It has been said that both professors and students at colleges and universities inhabit an ivory tower that serves to insulate them from the real world problems most people have to deal with, but that is not the case with students at Oklahoma City University School of Law who participate in the Immigration Law Clinic that is operated by that institution.
The clinic is funded by the Inasmuch Foundation, which was established by the late Edith Kinney Gaylord, and works in conjunction with the Immigration Assistance Program of Catholic Charities of Oklahoma City.
According to Margie Solis, the lead attorney for that program, it provides immigration legal services to low-income individuals in western Oklahoma at reduced cost through a staff of four attorneys and several caseworkers. Solis reports that the program provides legal representation to immigrants in a variety of fields with a primary goal of the reunification of families.
The OCU Immigration Law Clinic is under the supervision of Clinical Instructor Christina Misner-Pollard, who received her law degree from Seattle University and was subsequently awarded a graduate law degree from Georgetown University in International Human Rights Law. She explains that law students who have completed several required courses, such as Evidence and Legal Profession, and have the required grade point average can enroll in the clinic course.
They receive five credit hours for the successful completion of the course. The students receive classroom instruction from Misner-Pollard on federal American immigration law, and also are taught practice techniques and how to conduct interviews with clients of a different culture.
The students are placed in two-person teams, and are assigned working hours at the Immigration Assistance Program of Catholic Charities, where they meet with clients who have been found to be eligible for immigration law services. The services are provided without cost to the clients.
The students devote a minimum of 15 hours per week providing those services under the general supervision of Solis and her staff, and also have scheduled meetings with Misner-Pollard, who discusses their cases with them. She reports that her students have represented immigrants in a variety of actions, including the filing of family based visa petitions, applications for adjustment of status to lawful permanent resident status and working with clients who are eligible for immigration relief as a result of being abused.
The applications are filed with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Misner-Pollard long has been concerned with the plight of battered spouses, and says that before she became an instructor, her law practice was involved in the representation of such spouses.
The federal Violence Against Women Act allows battered immigrant spouses and their children to file for permanent residence in the United States apart from the spouse who battered them, and Misner-Pollard says she is pleased that students in her clinic have submitted several well-prepared applications on behalf of battered spouses that are currently pending.
Another federal enactment allows for visas to be issued for crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement, and students at the clinic also have filed several applications for such individuals. Misner-Pollard also points out that no applications filed by students at the clinic have been denied.
Solis said she is pleased with the students and the work they have done through the clinic, and that the students have gained experience in actually working with clients. She also believes that the students have provided a valuable service for people of limited means in Oklahoma. The students themselves report that they have been fortunate to work with and learn from experienced attorneys while assisting people in need.
WILLIAM F. O’BRIEN is an Oklahoma City attorney.
Opinion
Law students operate immigration clinic
- Opinion
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
If you read any of the letters to the editor in the past two weeks regarding Tuesday’s District 2 Edmond school board race, then you already know that this election is not about the individual candidates so much as it’s about what type of school board do Edmond residents really want governing their school district?
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What are your presidential 10 Commandments?
As we brace for the upcoming presidential campaign, we should be honest about our responsibility in the process. Before we get pushed, pulled, bribed, frightened, bullied, flattered, fooled or charmed into voting for a candidate, let’s take a mature thoughtful look at what the profile of the president should look like. In order to do that, let’s do an exercise. Sit down with a pencil and paper and draft your proposal for the Ten Commandments to be obeyed by the president. Let me share some of my suggestions.
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What would Reagan do today in Oklahoma?
As we celebrated the 101st anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth on Feb. 6, several of us at Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs started discussing what Reagan might do today. Here are some of the ideas we came up with.
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Consequences of an overregulated nation
Overreaching government regulations are costing jobs and killing our economy. They are a heavy burden on our nation and its citizens — in some cases worse than our nation’s increasingly out-of-control debt.
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LETTER: Supporter: Duncan shows passion for children’s needs
To the Editor:
The families in the Edmond Public School District are fortunate to have Kathleen Duncan as their advocate on the Edmond Board of Education. Duncan has worked tirelessly for the welfare and benefit of the Edmond schools’ students. -
LETTER: Teacher supports Duncan’s re-election
To the Editor:
On Feb. 14 patrons of District 2 have an opportunity to re-elect the current president of the Edmond School Board, Kathleen Duncan. Duncan has served as a board member for 10 years. When people move to the Oklahoma City area, they buy a home here because of the exceptional quality of Edmond Public Schools. This speaks to Duncan’s goal of “Excellence in Education for All Edmond Public School Students.” -
LETTER: Supporter: Duncan understands diverse issues
To the Editor:
Kathleen Duncan understands the diverse issues that effect our schools. She carefully studies the district’s issues and works tirelessly as an advocate for all students. Her votes as a board member have an impact for years to come and she takes that responsibility very seriously. - LETTER: Reader says incumbent's personal agenda in the way
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OUR VIEW: Feb. 14 vote about ideas
