Southwestern Law and LA LGBT Center launch Asylum Law Clinic

Sixty-nine countries around the globe criminalize homosexuality, with 11 imposing the death penalty. In response to this unsettling fact, Southwestern Law School and the Los Angeles LGBT Center will launch the Asylum Law Clinic this fall to provide legal assistance to LGBTQIA+ asylum seekers.

Professor John Heilman, an architect of the project, said the school and the LGBT center wanted to give law students an opportunity to help address an important and growing need.

"Not only are the students at Southwestern dedicated to public service, but many of them also have foreign language skills which will be put to good use in representing asylum seekers. Southwestern also has a significant number of outstanding first-generation students whose families have had their own journeys through the immigration system. Our LGBTQI+ students are also very excited about having an opportunity to serve their community," Heilman said.

The clinic will begin with four students, and will train them to handle applications for asylum, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), and other legal matters with a trauma-informed approach. They'll also help with employment authorization documents, travel permits, and adjustment of status applications for those granted asylum. 

"This partnership is a perfect opportunity for our students to learn and assist with the representation of individuals who are fleeing anti-gay persecution," Heilman said.

The clinic will be led by Andrea Ramos, director of Southwestern's Immigration Law Clinic, and Tess Feldman, an attorney at the Los Angeles LGBT Center.

"The Asylum Law Clinic is a huge step in training law students to advocate effectively for marginalized groups," Ramos said. "Our curriculum emphasizes both the knowledge and compassion needed for impactful legal representation and advocacy." 

Feldman said, "Our primary goals are to empower students and integrate trauma-informed community lawyering into their practice. By the end of the program, students will be ready to represent asylum seekers before immigration judges and asylum officers across the United States."