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Immigration Clinic
Small Firm Practice: Immigration Clinic
COURSE DESCRIPTION
The Small Firm Practice: Immigration Clinic represents individuals in immigration proceedings before the Immigration Court and the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) in Baltimore. Student attorneys represent clients who are fleeing persecution in their homelands and seeking asylum in the US, unaccompanied children who are under the protection of the family court system and are seeking to stabilize their immigration status, individuals in danger of being deported because of criminal convictions, and individuals who have fled domestic violence situations. Student attorneys, under clinical director supervision, perform all aspects of case preparation including client interviews, fact development, witness interviews, writing pleadings, court appearances, trial and post-relief issues. The immigration clinic seeks to provide an environment for students conducive to learning these skills and applying them in real cases.
In addition, the Clinic is the home of the Immigration Consequences of Maryland Convictions Project. The project provides training to criminal defense attorneys about the often severe immigration consequences of criminal convictions and, specifically, of convictions under Maryland criminal law. The project maintains the Maryland Immigration Consequences of Convictions chart, a tool for practitioners to aid them in analyzing the likely immigration consequences of convictions under Maryland statutory and common law. This allows defense counsel to structure plea agreements and to defend their clients with an understanding of the full effects of any conviction that might result.
The Clinic is also engaged in lawyering at the community level. It has been a major participant for two years in the on-going Green Card Campaign, a community-based campaign to assist people who have been granted asylum to take the next step in stabilizing their lives by applying for their green cards. In addition, the Clinic is currently working on a community education project with CASA de Maryland, a Montgomery County based organization of immigrants and advocates.
The Clinic is run by Instructors Maureen A. Sweeney and Fernando A. Nuņez.
