Ryan Moore '25
Law Weekly Historian
On Tuesday, October 17, the Immigration Law Society and International Refugee Assistance Program hosted an immigration law career panel. The panel featured speakers David Sobral of Montagut & Sobral, PC; Marissa Baer of the Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC); and Hannah Flamm of the International Refugee Assistance Program. Like all good panels, lunch was provided at the beginning[1] of the event. What follows is a condensed and paraphrased summary of what was discussed.
Why practice immigration law?
Baer works with H-2A farm workers for LAJC. During the farm season, she drives across Virginia to conduct “Know Your Rights” presentations for farm workers. She said it is important for H-2A immigration lawyers to build trust with the community to help workers overcome a fear of retaliation if they report labor violations. During the rest of the year, she works on large, impact litigation and class action projects for LAJC. She has also lobbied the Virginia General Assembly.
During her undergraduate years, Baer interned in a public defender’s office. She was originally interested in the intersection of criminal law and immigration (“crimmigration”), but once in law school, she realized she did not enjoy criminal law. Instead, she focused on immigration and fell in love with it. Baer said she enjoys how immigration law changes all the time, especially between different presidential administrations. The constant change and the fact that immigration law is in a state of flux keeps practice interesting.
Sobral is a private practice attorney who works with clients to obtain visas and green cards. He actually focused on intellectual property law while in school and interned in the Washington Post’s IP law office. Upon graduation, he began working in corporate law before transitioning to in-house work. He stuck with immigration law as he found it more rewarding. While at a firm, he worked on one asylum case and got his “first taste of what it means to change someone’s life.” He won the case, and his client was not deported.
Flamm began her career applying to every job she could find until she finally got an offer. She worked on non-detained, youth-focused removal defense for about two years. She previously worked for a boutique law firm in California that focused on Alien Tort Claims Act litigation. She has also worked on housing rights, tenant side.
What skills do you use on a daily basis?
Flamm says she experienced a high volume of practice during the Trump administration. So, being able to manage your own workflow and, in essence, be your own “assembly line” is paramount. Organization and preparation are key because immigration litigation is high stakes. She points out that your clients bear the brunt of all your shortcomings in addition to the injustice of the law. Your greatest obligation is to the client. Baer’s favorite class was Spanish, and studying the language offered her the opportunity to travel to Spanish-speaking countries and become immersed in the culture and language. Sobral, initially an intellectual property lawyer, suggests taking immigration law classes and clinics to prepare. He promotes moot court practice to develop your oral advocacy skills. He notes that most representation in immigration courts is on-the-fly oral advocacy.
Q&A
The panel ended with several student questions. I found the discussion between Sobral and Baer on the advantages of practicing immigration law in private practice versus public interest most interesting. Baer pointed out the challenges in private practice of balancing billable hours and profitability with serving your clients. Building trust and a relationship with immigrant communities takes time, which can be looked down upon in high volume private practice. However, Baer misses the opportunity to do direct client services. Non-profit immigration law organizations typically do not do a lot of individual client representation and focus more on impact litigation. Sobral practices immigration law in a small firm, which is common, as most immigration attorneys are solo or small firm practitioners. Like Baer, he stressed the value of direct client services.
Final thoughts
The presenters left the audience with some additional takeaways. Most importantly, the American Immigration Lawyers Association is hosting a conference at George Washington University Law School on November 10, 2023. Registration is done through their website,[2] costs $20 for students, and ends October 27, 2023. Second, for those podcast addicts among us, Flamm recommended the Immigration Review podcast. It has a significant audience, including members of the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA). Finally, a helpful resource for writing immigration law briefs is the Index of Unpublished BIA Decisions.[3] Bookmark this link for future review.
I became interested in immigration law after my internship with the Fairfax County, Virginia Public Defender’s Office last summer. Criminal law and immigration law intersect when individuals without legal immigration status face criminal charges that can jeopardize their ability to remain. In short, certain “crimes of moral turpitude” can render an alien deportable, and public defenders must keep that in mind when they negotiate plea deals with prosecutors. This semester, I am taking Immigration Law and Policy with Professor Amanda Frost, my 1L CivPro professor. I highly recommend her class for those interested in careers in immigration law. Professor Frost will also teach a class on “crimmigration” in Spring 2024 that I plan to take as well.
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