Feature
Cooley Launches First In-House Pro Bono Clinic, Immigrant Civil Advocacy Clinic By Rebecca E. Neely Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s Ann Arbor campus will launch its first in-house pro-bono clinic, the Thomas M. Cooley Immigrant Civil Advocacy Clinic, in January of this coming year. Jason Eyster, who specializes in immigration law, will manage the clinic.
To determine what the community’s largest pro bono needs were, Cooley officials had discussions with lawyers, judges and community leaders in Washtenaw County. Second and third-year law students at Cooley Law School will have the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, as they will meet with immigrants, and offer them civil advocacy, as well as immigration counsel. In addition, law students will tackle issues including landlord-tenant disputes, unfair wage claims, and immigration status problems. A graduate of Fordham Law School in New York, Eyster founded the Fordham International Law Journal. He is multilingual, fluent in Indonesian and Japanese. He has worked and traveled in Asia, South America, Iran, and Japan. In 2008, he went to China to assist with the establishment of Peking University’s School of Transnational Law. He runs a law practice in Ann Arbor, which concentrates on matters dealing with immigration and political asylum. Eyster was quoted as saying in the December 22nd dexter. patch.com article, “Dexter Area Attorney to Lead New Law School Clinic in Ann Arbor”: “I’m delighted to be at Cooley Law
PAGE
School, a non-profit educational institution that is dedicated to making the dream of a law degree within the reach of anyone who has the self-discipline and motivation to dedicate himself to the challenge.” Joan Vestrand, associate dean at Cooley’s Ann Arbor campus, was quoted as saying in the December 13th cooley.edu article, “Cooley’s Ann Arbor Campus to Open Immigrant Rights and Civil Advocacy Clinic”: “Jason Eyster brings a wealth of understanding in immigration law to Cooley. 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.” The largest law school in the country, Thomas M. Cooley Law School was founded in 1972. The private, nonprofit law school operates its Juris Doctor program, Joint Degree programs, and Master of Laws programs across Michigan in Lansing, Auburn Hills, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. As well, the school announced it will launch a location in Tampa Bay, Florida. Courses will begin in May 2012.
www.lawcrossing.com