Thomas M. Cooley Law School opened its eighth clinic in January — an immigrant rights and civil advocacy clinic at its Ann Arbor campus. It is the first in-house clinic at the law school’s Ann Arbor campus. Cooley has operated the Washtenaw County Public Defender’s Clinic in Ann Arbor for 17 years.
Cooley students will meet with clients, who are immigrants in need of help with civil or immigration issues. Professor Jason Eyster, who will supervise the clinic, recently moved back to Michigan after working for Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Fla., where he supervised that school’s immigrant rights clinic. Ave Maria moved from Michigan to Florida after Eyster joined the faculty.
“Jason Eyster brings a wealth of understanding in immigration law to Cooley,” said Joan Vestrand, associate dean at Cooley’s Ann Arbor campus. “His knowledge of immigrant law makes him the right fit for leading our efforts to serve the immigration population Washtenaw County. His hands-on approach will give our students exceptional experience in an underserved area of the law.”
Cooley officials met with lawyers, judges and community leaders in Washtenaw County to learn what pro bono legal services were most needed. After several discussions, it was decided that the community has a need for an immigration law clinic that can also help immigrants with civil law issues.
“It is a goal of Cooley to offer hands-on practical experience to our students,” said Ann Wood, Cooley’s associate dean of planning programs and assessment. “This clinic is designed to give students real life experience in an area of the law that is currently underserved locally as well as nationally.”
