Students Julie Orlando (3L) and Katherine Blair (3L) of The Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law (Catholic Law) had a meaningful and unforgettable experience assisting with the representation of two clients in cases before the Circuit Courts for Montgomery County and Prince George’s County within the same week. Both court-certified student attorneys under the supervision of professor Catherine F. Klein of Catholic Law’s Families and the Law Clinic (FALC), the team received a favorable ruling on all issues in both of their client’s Custody and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS) cases, in the Circuit Courts for Montgomery County and Prince George’s County, respectively.

The goal of FALC—like that of the other clinics in Columbus Community Legal Services (CCLS)—is to help students develop lawyering skills and professional values through actual experience representing clients. Having full responsibility for every aspect of their cases, FALC students engage with cases of domestic violence, family law, and immigration law. This includes interviewing clients and witnesses; drafting legal memoranda and pleadings; preparing and arguing motions; and even conducting the trials before the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and other local courts.

Orlando and Blair have been students at the clinic for several semesters and served clients in various capacities.

Orlando, an interpreter with two years of experience, previously served as a student attorney with another CCLS clinic, the Low Income Taxpayer Clinic (LITC). Now in her third semester as a student attorney with FALC, she additionally acted as the clinic’s lead summer associate in 2022. Blair, who served as a summer associate in 2023, has worked with FALC for two semesters.

“I am incredibly grateful for the practical experience I have received working on these cases,” Orlando shared. “As I begin to prepare for transition into practice, I am focused on honing my skills so that I can be best prepared to enter the legal field. These two cases and my previous clinic experience have helped me further develop my research skills, client management strategies, partner/team development and learn the multifaceted nature of managing inter and intra reporting structures since in this case for example we were working with a partner organization on the matter.”

“The past ten months I have spent with the FALC have provided me with countless valuable lessons that I will carry with me as I finish my 3L year, and prepare to enter the legal field post-graduation,” Blair added. “This past week I had the honor and privilege of seeing months of hard work, times of frustration, hours of research, numerous drafts, and motions come to fruition with the completion of two Custody and Special Juvenile Immigrant Status hearings. Yet what I will always remember the most are the words ‘Thank you’ and the hug that I received from our client after the judge ruled in our favor.”

Klein—who, in addition to teaching and supervising, directs CCLS—said the duo’s teamwork was what brought the cases to a successful conclusion. “Katherine and Julie never gave up, even when faced with difficult new developments,” she said. “As a result of their persistence and the empathetic relationship with their clients, the children involved in both cases now have a path forward to gaining U.S. citizenship. This is an absolutely thrilling outcome.”

Blair noted, “I believe that the Clinic provides valuable resources not just to the community, but to CUA Law students as well. The opportunity to learn, and to apply one’s legal education with a dedicated support system of other students and expert faculty is one that I feel grateful to have experienced. I look forward to continuing to represent FALC clients this semester and hope to use these experiences to continue to help the DC community.”

“Throughout my time at the clinic, I have learned and appreciated the importance of zealous advocacy. The work we do comes with great responsibility, and I feel extremely privileged to be able to serve our clients,” Orlando reflected. “This week, Katherine and I made a difference in the lives of two families by helping them obtain special immigrant juvenile status findings and permanent custody orders. I hope they will remember us as much as I will carry them in my heart.”