Pacific McGeorge Legal Clinics

Congratulations to all of the new graduates who joined the Order of the Coif--especially clinic alums Richanne Roope (Day salutatorian) and Hannah Fortin! The Order of the Coif is a national law school honor society founded to encourage legal scholarship and advance the ethical standards of the legal profession. Seniors whose academic records place them in the top 10% of their division are eligible for membership. https://law.pacific.edu//mcgeorge-honors-graduates-joining

Don't miss "The Source," a documentary from VICE News on Omar Ameen, an Iraqi refugee accused of being an ISIS hitman, who was recently detained by ICE. The documentary features interviews with his defense attorney, Federal Public Defender Clinic Co-Director Rachelle Barbour. The Source airs this Sunday, May 23 at 9AM ET/12PM PST on VICE TV! #FreeOmarAmeen

Every year, McGeorge’s Capital Center for Law & Policy recognizes students who have gone above and beyond when it comes to pro bono legal services. These students perform 50-150 hours of extra service. Congratulations to the following clinic students on being recognized for their remarkable community service! Allegra Aguirre Taylore Kadin Ashley Silva-Guzman ... Mariam Pambukyan Brandon Webb Stephanie Peralta Bernadette Betmashal Tiffany Ortiz See more

COVID or no COVID--the students of the Federal Public Defenders have continued to represent indigent clients in federal misdemeanor cases!

Check out this inspiring podcast featuring clinic alum Ximena Puente-Arnao, '19 sharing her tips about the California bar exam. Her advice for current students? "Be honest with yourself" about the work you are putting into studying. Good luck to all our test-takers on their bar journey! #McGeorgeProud https://podcasts.apple.com//attorney-feature/id1460494764

Congrats to the graduating clinic students recognized by @pacificmcgeorge Honors and Awards Committee! We can’t wait to see what you do next. #McGeorgeProud

Justice Cruz Reynoso grew up in a family of farmworkers who immigrated from Jalisco, Mexico. As a child growing up, he picked grapes, walnuts and plums in the Central Valley. He was told that he would never attend college. But he went on to be one of the greatest civil rights attorneys in our time. When your justice bone is hurt very often you need to be a trouble-making person, he would say. Rest in Power, Justice Reynoso! ... https://www.mcgeorgelegalclinics.com//in-memoriam-justice- See more

Brandon Webb is a 3L hailing from Lodi, CA. Before coming to law school, he majored in Music at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo. He first heard about the clinic through friends who enrolled last year and enjoyed the practical experience. Because of his interest in estate planning, Brandon enrolled in the Elder & Health Law to get experience working with real clients. He says, Although we have our own clients, everyone works together as a team by offering advice and support when s...omebody faces a difficult challenge. For fun, Brandon enjoys making music, playing with his cats and being outside hiking or playing disc golf. Thank you for being a great addition to the clinics, Brandon! #McGeorgeProud

Congratulations to former Immigration Clinic co-team leader and post-graduate fellow Claire Godwin! She was sworn in by Judge Mark S. Curry of the Superior Court of Placer County on January 13th! #McGeorgeProud We are so proud of all our alums!

Congratulations to Oscar Cardoza, sworn in yesterday by the Hon. David De Alba! Oscar is our clinic alum and our newest attorney at the clinic. We, and your family, are SO proud. #mcgeorgeproud

Did you catch Immigration Clinic student Sandra Carrasco appearing on the The Sacramento LGBT Community Center's LatinX LIVE program? She and Prof. Blake Nordahl discuss political asylum with host Christina Arias. Thank you for sharing your expertise with the community! https://fb.watch/3zYC-EI0pZ/

Today’s Student Spotlight is Mariam Pambukyan, a 3L who serves as co-Team Leader of the Elder Health and Law Clinic. Mariam is a clinic veteranshe has worked here for four semesters and one summer! A native of the Central Valley, Mariam was a Political Science major at UC Davis before coming to law school. I initially heard about the clinics at a tabling during an admissions event, recalls Mariam. I had the clinics on my mind ever since. Now at her final semester at the ...clinics, Mariam has stepped up to sharpen her litigation skillsassisting attorneys with Zoom trials. For fun, Mariam has been learning to read tarot cards. She occasionally does readings for close friends on special occasions. Thank you for everything you do Mariam! #mcgeorgeproud

Student Spotlight Patrick Beck is a third-year student in the Elder Health and Law Clinic who hails from the city of Tulare in the heart of the San Joaquin Valley. During high school, he spent summers on a friend’s farm operating tractors and other heavy machinery. As an undergrad, Patrick majored in Business Administration with a Concentration in Marketing from Sonoma State University. Patrick first heard about the clinic from a fellow EHL student and was immediately intri...gued. I felt that I needed practical work experience prior to graduation and that this clinic could provide me with invaluable professional experience. Patrick’s favorite thing about the clinic is it atmosphere. I have held positions in professional offices before, but I have never worked under the supervision of such kind, caring, compassionate individuals. There is a real sense of comradery among my colleagues. After law school, Patrick hopes to move back to the coast of Central California and practice law. Thank you for all you do Patrick! #McGeorgeProud

This week’s Student Spotlight is Bankruptcy Clinic student Donya Mobaligh, a 2L from Reno, Nevada. A first generation Afghan-American fluent in 3 languages, Donya majored in economics at University of Nevada, Reno. She enjoys working alongside Professor Warren Jones and her Bankruptcy Clinic colleagues to help clients. Financial strain and debt are very stressful to deal with, and helping people achieve a fresh start and financial freedom is amazing to me, says Donya. Donya also serves as co-President of the Middle Eastern and South Asian Association at McGeorge. She loves to play soccer, travel, and cook new foods. Thank you for your hard work, Donya!

https://californiachangelawyers.submittable.com//immigrati IMMIGRATION LEGAL FELLOWSHIP ANNOUNCEMENT The Immigration Legal Fellowship is the first-ever state funded legal fellowship program. The Fellowship aims to develop the organizational capacity of legal service providers and increase the number of qualified immigration attorneys able to provide legal services in underserved areas of the state such as the Central Coast and Central Valley.

This week’s student spotlight is Allegra Aguirre! Allegra is a 3L in the Elder and Health Law Clinic! She received her undergraduate degree from Purdue University in Indiana. After graduation, Allegra was selected to be a part of a Purdue Human Rights research group and traveled to Budapest, Hungary to get first-hand experience with international human rights. Allegra joined the clinic after learning about it from her fellow students. They told me of the impactful, real work... that the clinic was providing to the Sacramento community and I simply could not say no! Since joining the EHL clinic Allegra has gained invaluable experience with legal work. She says, Our work embodies what my undergraduate research and study taught me--support starts at the community level-- it’s about seeing a need and filling it. When Allegra is not helping at the community at the clinic she is out studying bugs (her hobby is entomology) as well as rock climbing! Thank you Allegra for being a dedicated student attorney! #mcgeorgeproud #mcgeorgeschooloflaw

Congratulations to the Immigration Clinic on their 20th Anniversary! Did you know that in 11 years of immigration fairs, they have helped more than 1,200 applicants for naturalization and DACA? https://www.pacific.edu//mcgeorge-immigration-clinic-celeb

Today’s Staff Spotlight features Immigration Clinic Staff Attorney, Kishwer Vikaas. For the past 3 years, Kishwer has been working at the Immigration Clinic. She also taught L.L.M. students Legal Research & Writing as an adjunct professor for her first 2 years at McGeorge. Over the summer, Kishwer worked with Student Attorney Alexander Cabaluna ’21 and Post-Graduate Fellow Claire Godwin to represent a teenager imprisoned at Yuba County Jail- ICE Detention Facility for almost a year. In July, an Immigration Judge granted a form of relief that would allow their client to stay in the country. Last year, Kishwer was voted one of Sacramento Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 awardees. When Kishwer is not slaying in Immigration Court, she is a newlywed who enjoys exploring Sacramento and spending way too much money on pretty houseplants!

Our student spotlight this week is Patricia Castillo! Patricia Castillo is a 3L in the Immigration Clinic! Patricia’s hometown is Rancho Cordova. She received her undergraduate degree in history from CSU- Sacramento. Patricia started her journey at the clinic because she wanted to gain valuable experience while helping clients that she can relate to. Patricia’s favorite part of being a student attorney is that she is able to work independently managing her case load and comm...unicating with her clients. In the future Patricia hopes to use her excellent client communication skills as a Public Defender! At home Patricia likes to hang out with her 12-year-old orange tabby cat named Chaos! We are so happy you are a part of the clinic team Patricia! Thank you for your hard work. . . . #mcgeorgelegalclinics #mcgeorgetogether

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What do student attorneys Bernadette Betmashal, Allegra Aguirre, and Jacob Haynes do on Friday afternoons? Trial prep, baby!

Our staff had a great time this morning joining @mcgeorgecdo, @mcgeorgecapctr and other colleagues in the Lecture Hall packing up some fun care packages for our students. We miss seeing you on campus! #mcgeorgeproud

Sending rays of energy to our clinical fellows, Kendall Bennett, Claire Godwin, Oscar Cardoza, Julian Gonzalez, and all Clinic Alums taking the bar exam. You’ve got this!

A true and valiant warrior for equal justice under the law. Rest in power Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg.

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