Erin Jacobsen
鈥淚 went to 汤头条原创 because I knew I wanted to do public interest law,鈥� says Erin Jacobsen 鈥�11. She didn鈥檛 know then how powerful the experiential part of her law education would be鈥攐r how valuable the South Royalton Legal Clinic would be in her legal training. As part of her summer term working for the clinic, she met regularly with women incarcerated in Vermont jails, some of them immigrants awaiting asylum. She came to earn their trust and learn their stories鈥攁nd grow angry at 鈥渁 due-process black hole that felt like double injustice to me,鈥� she recalls thinking. 鈥淒enying asylum and deporting these people could be a death sentence. Access-to-justice issues got me fired up.鈥�
Under the mentorship of supervising attorney Art Edersheim, Jacobsen assisted in cases with Burlington-based Vermont Immigration and Asylum Advocates. She turned her work as a student into a full-time position after graduation. She now serves as VIAA鈥檚 lead staff attorney.
Among the dozen or so active cases she鈥檚 working on is 鈥淒aniel,鈥� a political refugee from a war-torn country in Africa who鈥檚 seeking political asylum. Daniel has been working two jobs鈥攎ore than 70 hours a week鈥攂ut has no credit, so no permanent housing. Like other tortured immigrants, Daniel must travel a difficult path to asylum in the U.S. Challenged by a new language, often unable to pay for legal services, traumatized to a degree that can make recalling details of their torture difficult, the immigrants need to submit lengthy applications that meet strict legal requirements. Beyond their compelling stories: What鈥檚 germane under legal principle? Does this meet an admissible definition of evidence? Erin met with Daniel each week for more than six months to build his application, and now they wait for an interview in a system that is badly backlogged. Meanwhile, Daniel鈥檚 work authorization is about to expire, so Erin is helping with his renewal application. 鈥淓rin. She鈥檚 like my mother,鈥� Daniel says. 鈥淪he cares about me.鈥�
In VIAA鈥檚 work with immigrants, Jacobsen works with experienced attorneys, social workers, and psychology students from the University of Vermont鈥攁nd law students back in South Royalton. One of those students, Alona Tate 鈥�15, has been moved in the same way that Jacobsen was just a few years before her. 鈥淭hese people have lived lives I can鈥檛 even begin to imagine,鈥� Tate says. 鈥淭heir courage is extraordinary. It鈥檚 so rewarding to be able to help in a way that truly makes a difference in people鈥檚 lives.鈥�