"A tough task master" -Kevin L B

My introduction to Professor Vanessa Merton was during the time I spent in the Health and Disability Clinic at Elizabeth Haub. All the clinics were on the same floor, so it wasn’t too hard to “eavesdrop” on what was happening in the neighboring Clinics. It became clear rather early on that if you were in Professor Merton’s Immigration Law Clinic, you’d better make sure you completed the task assigned. If not, it’s going to get messy.

However, for a number of reasons I ended up staying in the Health and Disability Clinic for a full year and one summer. It was during this time that I came to appreciate Professor Merton’s dedication to her students and to the clinic. Yes, Vanessa Merton could be a tough task master, but in immigration law people’s lives are at stake and there is little room for error. Professor Merton succeeded at getting this point across.

Rather than take the bar exam in July of 2019, I decided to wait for the February 2020 exam. After four years of law school, I needed to give my brain a break. Luckily, I ended up working at the Empire Justice Center that summer and fall as I found myself drawn to the world of immigration law by what I saw in the Immigration Law Clinic.

Today I am in my 3rd year of practice as an immigration lawyer. It’s not a glamor job and it sometimes can get tough, particularly now, with immigration issues so prominent. But I work with many young people who only want a shot at a decent life and when we are successful at giving them a chance, I know that I am right where I should be.

Thank you, Professor Merton, for showing me the way.

Kevin L B