alanna McCoy, delivered the clinic's presentation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.

2L Alex Vail conducts a phone briefing with a community group

2L Alex Vail conducts a phone briefing with a community group.