Immigration Clinic Welcomes New Fellows
This fall, the UC Davis School of Law Immigration Law Clinic welcomes Grisel Ruiz and Shanti Martin, two fellowship recipients who will be working with the clinic during the 2009-10 academic year.
Grisel Ruiz, a 2009 graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, is the recipient of the Sutro Fellowship from Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman. In conjunction with the California Rural Legal Assistance Foundation, she will initiate a project focused on providing detained immigrants in the Central Valley with access to immigration courts and legal resources. Her work will include direct representation, pro se materials, community awareness presentations, and developing a rapid response network of attorneys to represent immigrants apprehended in raids.
Shanti Martin is a 2009 graduate of American University Washington College of Law and a recipient of the school's JD Distinguished Fellowship. She will work to increase the Immigration Clinic's ability to assist pro se detainees and support ongoing cases, assisting with research and writing for amicus briefs and cases pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and supporting King Hall students in reviewing briefs, developing client testimony, drafting habeas petitions, and researching country conditions.
Both fellows will also work on the Clinic's "Know Your Rights" presentations, training students to conduct the sessions and working to create a system for regular presentations by students in the area detention centers.