Law Clinics

Immigration Law Clinic

The Immigration Law Clinic connects students with real immigration cases, representing clients in proceedings that shape their futures.

About the Clinic

The Immigration Law Clinic (ILC) provides real-life lawyering experience representing immigrant clients. Law students assist clients in immigration matters such as naturalization (citizenship), asylum, adjustment of status (green cards), family-reunification, obtaining employment benefits, and deportation defense. Students may practice before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and/or the Immigration Court. Since the Immigration Law Clinic opened in 2018, over 100 students have been trained in the practice of immigration law, and we have provided high-quality legal services to over 160 clients in our community.

Essential Skills Development Through Practical Experience

Students in the ILC serve as lead or co-counsel for noncitizen clients. In that role, they will typically engage in the following activities:

Client interviewing and counseling
Case planning and implementation
Legal research and drafting of briefs, motions, and other legal writing
Advocacy before administrative and judicial bodies
Serving as primary contact for clients, court, agencies, and others involved in clinic matters

Students also may participate in community-based engagement as dictated by local need, such as know-your-rights presentations and outreach.

Through these activities, students will use and develop critical lawyering skills, including: problem-solving; legal analysis and reasoning; legal research; factual investigation; client interviewing and counseling; oral and written communication; negotiation; litigation; organization and management of legal work; cross-cultural lawyering; trauma-informed lawyering; and recognizing and resolving ethical dilemmas.

Recent Impact & Victories

In 2025 alone, the Immigration Law Clinic achieved significant results for clients and students:

Hosted 16 law students who provided over 4,000 hours of free legal services to the community.
Served 85 clients in a variety of immigration legal matters.
Obtained Lawful Permanent Residency (LPR) status (commonly known as “green cards”), for eight clients.
Won two asylum cases, meaning that these clients and their children can safely build their lives in the U.S., with the option of becoming U.S. citizens after five years.
Secured five-year work permits for all eligible clients, meaning all of our clients will be eligible to work in the U.S. until at least 2028. Work authorization allows our clients to gain more independence and stability.
Partnered with the Brown School of Social Work’s practicum program to provide our clients with wraparound services through our Client Support Project. Recent services provided include food assistance, driver’s license support, and health care referrals.
Inspired around 92% of students to continue pro bono immigration work after graduation.

Student Experiences

Hear from our community.

“Connecting with clients was not only a highlight of my academic career but a highlight of my life . . . it feels deeply meaningful to collaborate with them as they work to secure a better future, often for their children. In my clients’ experiences, I saw the experiences of my dad, mom, and sisters, who all immigrated to the United States seeking a better life as well.”
Sumaiya Zaman
JD Class of 2027
“Connecting with clients was not only a highlight of my academic career but a highlight of my life . . . it feels deeply meaningful to “[T]hrough the Immigration Law Clinic, Professor Meyer and her clinical fellow helped me translate what I learned in my Immigration Law course to our very real clients and their legal battles. During my semester in the clinic, I had the privilege of preparing a complex asylum case for trial for one of the clinic’s longer-term clients. I met regularly with the client and handled legal research, affidavit writing, information requests, briefings, trial preparation, and so much more. At every step of the process, our supervisors were there to provide their insights, feedback, and ensure we were on the right path.” with them as they work to secure a better future, often for their children. In my clients’ experiences, I saw the experiences of my dad, mom, and sisters, who all immigrated to the United States seeking a better life as well.”
Elena LeVan
JD Class of 2024
“Participating in the Immigration Law Clinic was an amazing opportunity! I gained real-world lawyering skills while simultaneously providing vital representation in immigration matters that are incredibly complex, stressful, and high-stakes. Not only do I feel like I’ve been able to make a tangible impact on people’s lives this semester, I feel like the ILC has given me a strong foundation to continue advocating on behalf of underserved immigrant-communities for the rest of my career.”
Lillian Levy
JD Class of 2020
“My experience as a Student Attorney in the Immigration Law Clinic has been phenomenal. I applied for the Immigration Law Clinic because I am an immigrant myself. I was born and raised in Nigeria and I immigrated to Houston, Texas, at 14. Although I am fortunate to now be a U.S. citizen and I enjoyed a stress-free citizenship process, it has always been my goal to help others who are less fortunate with their immigration matters. . . ILC has given me real-world legal training that is transferable to all areas of my legal career.”
Lola Awobokun
JD Class of 2020
“I absolutely loved the immigration clinic and I am really hoping to utilize the skills I learned in the clinic by doing pro bono immigration work in my career. Particularly, I think the clinic did a great job of teaching the substance of immigration law as well as teaching how to be a trauma-informed lawyer. I also appreciated that we got so much experience with client interviewing and client interaction while we were in the clinic.”
Hannah Vilas
JD/MSW Class of 2024

Client Testimonials

“They have been very kind and always keep me informed of my case. From the first day I contacted [them], [they] have been very good.”
“My family and I are filled with profound gratitude for the assistance [they] have provided in our asylum application process. [Their] expertise, empathy, and unwavering commitment have made a world of difference for us, and we will forever be indebted to [them].”
“They are professional and friendly people.”
“It was a team effort and the team was very well organized. My case was carefully documented with all necessary supporting documents. The team worked with me and guided me along the way. I was informed in every step. The information given to me was satisfactory. All questions and concerns were promptly answered.”
“[T]he impact of [their] work extends far beyond the legal advice and assistance provided, [they] have given us hope and a sense of security during a challenging time in our lives.”
“The team was very kind and helpful throughout the whole process. The attorney is well experienced and orchestrates the team to act as a productive whole.”

How to Contact Us

Please call the WashU Law Clinical Education Program phone number, which is (314) 935-7238. If no one answers, please leave a voicemail that clearly states your name, phone number, and a short summary of why you are seeking immigration legal help. If you speak English, Spanish, or French, you can leave your voicemail in those languages.

Faculty