The Refugee and Human Rights Clinic (RHRC) at the University of Maine School of Law received a $500,000 from Leslie and Wells Person of Austin, Texas. It will be disbursed over the span of five years. This clinic has been appreciated for the wide reach and impact it has had across the nation.
Leslie Person, one of the donors, said “There are no clinics regionally and few nationally doing what the RHRC does. They have been highly successful, not only in terms of the work they do on behalf of individuals seeking refuge, but also in training the next generation of lawyers and prompting essential conversations around immigration policy and reform. We want to support their work to allow them to expand and become that much more sustainable.”
The money from this donation will go to supporting a faculty position in the clinic along with other resources that will benefit law students participating in the clinic. Maine Law considers their clinics the flagship of their legal education and the refugee and human rights clinic is no exception. Frequently those who participate in this clinic will travel to the US-Mexico border in Texas to help those seeking asylum. Also, they have traveled to Mexico City to help those who want to immigrate to the United States in an effort to increase the likelihood of success.
The refugee and human rights clinic at Maine Law is one of five offered at the law school with all looking to help those who are vulnerable in our communities.
