Apart from their assigned mod courses, 1L students may only enroll in courses offered as 1L electives. A complete list of these courses can be found on the 1L Elective Listings page. 1L students must use the 1L class number listed on the course description when enrolling.
261.75 sec. 001 - Asylum Law Practicum (Spring 2023)
Instructor: Kyra Maura Sanin Lilien (view instructor's teaching evaluations - degree students only | profile)
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Units: 1
Grading Designation: Credit Only
Mode of Instruction: In-Person
Course End: April 28, 2023
Class Number: 33186
Enrollment info:
Enrolled: 9
Waitlisted: 0
Enroll Limit: 16
As of: 08/24 11:03 PM
During the seminar portion of the course, students will learn about the origins and elements of asylum eligibility in the U.S. After four weeks of focus on doctrine, students will be assigned an asylum client. Working in pairs, students will use the practicum portion of the course to prepare their client’s asylum application for filing with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”).
The practicum will begin after students receive their case assignments. For weeks 5 through 14, students in the practicum will apply the substantive legal knowledge and skills which they will acquire in the seminar portion of the course to prepare asylum applications for submission to USCIS by the semester’s end. Based on support and instruction they receive during the seminar, students in the practicum will complete an asylum application form, elicit testimony, draft their clients’ declaration, conduct country research, gather evidence, and compile a full case ready for submission.
We will reserve a portion of each seminar for “case rounds” to answer student questions and troubleshoot any particular challenges which may arise in a given case. Office hours will also be available for additional case preparation support. Students will have the OPTION of representing their clients at an asylum interview before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services in San Francisco.
Clients will be Afghans evacuated from Afghanistan in August 2021 and resettled by Jewish Family & Community Services – East Bay (“JFCS East Bay”). JFCS East Bay is one of two refugee resettlement agencies in the East Bay. Since the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, JFCS East Bay has resettled more than 740 Afghans in Alameda and Contra Costa counties. The vast majority of these individuals have only temporary status in the U.S., and they need to apply for asylum in order to rebuild their lives in this country. The instructor, Kyra S. Lilien, is the director of the Immigration Legal Services program at JFCS East Bay.
(If Congress passes an Afghan Adjustment Act before the start of the spring semester, Afghan evacuees will not need to apply for asylum. In that case, the focus of this class will likely shift to Ukrainian or Nicaraguan asylum seekers, as JFCS East Bay is seeing a high volume of these cases as well.)
Prerequisites:
None.
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Requirements Satisfaction:
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Exam Notes: (P) Final paper
(Subject to change by faculty member only through the first two weeks of instruction)
Course Category: Social Justice and Public Interest
This course is listed in the following sub-categories:
International and Comparative Law
Practicums
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