Reflections from the Field, Part 5: Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC)

Over the past summer I worked at the Asian Pacific American Legal Resource Center (APALRC), which is a nonprofit organization in Washington, D.C. that provides free legal services for predominantly low-income Asian Pacific Americans in the Greater Metropolitan area. The organization assists clients on legal matters including immigration law, family law, business law, domestic violence, and housing. However, APALRC also participates in many other initiatives such as the Crime Victims Assistance Program, the Housing and Community Justice Project, and community outreach. Most of APALRC’s clients have limited English proficiency, so the organization has the ability to provide assistance in approximately twenty-five different Asian languages.

I managed the Vietnamese helpline and assisted mostly Vietnamese speakers with their legal matters. I conducted client intake over the phone, interviewed clients, drafted affidavits of support for immigration petitions, prepared witnesses for hearings, performed research, and wrote legal memoranda. My most interesting case involved filing an I-751 Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence because my client was potentially subject to deportation and I was the primary person working on her case. I enjoyed being given a great deal of responsibility and felt honored that the supervising attorneys gave me so much deference. Furthermore, I also worked on a case where USCIS was revoking a United States citizen’s citizenship. Accordingly, I worked on emotionally taxing cases where people’s lives were essentially in my hands.

My experiences at APALRC this summer gave me an opportunity to expand on my knowledge on substantive law, but also helped me grow on a professional and personal level. I gained the valuable experience of having a great deal of client interaction. I will never forget my first client interview where I was fighting back tears as I listened to my client’s disheartening human trafficking story. I tried my best to be sympathetic, but professional and authoritative at the same time. It was a challenge setting aside my emotions representing these indigent individuals, but with time and experience, I learned how to focus on the important legal matters at hand and not let my feelings get the best of me.

Linh Ly, 3L