As Attorney Kravitz and I are about to incorporate our immigration practice, our philosophy of “holistic, compassionate lawyering” is persistent in my mind. I think in practice, that while it is important to make enough money to stay afloat and be comfortable, helping the client in a richer and deeper way is the crux of why we do this work and is so distinguishing for the client. It is a way of treating others, a business model, and a way to sustain yourself in this work. This concept is so important to me that it is underscored on business cards and on the website.
Our goal is to treat the whole person. It is my privilege to be the person who can provide hope to the client when they walk into my office. When I worked in the Immigration Clinic at our law school, as did Attorney Kravitz, and in work post-law school, I have met people from all over the world with different journeys to the United States; yet, the unifying themes of suffering, fear, and instability drove them to us. I’ve found the guiding principles of patience, attentiveness, and care provide the client with a more positive experience, while improving their legal cases.
There are often many other issues that are occurring in the client’s life besides a fear of deportation; social, medical, and other legal issues can be tangential to their immigration case. That is why we practice a holistic approach. We try to identify these surrounding issues and improve upon the client’s overall existential experience. While our focus is on the immigration law, we try to address other legal issues, such as domestic violence, family law, education law, housing law, and the effects of criminal records. Medical, social and psychological issues also come up and can affect the client’s case and life. Our goal is also to provide the clients with resources to deal with these issues.
It is our hope that when the client has been through our office, they are more whole and confident. Further, by helping the clients to improve upon other aspects of their life, we hope that they can pay it forward. It has taken a lot of hard work for us to get to the point where we are, and we hope that with the clients’ successes, they can help guide others along the way.
Compassion and attentiveness, particularly in our asylum, VAWA, and SIJs cases, is key. It is a great act of courage for the clients to tell us their stories, that often involve painful memories of abuse or terrible events in their home countries. As Oliver Wendell Holmes once said: “It is the province of knowledge to speak, and it is the privilege of wisdom to listen.” We both respect their courage and understand the level of trust they are putting in our hands. One mechanism I’m trying to implement to effectuate this goal is to utilize the AudioNote app for the I-Pad. This app is great because it serves both as a recorder and a notebook. It allows you to memorialize client sessions and maintain eye contact and stay present in the conversation. Our clients are more than just facts laid out on a yellow legal pad and I’m grateful for new technology that can help us gain the information we need while maintaining the attentiveness that can help the clients soak in a deeper level of care.
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