pro bono Service

Thomas M. Cooley Law School’s curriculum committee recently approved plans to start an immigrant rights and civil advocacy clinic on its Ann Arbor campus. The pro bono clinic opened in January of 2012 and is the 8th clinic in which students can participate. The new immigrant rights clinic is the first in-house clinic at Cooley’s Ann Arbor location.

The clinic is supervised by Associate Professor Jason Eyster, who joined Cooley from the Ave Maria School of Law in Naples, Florida. Eyster was the supervisor of Ave Maria’s immigration law clinic and focused on immigration law in law school. Joan Vestrand, Associate Dean of Cooley’s Ann Arbor campus praised Eyster. “His knowledge of immigrant law makes him the right fit for leading our efforts to serve the immigration population in Washtenaw County. His hands-on approach will give our students exceptional experience in an underserved area of the law.”

Cooley representatives met with lawyers, judges, and community leaders in Washtenaw County to learn which pro bono services were most needed before deciding upon the clinic. “In the United States, all individuals have certain protections regardless of their immigration status. Here in Southeast Michigan; we have people from all over the world, including Russia, China, Africa, and South America. Immigration law is a field that needs attorneys, and I’m excited to offer my skills not only to clients but to the students who will gain valuable experience,” Eyster said
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Individuals may contact Cooley’s immigrant rights and civil advocacy clinic by calling 734-372-4994.

—Michelle Erskine

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