Empathy, Compassion, and Legal Aid: Law Students Provide Life-Changing Service for Immigrants
by Margaret Beccavin | April 13, 2023
The amount of empathy, creative problem solving, and genuine care that Toledo Law students give to their clients through the Immigrant Justice Clinic cannot be overstated. While most people understand that immigrating to the United States is a complex process, the students in the Immigrant Justice Clinic are learning first-hand just how unique and intricate scenarios are for different individuals and families trying to navigate the U.S. immigration system.
This semester, eight law students have been working with dozens of clients to assist them in their individual situations under the supervision of Professor Eugenio Mollo who launched the clinic at the College of Law in fall 2022. Clients have come from across the world to Northwest Ohio, including from Afghanistan, China, Ghana, Haiti, Iraq, Mexico, Republic of the Congo, Syria, Ukraine, and Venezuela. All of the students in the Clinic have already taken one semester of Immigration Law. In the Clinic, Mollo guides the students through the theory and practice of core lawyering skills as the students are working on actual immigration cases with real clients.
“Participating in a law clinic provides invaluable hands-on experience, and students walk away with practical legal skills regardless of their practice area after graduation. While developing close professional relationships with clients throughout the semester, students learn how to interview and counsel clients, listen attentively, speak and write succinctly, research and analyze relevant law, and assume the role of an advocate,” says Mollo, clinical assistant professor of law and director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic.
From choosing which clients to take on, to interviewing them and taking detailed notes on their situation, history, and goals, the students are making a substantial positive impact on the lives of many people and their family members. The students represent clients on family and humanitarian immigration cases, including people seeking family reunification and safety from domestic violence, persecution, torture, and human trafficking.
“The clinic has provided me with an irreplaceable experience,” says Saraa El Assir, a student in the Clinic. “It has been one of the most rewarding parts of my law school career by far. I have learned just how much simple empathy and compassion allows me to connect with someone who has seen a life vastly different than my own. Sitting across from a client and listening to their story lets you truly recognize your privilege in life — and through the Clinic, you are able to be a part of that story.”
In a weekly seminar, students present updates on the clients they are working with and the progress of their cases. They present their cases to the class in an organization of problems, goals, strategies, next steps, and lessons learned. Following each update, they collaborate to discuss and support each other on their cases.
Students also learn how to work through an interpreter to communicate with their clients. They regularly weigh what immigration options might have the most realistic positive outcome for their clients. While navigating all of this, the students are up against deadlines with the government to ensure their clients’ cases aren’t delayed or put on hold, as some are already looking at more than twenty years to wait for the process to be complete.
El Assir commented on the class saying, “I could not have asked for a more supportive professor or classmates. They are always happy to lend a hand or words of encouragement during my most overwhelming tasks, and I am truly grateful for them. I would highly recommend this clinic to everyone.”
When asked about the Clinic’s impact on her life, a client shares, “I was in a new country not knowing the language or customs, and I was suffering abuse at the hands of my husband. The two law students assigned to my immigration case helped me immensely, and I will be forever grateful. Not only did they provide me with legal counseling and representation, but they also helped me rediscover my strength during the most difficult period of my life, and I am 62 years old. Thank you to the University of Toledo College of Law Immigrant Justice Clinic.”
At the end of the day, one thing is for certain. Toledo Law students are making a positive life-changing impact on the lives of marginalized people who might not have had access to immigration representation without the help of the Immigrant Justice Clinic.
To learn more about the Immigrant Justice Clinic at Toledo Law, contact Professor Eugenio Mollo at 419.530.4270 or Eugenio.Mollo@utoledo.edu