“As an ITAP student in my 2L year, I took on a wide breadth of
tasks and was forced to prepare for countless unpredictable
situations that were no doubt invaluable to my development as both
a lawyer and a person. I wrote memos, complaints, answers, motions,
and briefs. I interviewed potential clients and helped to
explain the law to them, evaluate the facts of their situation, and
determine whether we could provide help to them. I negotiated
settlements with opposing counsel, prepared a client for direct and
cross examination, and helped defend a deposition. I served
subpoenas on witnesses and tried to convince them to appear on our
client's behalf. At the end of the year, I argued a motion in NY
Civil Court against opposing counsel. Despite the fact that I was
barely halfway through law school, I felt like a real lawyer
because I was treated like one, and given the responsibilities of
one. I learned the things I wouldn’t have in any class, like how to
assuage the fears of a client who is afraid they are going to lose
everything. Further, not only was I strengthening my legal skill
set, I was helping those less fortunate. All of my clients at
ITAP were low-income people who would not have been able to afford
legal representation without the program. They were also all
facing either poor housing conditions or the possibility of
eviction. My work as an ITAP clinic member was beneficial to my
learning experience, and made a positive impact on society. It has
been the defining experience of my law school career thus
far.”
“The Immigrant Social Justice Clinic: Housing and Employment is
probably the best and most comprehensive way to gain practical
experience during law school, all while advancing the interests of
an underserved community. After years of classes, with my career on
the horizon, the clinical education and training I received at the
clinic proved invaluable. From day-one I was thrown into the
mix of an upbeat, functioning legal services agency, with my own
clients, tasks, and responsibilities. I think that this clinic is
particularly unique because the work and the clients exist
independently of the students, which helps form a symbiotic
relationship. Clinical students help increase the capacity of the
agency which allows them to take on more cases and help more
clients. As a result, the students handle those new cases and
clients every step of the way, learning and doing, actual impactful
litigation. When I graduated from law school I was able to convey
to potential employers that I had practical legal training that
others did not. At the start of my employment the experience gained
at the The Immigrant Social Justice Clinic: Housing and
Employment enabled me to hit the ground running, distinguishing me
from my peers. Law School teaches a future lawyer legal foundation
and theory, but my time at the Clinic helped me to learn and
understand the blend of theory and practice.”