ND Law students partner with NIJC to host asylum seeker work authorization clinic

On September 18, Notre Dame Law School’s chapter of the National Lawyers Guild partnered with the National Immigrant Justice Center to hold an Asylum Seeker Work Authorization Clinic, assisting asylum seekers with their work authorization applications.

This clinic built on a previous clinic held last April, which provided legal assistance for applications for asylum and was also co-organized by Notre Dame Law School and the NIJC. Those clinic participants returned for help with their work authorization applications, which can be submitted 150 days after filing for asylum under U.S. law.

Nineteen law students assisted participants with the application process, and another seven undergraduate and graduate students volunteered as interpreters. Together, they completed 20 work authorization applications.

Senior attorney Jess Hunter-Bowman, paralegal Jherlly Acosta Fecher, and accredited representative Brittney Herschberger from the NIJC led the clinic, providing training for law students and interpreters.