King Hall Students Win Permanent Resident Status for Immigration Clinic Client

UC Davis Law Students Shannon Going '10, Victoria Hassid '10, and Julie Cowitz '10 helped a Guatemalan teenager who had been abandoned by her parents at age four to receive legal permanent resident status on the date of her 19th birthday.  Working under the supervision of UC Davis School of Law Immigration Clinic Director Amagda Pérez, the students were able to assist the Immigration Clinic client on an accelerated schedule that will enable her to pursue plans for a college education.

Going, Hassid, and Cowitz assisted the client with applying for an immigrant visa as a Special Immigrant Juvenile, with the hearing on the merits originally scheduled for February 24, 2010.  When the court postponed the hearing until 2011, this presented problems for the client, who wants to acquire a driver's license and seek employment in order to further her plans to attend college.  The students wrote a motion to the Immigration Judge to advance the hearing date, and on March 23, received notification that the motion had been granted and the hearing had been scheduled for April 5, the client's birthday.  With less than 10 business days before the hearing, Going prepared the adjustment of status application and supporting documents, and prepared her client.  On the day of the hearing, Going appeared with the client before the Immigration Judge and in less than 10 minutes, received a favorable grant of adjustment of status for her client. 

"Shannon did an exceptional job advocating on behalf of her client every step of the process," said Professor Pérez.  "She has also been an excellent role model for her client.  The lives of both women have changed as a result of this experience."

Professor Pérez also thanked Kirsten Hill '04 for referring the case to the Immigration Clinic, Santiago Avila-Gomez '02 for representing the client in probate court, and Julie Turner-Lloveras '99 for serving as mock hearing judge and providing ongoing technical assistance throughout the process.