University of Miami | School of Law

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 Resources for Detainees in Immigration Proceedings.

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.