Do YOU want to be an Immigration Lawyer?
This week Career Services welcomed Lorne Fienberg, an immigration attorney from Mintz Levin. Mr. Fienberg offered excellent insight into a career as an immigration lawyer and also offered helpful suggestions for law students. Here is a brief run-down of what we learned for those of you who couldn’t make it, or those of you who were so enthralled in the conversation that you didn’t take notes.
First: Immigration is an extremely “HOT” field:
This means that it is never going to go away and will continue to grow in leaps and bounds. It is a field that can offer you personal satisfaction by helping individuals realize their “American Dreams” as well as offer personal wealth in times of policy change.
Second: A little note of warning: A career in immigration law may render it impossible to read the newspaper without becoming extremely enraged by the current state of world affairs. Mr. Feinberg hinted that it has become so bad that he is now finding immigration issues in the Sports section of the newspaper! Like I said earlier… Immigration is HOT.
Third: Who can become an immigration lawyer?
The answer here is a bit refreshing. Anyone can be an immigration lawyer. You do not need a special technical background, or a background in Humanities. In fact, Mr. Feinberg conducted a “study” within his firm and discovered that of the attorneys he talked to 3 were English majors, 2 were history majors, 1 was a biochemist, 1 was an economist, and 1 was a “computer geek.”
Fourth: What classes should you take in law school?
Although Mr. Feiberg admits he never took an immigration law class or an employment law class, he recommends that if your schedule allows, you should take them. They are by no means necessary, but could be helpful for you.
Fifth: Like OMG? Like I totally for sure don’t know what to do in my life? What now?
Mr. Feinberg stresses that you DO NOT have to determine your law track in law school. It is ok to wait because honestly you really never know where you will end up. It is important to be flexible.
Sixth: Where can I work as an immigration attorney?
Good news! You can do just about anything as an immigration attorney. You can work for the government, in the private sector, in a large firm, or for yourself. The options are endless as an immigration attorney. Also, it is possible to move from the private sector to the public sector and vice versa.
Seventh: Myths about immigration law:
It isn’t as “HOT” and “Juicy” as one might first think. In the private sector, most of your clients and work as an immigration attorney will be paper work and document pushing. You will not spend as much time as you thought in court litigating cases. You will rarely represent “hole in the fence clients, or swimmers” and you will also rarely represent an illegal undocumented immigrant. You can, but you rarely do. Also, a note of caution, if you are a “people” person, it is a rare occasion that you spend much face to face time with your client in this field of law.
Eighth: One of the coolest things I learned at the panel was that Mr. Fienberg is representing a client that claims to have invented the blogosphere and will be qualified for a green card due to his extraordinary ability! To Kristin and I, this is fantastic! We qualify as extraordinary! (We already knew this anyway, but a little reassurance is a great thing!)
Ninth: So, you are a wonderful human being and even greater attorney! Do some pro bono!
There are plenty of opportunities to check out as a law student and even as an attorney for pro bono work. Check out the following:
Catholic Charities
International Institute of Boston
PAIR project
Tenth: This was not stressed enough during the presentation. If you are interested in Immigration Law become a member of the American Immigration Lawyer Association.
AILA offers student membership for between $40 and $50 and offers law students excellent opportunities to network with immigration professionals in the region and even across the world. Check it out at http://www.aila.com .
IF you have any further questions about a possible career in Immigration law, stop by career services!
Thanks for reading!
Kiera
This week Career Services welcomed Lorne Fienberg, an immigration attorney from Mintz Levin. Mr. Fienberg offered excellent insight into a career as an immigration lawyer and also offered helpful suggestions for law students. Here is a brief run-down of what we learned for those of you who couldn’t make it, or those of you who were so enthralled in the conversation that you didn’t take notes.
First: Immigration is an extremely “HOT” field:
This means that it is never going to go away and will continue to grow in leaps and bounds. It is a field that can offer you personal satisfaction by helping individuals realize their “American Dreams” as well as offer personal wealth in times of policy change.
Second: A little note of warning: A career in immigration law may render it impossible to read the newspaper without becoming extremely enraged by the current state of world affairs. Mr. Feinberg hinted that it has become so bad that he is now finding immigration issues in the Sports section of the newspaper! Like I said earlier… Immigration is HOT.
Third: Who can become an immigration lawyer?
The answer here is a bit refreshing. Anyone can be an immigration lawyer. You do not need a special technical background, or a background in Humanities. In fact, Mr. Feinberg conducted a “study” within his firm and discovered that of the attorneys he talked to 3 were English majors, 2 were history majors, 1 was a biochemist, 1 was an economist, and 1 was a “computer geek.”
Fourth: What classes should you take in law school?
Although Mr. Feiberg admits he never took an immigration law class or an employment law class, he recommends that if your schedule allows, you should take them. They are by no means necessary, but could be helpful for you.
Fifth: Like OMG? Like I totally for sure don’t know what to do in my life? What now?
Mr. Feinberg stresses that you DO NOT have to determine your law track in law school. It is ok to wait because honestly you really never know where you will end up. It is important to be flexible.
Sixth: Where can I work as an immigration attorney?
Good news! You can do just about anything as an immigration attorney. You can work for the government, in the private sector, in a large firm, or for yourself. The options are endless as an immigration attorney. Also, it is possible to move from the private sector to the public sector and vice versa.
Seventh: Myths about immigration law:
It isn’t as “HOT” and “Juicy” as one might first think. In the private sector, most of your clients and work as an immigration attorney will be paper work and document pushing. You will not spend as much time as you thought in court litigating cases. You will rarely represent “hole in the fence clients, or swimmers” and you will also rarely represent an illegal undocumented immigrant. You can, but you rarely do. Also, a note of caution, if you are a “people” person, it is a rare occasion that you spend much face to face time with your client in this field of law.
Eighth: One of the coolest things I learned at the panel was that Mr. Fienberg is representing a client that claims to have invented the blogosphere and will be qualified for a green card due to his extraordinary ability! To Kristin and I, this is fantastic! We qualify as extraordinary! (We already knew this anyway, but a little reassurance is a great thing!)
Ninth: So, you are a wonderful human being and even greater attorney! Do some pro bono!
There are plenty of opportunities to check out as a law student and even as an attorney for pro bono work. Check out the following:
Catholic Charities
International Institute of Boston
PAIR project
Tenth: This was not stressed enough during the presentation. If you are interested in Immigration Law become a member of the American Immigration Lawyer Association.
AILA offers student membership for between $40 and $50 and offers law students excellent opportunities to network with immigration professionals in the region and even across the world. Check it out at http://www.aila.com .
IF you have any further questions about a possible career in Immigration law, stop by career services!
Thanks for reading!
Kiera