Students in the Immigration Practice Clinic represent clients seeking humanitarian-based immigration relief before USCIS and the Immigration Courts, while also engaging in advocacy in collaboration with local and national immigrants’ rights organizations. Below, Nick Curcio ’25 shares his experience in the clinic.
Joining the Immigration Practice Clinic was the most transformative experience of my law school career. It provided a unique opportunity for me to hone my persuasive legal writing and client relations skills in a complex, ever-evolving practice area. With a career in big law lined up after graduation, I gained critical experience in a field where I hope to dedicate a significant amount of my future pro bono work. This year, I am also applying these skills to my new role as the 2024–2025 Student Director for the Woodbine Immigration Clinic at Tennessee Justice for Our Neighbors in Nashville through a partnership with Vanderbilt Law School’s Public Interest Office.
Under the guidance of Professor Manrique Barrenechea, my partner and I were able to help an individual who was tortured by their government for months apply for asylum in the United States. Creating the most compelling application possible involved deep historical analysis into the conditions of their country of origin, collaboration with other departments on Vanderbilt’s campus, research into decision trends by the Board of Immigration Appeals, and nuanced conversations with our client covering a lifetime of trauma and persistence.
Professor Manrique Barrenechea also supported all Clinic students by providing deep-dive primers on key areas of immigration law, instructional sessions on client interviewing skills, and best practices for mental and physical wellbeing. He even coordinated a session with Bradley Arant Boult Cumming’s Nashville office to show us how pro bono work operates in the big law space.
I strongly encourage my peers to consider joining the Clinic during their time at Vanderbilt. No other class comes close in its practical implications. Nor can another class teach you how to handle the “human” aspect of practicing law or offer a sense of accomplishment comparable to changing another person’s life for the better.
