In this clinic, students will develop lawyering skills related to immigration law and immigrants’ rights matters. Students will represent low-income immigrants in cases relating to immigration status as well as non-profit organizations on issues related to immigrants’ rights. Students will work directly with clients, representing individuals fleeing persecution, those facing deportation because of criminal convictions, and those who have been the targets of abusive enforcement practices. They may advocate before the Department of Homeland Security, the Baltimore Immigration Court, the Board of Immigration Appeals or in the federal courts. Clients may, in some cases, be detained by DHS. In addition, students will work on the clinic’s Access to Justice projects, which involves organizational representation with a non-profit partner in the area of immigrants’ rights. All work will be supervised directly by clinic faculty. Students will have extensive client contact and build professional and collaboration skills in a litigation and policy/advocacy setting, including: learning immigration law and trial skills in the context of practice; exploring issues of professional responsibility in client representation and the role of the attorney in providing access to the justice system; as well as strategizing on issues of US immigration policy at the federal, state, and local levels. Every week, students will have one seminar-style class, a class-wide meeting to workshop cases, and in addition, students will meet weekly with clinic faculty to discuss their ongoing client matters. Students’ grades will be based on the quality of their work, their professionalism (e.g., attention to ethical responsibilities; communication with and commitment to supervisors, colleagues, and clients; and compliance with deadlines); effort; improvement; initiative and resourcefulness; and willingness and ability to collaborate with their colleagues.
This clinic will be offered in fall 2025 and spring 2026 as a one-semester clinic for seven credits. All students enrolled in fall clinic will be required to attend in-person clinic orientation on Friday, August 22, 2025 and those enrolled in spring clinic will be required to attend in-person clinic orientation on Friday, January 9, 2026, in addition to any clinic-specific orientation that the professor may schedule.
Prerequisite or co-requisite: Immigration Law
Immigration Consequences of Maryland Convictions (updated April 2021)
I was really nervous to be in a courtroom in front of a judge and have that pressure, but Professor Sweeney helped us get prepared for that moment.Paola Vibriesca '17
Managing Partner
Ninan + Vibriesca Law, LLC