Jordan Mason
by Jordan Mason
The Nebraska Public Interest Law Fund (NPILF) provides a limited number of stipends to University of Nebraska College of Law students who secure unpaid public interest positions with a host organization that serves an unmet legal need.
2L Jordan Mason, a 2021 NPILF recipient, worked with the Immigration Legal Services Team at Lutheran Family Services in Lincoln. Jordan shared more about her experience below.
Can you describe the work or mission of your host organization?
The Legal Team helps the immigrant/refugee/asylee community with a wide variety of immigration needs from filing N-400 petitions to applying for asylum where fees are minimal and charged on a sliding scale. The Legal Team at LFS understands that legal issues are not necessarily at the center of an immigrant’s world. They work to ensure all of our clients’ legal needs are met while still respecting that they have families, cultures, and careers which are mutually exclusive to said needs.
What were your main responsibilities? How did you spend your time?
- Sat in on client intake and consultation
- Discussed with supervisor the most efficient and best immigration options in accordance with current immigration laws and the client’s specific needs/situation
- Filled out a variety of immigration forms in accordance with USCIS guidelines for supervisor review
- Compiled evidentiary support for immigration forms
- Drafted entire immigration petitions which included USCIS forms and evidentiary support for supervisor review
- Drafted a response (for supervisor review) to a Request for Evidence from USCIS for petitions when necessary
- Inquired on a case status with USCIS when the case was outside the normal processing time
- Called clients to inform them of their biometric appointments, “green card” or citizenship interviews, medical examinations, etc.
What drew you to this type of work and how did you find/secure this opportunity?
This is sort of serendipitous in a way because I specifically applied to Nebraska Law after I had toured in the fall of 2019 and learned about the NPILF Grant.
During my time here in Lincoln, I have become exceptionally close to the immigrant community, but finding viable employment in the nonprofit sector is easier said than done.
Backstory: I had wanted to work with LFS and their immigrant services department since the summer of 2019. I did my research and decided that law school was the best way to help the immigrant community to the best of my abilities. After this, I toured Nebraska Law and took the LSAT the Monday after my tour. Finally, I happened to meet my (current) boss at a local fitness club just one month after I took the LSAT. I was eager to be able to work with my boss in the future as he is an intelligent and talented foreign attorney from the Middle East. A decent portion of our clients are from the Middle East and being able to watch him interact with our clients in their native language while also navigating them through the often-intimidating immigration process was an experience of a lifetime.
What did you most enjoy about the experience?
I would say I enjoyed seeing my confidence grow over the course of the summer. It seems one of the best ways I can help my clients is by being confident in myself as a legal intern. I started to ask relevant legal questions more quickly, draft petitions with fewer mistakes, and break down client consultations to the most important legal issues to have more efficient conversations with my supervisor.
What was the biggest challenge you faced?
My biggest challenge was being able to emotionally process the situations the Legal Team would see daily. Often our clients are here as refugees or asylum seekers. These N-400s and I-485s come with tragic stories featuring real humans. I tend to over-empathize which can lead to “compassion fatigue”, but I learned when to take a step back.
How has your summer experience impacted you or your view of public interest work and the legal system?
I think my viewpoints have stayed static; however, I do think the vast knowledge I gained has made me slightly less pessimistic. By becoming a more knowledgeable law student, I have realized that training to also become a competent, empathetic, and well-informed attorney is an excellent way to help the immigrant community.
Do you have a favorite anecdote or project from your summer work?
Within my first two weeks on the job, I drafted a response to a very complicated I-485 Request for Evidence. This response also had to include a new I-864 (petition for a joint-sponsor), AND a typographical error request from USCIS (the old counsel had spelled the client’s name wrong on the application). The response, in total, was almost 200 pages and after supervisor review, the response was sent to USCIS.
The error request was accepted, the client’s name was fixed, and USCIS deemed that the RFE was satisfactory! The client was scheduled for a biometrics appointment, fingerprints were taken, and their case is now ready for the USCIS “green card” interview! I know that this may seem boring to people unfamiliar with the immigration process, but patience is KEY, and these little wins were just the highlight of my summer!
Would you recommend this placement to others? Why or why not?
Absolutely. As long as they are self-motivated and ready to learn on their feet.
What would you say to someone who was considering donating to the NPILF fund?
Your donation could be the reason that someone decides to apply to Nebraska Law. I wouldn’t be a confident and successful second-year law student with humanitarian-based immigration law experience if it were not for NPILF.
What do you hope to do with your law degree?
I am not sure I have an answer. I can tell you that I stayed on as an unpaid intern with the Legal Team after my NPILF funding ended in August because this experience is worth $0/hour. I know this a bit of a “seeing the world through rose-colored classes” point of view, but I hope that I can use my law degree in a facet which would also be worth doing for $0/hour.