Diana, 2L

As my winter Co-Op, I was hoping to work for a judge to work on my research, writing skills and to get a perspective on what judges look for in the cases they rule on. I won't be hoping anymore because I will be heading to Philadelphia for my winter quarter co-op to work for the Judge Dolores Sloviter at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit. Judge Dolores Sloviter was appointed to the Third Circuit by President Carter and she was the first and only woman to serve as Chief Justice in the Third Circuit. Needless to say I am very excited about this opportunity.

This past weekend I secured a sublet in Philly so I am all set to go. I have less than one month until finals and will start my winter co-op the week of November 30th. I only have two final exams one on Immigration law and the other on Family law. Wish me luck!!

I want to provide my blog readers with some tips and advice about gifts a law student would love. Trust me, the law student in your life will thank you for these gifts.

Every first-year law student should have the follow items to help them get through the first year of law school:

(1) Lots and lots of highlighters- highlighting is essential when reading the multitude of pages required during the first year curriculum. Find out if there is a color highlighter the student prefers. For example, I went through one highlighter every two weeks and I preferred yellow highlighters.

(2) Black's Law Dictionary - this dictionary is essential for a first year law student because of the numerous new legal words that are not found in a regular dictionary. The Black's Law Dictionary can be found for free on Westlaw but it is always handy to have the actual paperback dictionary on hand.

(3) Durable Write-On Page Tabs - the first year law student taking the required Civil Procedure course will thank you for the durable write-on page tabs. These tabs will help the law student organize and find certain pages and sections of the book, especially in Civil Procedure, where the Rules Book is the bible. These tabs will assist the law student in finding the appropriate rule in a nick of time during final exams.

(4) Coffee Travel Mug - there is nothing like a warm cup of coffee or tea to start off a day as a first year law student. I could not live without my coffee mug!!! There is nothing like sipping my coffee during my 8 a.m. class.

(5) Gift Card to a nearby Coffee Shop - Find out what coffee shop is near the law student's campus and buy gift cards from that coffee shop. The law student in your life will thank you for this gift on those late nights when caffeine is a necessity.

(6) Water Bottle- this helped me save money on purchasing water. I just filled my water bottle from the water fountain and went about my day.

(7) Backpack-last but definitely not least no law student should ever go without a durable backpack. I personally invested in a backpack that came with shock absorbent shoulder straps that distribute much of the weight from the heavy law books away from my shoulders and back.

This is not an exhaustive list but these are a few items that were essential in making my law school experience more pleasurable.

Till next time..

As a law student at the Domestic Violence Clinic, I am trained to be a advocate, and this service is so vital for the petitioners who come to court to file a restraining order, many for the first time.  The majority of the petitioners are women, specifically women of color who may not be fluent in English.

As part of the Domestic Violence Clinic, I visit the Dorchester Municipal Court twice a week.  Last week at the Dorchester Municipal Court, I worked with two clients who both filed restraining orders against their partners.  Working with victims of domestic violence is not a new experience for me but assisting them with filling out a complaint for a restraining order and standing with them as they speak to the judge is definitely a new experience.  

Both clients were afraid about the consequences of their actions and as their advocate, it was my job to inform them of the pros and cons of filing for a restraining order.  The most important question to ask a petitioner is how will the batterer/defendant react when he is notified of the restraining order.  The most dangerous time for a victim of domestic violence is when she decides to leave her partner/batterer. So, an important part of my job is to inform my clients about these dangers and create a safety plan with the client in case the batterer decides to retaliate.

My two clients did obtain a restraining order, but it is only valid for 10 days.  My next responsibility will be to prepare my clients for their next court date where the defendant will most likely appear to defend himself.  My clients both are seeking to obtain a one-year restraining order.  In order to accomplish this goal, I will work with my clients in obtaining any evidence that will support the incidents on their complaint and preparing them to speak with the judge. Wish me luck!!  

Till next time.. 

I apologize for my MIA status but I spent the few weeks of my remaining summer relaxing and catching up with family and friends.  But now I am back!!

The summer has ended and it is official: I am a 2L (second year law student).  I started school last Tuesday and what a hectic week it was.  I moved in to Boston last weekend and I love my new place located in Jamaica Plain.  I am subletting a friend's room who is currently in Quito, Ecuador working on her first Co-Op. My commute to school is only 15 minutes max and I am guaranteed a seat on the train every morning because I get on the first stop of the train.  I can't ask for anything better than that!

Unlike the courses of my first year in law school, which were chosen for me by the school, this year I had the full liberty to decide which courses to enroll into.  On Tuesday, I finalized my schedule and enrolled into the Domestic Violence Clinic, Family Law, Immigration Law and §1983 Litigation (learning how to sue police officers).   In addition, I will also be a teaching assistant for Professor Hackney's Torts Section.  

All my courses seem to be very exciting and it is apparent from the first week of class that the required reading for 2L courses is much less demanding compared to the 1L courses.  In addition to preparing for school, all 2L's across the country including myself are preparing for interviews with law firms for summer associate positions for next summer.  

I am very excited about all my courses but I am especially excited about the Domestic Violence Clinic.   As part of the Clinic, I attend class once a week and work at the Dorchester Municipal Court twice a week.  While at court, I will work as an advocate to assist victims of domestic violence with the process of applying for a restraining order. One of my responsibilities is to stand alongside a client as she/he petitions for a restraining order in court. One of my main reasons for wanting to be an attorney was to work with victims of domestic violence and now thanks to the Domestic Violence Clinic I will get a little taste of that experience.
Till next time.

I can't believe I completed my first Co-Op. I finished my first Co-Op by filing two lawsuits. As my last assignment, I worked on the pleadings and discovery requests for two lawsuits involving violations of the American with Disabilities Act.

One lawsuit involved suing the biggest mall in El Paso, Cielo Vista Mall, for not providing accessible pathways to people with disabilities. The second lawsuit was against a famous El Paso taco chain, Chico's Tacos, for not providing accessible seating or restrooms for people with disabilities.

I worked on the two lawsuits from beginning to end which is very rare to accomplish in a summer internship because of the short time span. I conducted field investigative work, interviewed the plaintiffs, wrote the pleadings, discovery requests and filed the lawsuits in court. To top it off, Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project in conjunction with another organization, Desert ADAPT, protested at the Cielo Vista Mall on July 29, 2009.

Below is a news article and a video from the protest aired on the nightly news in El Paso. I come out on the video.

Link to the News Article
http://www.kvia.com/global/story.asp?s=10816118

Link to the Video

This officially marks the end of a great Co-Op experience. This Co-Op has taught me that the best part of being a lawyer is advocating for individuals who want to enforce their rights. At this Co-Op, I advocated for individuals that included, persons with disabilities who wanted to enjoy equal access to business establishments, for a transsexual to be granted HIV medication and hormone treatment while being detained at a detention center, and for victims of domestic violence to be granted immigration relief for being a victim of a crime. Thank you Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project for allowing me to experience the role of being an attorney.

How fast this summer is passing by. I have one more week left before the end of my summer co-op.

In honor of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA), every July my supervisor sues private businesses and the government for not compiling with the ADA. Specifically, she sues these entities for whose buildings are not accessible to people with disabilities. In preparing for these lawsuits in the past two weeks, I have worked on pleadings and discovery requests for these lawsuits.

In addition to working on ADA cases, I also had the opportunity to accompany my supervisor to meet a prospective client being held in a detention center. Last week I interviewed a prospective client at the Otero County Detention Center who wants to sue the detention facility for not providing her with adequate medical treatment.

In other news, last week I attended a fundraiser event where my supervisor, Briana Stone (2006 NUSL Alum), was awarded the Community Security Award for her civil rights work. Ms. Stone was granted this award for her stupendous work as the attorney on a case where 14 plaintiffs sued Otero County, N.M. Deputy Sheriffs for racial profiling, unlawful stops, and other civil-rights violations while targeting undocumented immigrants in Chaparral (a city in New Mexico).

The lawsuit stemmed from incidents in which the deputies harassed, interrogated residents, and searched homes in Chaparral while trying to find undocumented immigrants in 2007 and 2008. The case was settled and the deputies agreed to not inquire about a person's immigration status in minor cases, not to "hold" a person who is not under arrest for federal immigration officers, and the department will accept the matricula consular (consulate-issued identification card) as a valid ID.

It has been an honor to work with my supervisor and her staff who do such great work for the El Paso community. Thanks to Paso Del Norte Civil Rights project, I've worked on projects that dealt with a wide variety of civil rights issues affecting groups such as the LGBT community, people with disabilities, immigrants, victims of domestic violence, prisoners and workers' rights.

See the picture below taken at the award dinner. In the picture is also another NUSL Alum, Loni Hodge (2006 NUSL Alum) who works as a public defender at Las Cruses, N.M. In addition, Chris Benoit is the lawyer in charge of the workers' rights project for Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project. Veronica Carbajal works as an attorney for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and Chloe Walker is my co-worker who is also a rising 2L and currently attends University of Houston School of Law.

Until next time.

From Left to Right: Loni J. Hodge, Veronica Carbajal, Briana Stone, Chloe Walker, Me, Chris Benoit.

El Paso is growing on me. I would highly recommend that more Northeastern law students come to El Paso, if not, Texas for a Co-Op. This city girl will always have Texas in her heart. Thank you Texas for allowing me to feel at home here.

For July 4th weekend my friend and I went camping to Ruidoso, New Mexico and on our trip back to El Paso we stopped by the White Sands National Park. These white sand dunes are considered a natural wonder of great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand that engulf 275 square miles of desert and created the world's largest gypsum dune field. Check out the pictures to see what I mean.

Other interesting piece of news was a survey that revealed that El Paso, Tx is rated the 3rd safest city in America. The article states that if the immigrant community represents a large proportion of the population, you're likely in one of the country's safer cities. San Diego, Laredo, El Paso-these cities are teeming with immigrants, and they're some of the safest places in the country. The article further states that El Paso's embrace of its immigrants might be a big reason why the low-income border town has remained one of the safest places in the country. See the link to the article for more information:

http://www.kdbc.com/Global/story.asp?S=10649488&nav=menu608_2

After living here for the past weeks, I will concur with El Paso's Mayor John Cook when he states that El Paso embraces and welcomes its immigrants. When I first came here I expected more immigrant backlash or anti-immigrant attitudes but instead I have seen the opposite from the El Paso community. I've been impressed with how much the Mexican culture is integrated with the El Paso community. For example, the City El Paso has gone to court (and lost) in an effort to prevent construction of the border fence within its boundaries, and local officials have resisted federal efforts to enlist local police for immigration enforcement, arguing that it would make illegals less likely to cooperate with police.

I will end my blog today with a great quote, "Most people in Washington, D.C., don't understand our philosophy here that the border joins us together, it doesn't separate us." El Paso Mayor John Cook.

Till next time y'all!

White Sands National Park

Ariel View of El Paso, TX

Ariel View of both El Paso, TX amd Juarez Mexico.

I am half way through my first summer co-op. This past weekend my employer had their annual fund raiser that was attended by many attorneys and politicians from El Paso. At the fundraiser event many individuals were honored for working to protect and defend human rights in the El Paso community such as but not limited to individuals in activism opposing the border wall. The event was a success thanks to the hard work and tedious planning of the staff.

Furthermore, I've done two "Know Your Civil Rights" presentations at the Mexican Consulate focused on immigrants who are harassed by ICE agents or police officers. See below for some pictures from the presentation. I also observed an oral argument at the State of Texas Court of Appeals: Eighth Court of Appeals. The plaintiffs in the case I observed sued the City of El Paso for violating their constitutional right to procedural due process. The plaintiffs were "flood disaster victims" who lost their homes due to a flood back in 2006. These plaintiffs filed for flood disaster relief but the City of El Paso never reviewed their applications and were never granted flood relief. My supervisor, Briana Stone partnered up with Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and represented the plaintiffs in this case. It's an amazing experience to see the use of constitutional doctrines in real life away from the casebook and classroom experience.

Last weekend I visited Detroit, Michigan for the first time to attend a conference organized by CLEO (Council for Legal Educational Opportunity). At the conference I was fortunate enough to interview with organizations and law firms for internship opportunities for next summer. It was also a great opportunity to catch up with friends who attend various law schools across the country.

Till time everyone.

This week one of my supervisors at work took us to Immigration Court to observe proceedings for unaccompanied minors. Unaccompanied minors are individuals who are all under the age of 18 and cross the US/Mexican border all by themselves. Escaping political persecution or fleeing war, abusive families or other dangerous conditions in their home countries, these children -- ranging in age from toddlers to teenagers -- arrive in the US unaccompanied by their parents or legal guardians. All of the children are either from Central America or Mexico. El Paso, TX has three detention centers specifically for unaccompanied minors. It is important to note that these children are held in detention for administrative reasons, not as punishment for criminal behavior. Most of these children are either being voluntarily deported or reunified with family here in the states. Observing these minors in court brought this issue up close and personal. The youngest children I saw at this court were two sisters who were ten and eight years old. In this type of immigration proceeding, a child is not guaranteed a lawyer but is being represented by lawyers who work for the Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services, Inc. These two sisters had no other option but to accept voluntary deportation, which allows them to return to the U.S. only if they have proper legal documentation.
This experience puts another face to the issues of immigration. It isn't just adults who are affected by our immigration laws.

I've been in El Paso, TX for almost two weeks.  I am living at a place called Casa Puente which provides short-term housing to volunteers who come to El Paso.  The Director of Casa Puente was nice enough to pick me up from the airport.  Upon arriving at Casa Puente, I met three other housemates who are also doing volunteer work at El Paso.  Two of my housemates are law students at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and one is an undergrad student at Georgetown University. They are also interning at a non-profit legal service provider that assists persons seeking asylum and children detained by the government. Luckily, Casa Puente is centrally located near the downtown area of El Paso, it's close to the Juarez Border and its only six blocks from my job.

In Casa Puente, I have my own room and share a bathroom with one other person.  The house comes fully furnished, I only had to bring clothes, shoes, and toiletries.  There is a fully stocked kitchen and a barbeque grill on the porch.  To top it off the rent is only $400 a month.  I spent the first Sunday grilling some kabobs and drinking some homemade sangria!

I am working at Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project (PDNCRP).  Check out their website for more information: www.TexasCivilRightsProject.org. PDNCRP focuses on litigating issues involving Civil Rights, Disability Rights, Immigrant Rights, Prisoners Rights and Economic Justice issues.  There are four law clerks including myself working at this organization for the summer. 

My first day consisted of a training program followed by reading the training binder. The rest of the week I worked mainly on legal research pertaining to ADA issues (American with Disabilities Act) and on domestic violence issues.  Due to confidentiality obligations, I can't elaborate too much on the specifics of my assignments but I will try to share as much as I can. In addition, I visited the Federal Courthouse in El Paso to witness my supervisor being sworn into a new district in Texas.  Just to clarify, in order for an attorney to practice in a certain district he/she has to be sworn in by a Federal Judge. 

This is it for now. Till next time and enjoy some of the El Paso pictures located below.

My House in El Paso, TX.   

My job at El Paso, TX.

Mural inside the office.