Community Immigration Law Placement Clinic
Clinic Details
This clinic is offered each Spring Semester.
The Community Immigration Law Placement Clinic (CILPC) is a collaborative effort between the University of Arizona Law and both private and non-profit immigration law offices and organizations. Under the supervision of experienced immigration attorneys, students gain skills either:
- Working in a law office that serves immigrants; or
- Engaging in outreach, litigation, or policy work with a non-profit organization.
To build interviewing skills and ensure that they have the chance to work directly with clients, the CILPC also incorporates a small, in-house project in which students interview and advise asylum seekers under attorney supervision.
The CILPC is neither a traditional externship nor a traditional clinic. It is a hybrid model that offers the individualized experience of an externship while maintaining the group experience of a traditional clinic. Students have the chance to pursue their own interests and learning goals while also learning about the range of work and challenges in the field of immigration law from their peers and a small group of mentor attorneys.
The College of Law holds weekly classes and assigns and develops materials to introduce students to basic lawyering concepts and assist with skills development. The College also integrates mentor attorneys in classes, exposing students to different approaches to lawyering; to a range of career options in immigration law; and to practical, legal, and ethical challenges in the field.
Collaborating firms vary from semester to semester based on the availability of supervising attorneys and law students' areas of interest. However, the following law offices regularly offer field placements to students in the Community Immigration Law Placement Clinic:
The Phoenix office of Fragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen and Loewy, LLP
The Florence Immigrant and Refugee Rights Project
Green | Evans-Schroeder, PLLC
Goldman Immigration, P.C.
Thank you!
The class combines on-line modules, skills exercises, and roundtable discussions to help students …
- build upon the lawyering skills they are developing in their placements;
- prepare for and learn from the in-house interviewing project; and
- increase their understanding of immigration law practice.
"The interviewing projects proved to me that I could transition my interviewing skills from journalism to a legal setting. I am so grateful for the experience and the confidence that I gained from those projects."
“I am also grateful for my placement at Goldman Immigration, P.C. I learned about asylum, work visas, and various other areas of immigration practice. What's more, the firm kept me on after my semester in the clinic and later hired me as an attorney! My career path would not have been the same without CILPC.”
~ Scott Kirker, Class of 2023
"The opportunity to interview asylees through the Community Immigration Law Placement Clinic was incredibly rewarding both professionally and personally. I gained invaluable experience conducting collaborative interviews and creating and maintaining rapport with the asylum seekers. There are certain skills that cannot be taught in a classroom setting. It was also rewarding to know I played a role in helping these individuals remain in the United States, a safe haven away from the dangers of their home country."
~ Alyssa Aguirre, Class of 2023