A longtime immigrant client of two School of Law clinics recently became a U.S. citizen after years of advocacy. The earliest work with the client was undertaken by the Jane W. Wilson Family Justice Clinic, which secured a 12-month family violence protective order and a negotiated resolution giving the client exclusive possession of the marital residence and a vehicle, sole child custody and child support. The client was then referred to the Community Health Law Partnership Clinic, which initially helped her retain permanent residency through the Violence Against Women Act and later represented her in a successful naturalization application.
Several law students worked on different stages of the client's case. Jane W. Wilson Family Justice Clinic advocacy involved 2020 graduate Eric S. Abney and Clinical Assistant Professor Christine M. Scartz, while Community HeLP Clinic efforts included: 2019 alumna Amy E. Buice, 2020 graduate Carter A. Thomas, third-year student Ansley S. Whiten and second-year student Luis Gomez. These latter students were supervised by Associate Dean Jason A. Cade and Staff Attorney Kristen Shepherd.