If you are interested in participating in this full-time clinic, please email Professor Knowles for an application. Please note that registration for the co-requisite seminar and fieldwork courses is by professor approval only, and will be determined after candidates are interviewed. Posted registration deadlines do not apply to this clinic.
Please submit the following to Professor Knowles via email by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, November 4, 2016:
1) Your completed application;
2) Your updated resumé; and
3) Your complete Spring 2017 weekly schedule including all classes and commitments in Excel table format;
Professor Knowles will conduct in-person interviews the week of November 7-11 and you will be notified regarding your space in the clinic on Monday, November 14.
Immigration & Human Rights Law Clinic:
The Immigration & Human Rights Clinic introduces students to the practice of immigration removal defense with a focus on asylum as a form of relief for individuals seeking protection from persecution in their home countries. Under the professor’s supervision, students will work in teams of two to provide direct representation for an individual seeking asylum while detained in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Students will learn immigration court procedure, client interviewing and counseling skills, trial advocacy skills, legal research and writing in the civil, administrative context, and the fundamentals of asylum as a defense to removal. Students will become familiar with essential asylum case law and will advocate for their clients before a U.S. Immigration Judge.
The clinic consists of both a classroom seminar component and fieldwork component. Students will draft a pre-hearing brief, two journal responses, a direct examination, closing arguments, and prepare all necessary motions and applications for submission to the court. Students will also help conduct “know-your-rights” presentations for groups of detainees and (time-permitting) will assist with non-court based relief such as U-visas, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and prosecutorial discretion requests. The clinic will require frequent visits to the Geauga County Jail and appearances at the Cleveland Immigration Court.