From an early age, Leah Burnett ’24 knew she wanted her life’s work to be advocating for social justice.
It is what led her to support underserved youth as an educator and to work with adult immigrants and refugees as part of various English literacy programs.
What she experienced only made her want to do more.
“This work opened my eyes to the challenges that immigrants in the U.S. face and the need for passionate advocates,” she said. “Although I decided to make a career change, my desire to make an impact in the lives of others is still ever-present.”
As a student at Stetson Law who was part of the Social Justice Advocacy Concentration Program, she set out to gain legal experience by working at immigration law firms that provide removal defense to those seeking immigration relief. The experience has since led to her being chosen for a prestigious fellowship with the nonprofit the Immigrant Justice Corps.
“I want to be a part of the efforts to protect the rights of vulnerable immigrants and represent their legal needs as they navigate through the challenges of the immigration system,” Burnett said.
A multi-year endeavor
Those chosen for the fellowship will put their passion and legal skills to work at nonprofit immigrant legal services providers and other community-based organizations throughout the nation over a two-year term. They will help these organizations provide free legal assistance to low-income immigrants who need help navigating legal matters related to immigration, such as removal defense and applications for those fleeing persecution.
Starting September 1, Burnett will serve as a staff attorney with Florida Legal Services’ Immigrant and Migrant Rights Project, wherein she will work on the Unaccompanied Children’s Project.
Burnett said she is thrilled to get started.
“I believe my compassion for marginalized populations will make me an asset, as well as a zealous advocate for those in need of defense,” she said.
Pressing issue, national effort
In all, the total number of incoming fellows in 2024 exceeds 130. To IJC leadership, these early-career lawyers will be part of the next generation of legal professionals working in the growing immigration law space. According to the organization, there are over 3.6 million pending cases in immigration, including those of hundreds of asylum seekers who may be deported back to a country where they face persecution and danger.
“This class will expand IJC’s reach nationwide, level the playing field, and bring relief to immigrant communities,” said Jojo Annobil, chief executive officer of IJC. “Together, our Fellows are transforming immigrant lives and advocating for a just immigration system.”
The IJC was brought about thanks to the late Judge Robert A. Katzmann of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit as well as the Robin Hood Foundation, which in 2014 incubated the organization. The IJC works to identify early-career legal professionals who show great promise in the area of immigration law, places them within organizations where they could have the most impact, and offers support like coaching and other resources in the fellows’ day-to-day work.
So far, over 400 IJC Fellows have worked on cases involving more than 100,000 low-income immigrants.
Original source can be found here.