Summer Series: Advocating for Immigrants

Our Summer Series continues! This series highlights different Latina students and law grads as they embark in their summer jobs and/or bar prep all across the country. We hope to provide a variety of work experiences, options for a healthy work-life balance, and general motivation through different guest contributors to help you to take charge of your summer and professional goals!  Today we hear from Selene, a rising 2L,  who has spent her summer with a nonprofit doing frontline work with immigrants:

This summer I have been interning with Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, a non-profit law office located in downtown Los Angeles, which serves especially vulnerable immigrants, in particular children and those in immigration detention who the court determines to be mentally incompetent to represent themselves and are unable to afford private counsel.

Interning with Esperanza has been an amazing learning experience. Esperanza focuses not only on the client’s needs but also places an emphasis on teaching and teamwork.

As a summer JD legal intern, I was placed in the Direct Representation Program, which consisted of 10 weeks of legal research and writing, immigration education, community workshops, clinic volunteer work, shadowing attorneys in immigration court, honing client interviewing skills both onsite and at Adelanto Immigration Detention Center, and focusing on direct advocacy by making appearances before a judge in immigration court.

What I loved most about Esperanza is the work atmosphere. At Esperanza, we are more than co-workers, we became a family fighting for the same cause- just and fair treatment for all immigrants.

As legal interns, we usually come in with a mind-set of what to expect from a law office and what we seek to gain. What I learned is that the more open-minded you are, the better your experience will be. Your expectations or goals may change along the way and it is important to discuss this with your mentor or organization. Beyond a law office, Esperanza is also a teaching institution that believes in molding great leaders and providing students and volunteers with the necessary tools and experiences that will help them in achieving their goals.

Ask Questions and Be Prepared

Esperanza holds work group meeting every week where you are able to discuss your goals and ask questions related to your legal work.  I have found these collaborative meeting to be extremely helpful when exploring different forms of immigration relief. Listening to questions that other co-workers may have often trigger similar questions surrounding your own case. In all, working as a team not only helps build relationships between co-workers but also helps for creative thinking and exploring options that you may not have thought about on your own.

If your organization or firm holds similar meetings, my advice is to utilize them to your advantage by preparing questions ahead of time and being proactive by asking questions and engaging in the discussions.

Be Open Minded

During the first week at Esperanza, I was asked to write down my goals and what I hoped to accomplish during my internship. I recall wanting to work on my legal writing skills and wanting to accomplish this by completing a legal brief that would act as my legal writing sample.

My mentors gave me exactly what I wanted and more. When focusing on the brief, I became curious about the legal process and how it works. I wanted to learn about the steps before the brief and I began to ask questions.

My mentor not only explained the process but also walked us through the process by using a more hands on learning approach. We each had an opportunity to take on our own cases and see it from the beginning stages all the way to the court room. I had never experienced sitting inside of a court room, let alone speaking to a judge on behalf of a client.

Make Friends and Build Networks

My time at Esperanza has been a memorable experience. Every day that I came into ‘work’ did not feel like work but rather an opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives. Esperanza did an excellent job at fostering a welcoming working environment which made coming to work fun and exciting.

I was placed alongside four amazing interns in the direct representation program. We immediately became great friends and learned to collaborate and help each other out as well.

The staff at Esperanza were always willing to help and were never too busy to answer any of your questions. Esperanza was also very appreciative of all the help that they received during the summer. During my time at Esperanza they hosted a wellness yoga day, a potluck, a mindful visualization session, happy hours and a volunteer appreciation day. Among other reasons, I can proudly say that Esperanza is indeed one of the best experiences I have had as a legal intern. I have learned so much from the staff, my mentors and all of the volunteers.

Don’t Forget To Have Fun!

Most importantly, do not forget to enjoy your summer experiences and make the most of every day. Learn something new and grow as an individual. Make progress towards your goals and have fun doing it. Build great foundations and friendships that will last a lifetime. Make an impact and be proud of each and every one of your accomplishments, no matter how small. Remember that every day counts and to always maintain a positive outlook on life.

Check out Esperanza’s website and Facebook page to learn more about this agency!

~Selene Quiroz