The Immigration Law and Human Rights Pathway is designed as a guided curriculum that will provide you with the lawyering skills of a civil litigator along with a substantive background in immigration law, civil rights, and international human rights. Immigration attorneys practice not only before administrative agencies, but also the federal circuit courts for immigration appeals. Students who elect this concentration will hone their skills in legal research, writing and oral advocacy that can be used in a variety of practice settings, including non-profit organizations, NGOs, government agencies, solo and small to mid-size boutique firms.
Faculty Advisors
Professors John Brittain, Kristina Campbell, and Rafael Cox-Alomar
Curriculum
Stage 1: Foundational Courses
- Administrative Law CORE
- Constitutional Law I and II REQ.
- Evidence REQ.
- Federal Courts CORE
- Immigration Law
- Immigration Law Seminar RALWR
- International Human Rights RALWR
- International Law Seminar RALWR
Stage 2: Electives
Stage 3: Experiential Opportunities
REQ. = Required course for all students | CORE = At least 3 core courses are required
RALWR = An opportunity to complete the Research Paper requirement | CR = An opportunity to complete the Clinic requirement
Community Service/Summer Fellowships/Externships
UDC Law has extensive connections with non-profit organizations and governmental agencies in the DC metropolitan region that provide students with the opportunity to spend a semester actually working in their chosen fields. The following are some examples of relevant placements students have obtained with outside organizations and agencies:
- American Bar Association Commission on Immigration
- Arlington Immigration Court
- Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC)
- Ayuda, Inc.
- Bread for the City Legal Clinic
- Capitol Area Immigrants’ Rights (CAIR) Coalition
- Catholic Charities of Baltimore Esperanza Center
- Catholic Charities of Washington Immigration Legal Services
- Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc.
- Center for Law and Social Policy
- Central American Resource Center (CARECEN)
- Centro Hispano de Frederick
- Council on American-Islamic Relations
- DC Office of Human Rights and Commission on Human Rights
- Human Rights First
- International Center for Not-for-Profit Law
- Kids in Need of Defense (KIND)
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law
- The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights
- Legal Aid Justice Center
- Mil Mujeres
- Muslim Advocates
- Tahirih Justice Center
- US Commission on Civil Rights
- US Department of Justice, Civil Division, Office of Immigration Litigation
- US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Office of Principal Legal Advisor
- Washington Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs
- The World Bank
