Academic Programs

Immigrants' Rights Clinic (IRC)

Students in the Civil Litigation Program's IRCClinic work for credit under the supervision of three full-time BU clinical faculty in the offices of Greater Boston Legal Services in downtown Boston. Students represent asylum seekers affirmatively in front of the U.S.C.I.S. (Department of Homeland Security) and in removal proceedings before Immigration Court (Department of Justice). Students also handle Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) cases, temporary restraining orders in Probate and Family Court, and other immigration and humanitarian cases.

The IRC Clinic is taught by Professors Susan Akram, Judith Diamond and Elizabeth Badger.

Fieldwork and Coursework: 12 Credits

The IRC clinic is a cluster of three courses given over two semesters to second- and third-year students. Students receive a total of 12 credits over the two semesters for fieldwork and course work:

  • Six graded credits for the field component which must be taken over both semesters.
  • Six graded credits for course work:
    • Pretrial Advocacy: Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiating (3 credits, fall semester).
    • Trial Advocacy (3 credits, spring semester).

The classroom component teaches the theories of practice for use in the field. The "Pretrial Advocacy: Interviewing, Counseling and Negotiating" course during the first semester and the "Trial Advocacy" course in the second semester are devoted to activities and simulations in which you role play with the skills we teach. The culminating experience of the coursework takes place in mock trials near the end of the spring semester.

You must take the Pretrial Advocacy and Trial Advocacy courses specifically for students enrolled in the Civil Litigation Program. If you have already taken either of these courses, you will still need to take ours which are closely integrated with your field work. For specific course information, click here.

Course Prerequisites

If you have not already done so, you must take Evidence during the first semester to satisfy the student practice rule.

More Information

Please feel free to contact Professor Susan Akram at 617.603.1526 or Professor Diamond at 617.603.1525.