Emmylou N. Manwill
Visiting Clinical Instructor
BA in International Studies, cum laude & BA in Political Science, cum laude, University of Utah
JD, Boston University School of Law
Biography
Emmylou Manwill is a Visiting Clinical Instructor at Boston University School of Law, where she teaches the Human Trafficking Concentration in the Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program. Her teaching is informed by extensive experience in immigration law and advocacy on behalf of survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and human trafficking
Prior to joining the law school, Manwill served as Senior Staff Attorney in the Immigration Unit at MetroWest Legal Services in Framingham, where she represented noncitizens in removal defense and a wide range of humanitarian immigration matters, including U and T Visas and Afghan SIVs. She has also worked in the family law and domestic violence arenas, representing survivors in high-conflict custody disputes and restraining orders, using trauma-informed and client-centered approaches.
Manwill’s teaching and practice experience is grounded in a long-standing commitment to access to justice, advocacy for vulnerable populations, and cultural humility. As a former Student Attorney in the Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program, she returns to the program with deep roots in its mission and firsthand understanding of how transformative clinical legal education can be for both students learning trauma-informed and client-centered best practices and clients navigating complex legal systems.
While a student at BU Law, Manwill and her clinic partner drafted legislation, finally passed in 2022, providing statewide protocols for law enforcement victim certification for U and T visas. Manwill also worked as a Research Assistant for Professor Naomi Mann as she set up the inaugural Access to Justice Clinic seminar. She was selected as a Douglass Fellow with the Human Trafficking Institute in Washington D.C., where she drafted an initial site assessment review of South Africa for potential program expansion and helped with research and case analysis for its annual Federal Human Trafficking Report.
Manwill is also active in professional and community leadership. She is a member of the national VAWA/U/T Committee of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. She has also held Committee leadership positions with AILA New England Chapter involving state legislative and congressional relations, including co-Chairing the National Day of Action and being elected to the 2026 Nominating Committee. From 2024-2025, Manwill was a member of the highly regarded Public Interest Leadership Program hosted by the Boston Bar Association. While at MetroWest Legal Services, Manwill was highly involved in the MetroWest Workers’ Union, serving as Chair and Steward during her tenure. A proud BU Law alumna, she has also served as Chair of the Student and Alumni Services Committee of the Young Alumni Council.
Manwill earned her J.D. from Boston University School of Law in May 2020, where she graduated with honors as an Edward F. Hennessey Distinguished Scholar and served as Article Editor of the International Law Journal. She also earned a Graduate Certificate in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. She holds an Honors Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with an emphasis in Nationalism and Ethnic Conflict, as well as a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a minor in Economics, both cum laude from the University of Utah, where she received a full-ride Presidential Scholarship.
- Profile Types
- Faculty, Full-Time Faculty, and Visiting Professors
- Areas of Interest
- Access to Justice, Gender-based Violence, Human Trafficking Law & Policy, and Immigration Law & Policy
Activities & Engagements
No upcoming activities or engagements.