Why I applied

As an immigrant who came to the US for a free and democratic life, I understand the myriad challenges that first-generation immigrants face. Whether pursuing a better life or fleeing violence and persecution, I always admire this group’s courage to leave behind languages, cultures, and everything else they grew up with for something they deem more valuable. While it is an eternal tragedy for people to be thrown into this world without the right to choose where, migration is a belated remedy for them to reclaim this right deprived at birth. Apart from my own experience being an immigrant, that is why the practice of immigration law attracts me–helping people of various backgrounds move to a place they love, either temporarily or permanently, warrants that migration is part of everyone’s inalienable human rights, not someone’s privilege.

How I applied

While exploring summer jobs in NYC, I quickly noticed this exciting internship opportunity at Laura Devine Attorneys (LDA), and thought it would be wonderful to sense the working culture at a law firm before going to law school. What is more, LDA’s dedication to assisting individuals in navigating complex immigration statutes and changes, such as supporting those impacted by significant events (e.g., Brexit, UK’s adoption of a new BNO citizenship program for Hongkongers), strongly aligns with my passion. After sending in my application in March, I went through a recruiting process that was straightforward and informative, as the firm’s professionals gave more details about its day-to-day operations and named some possible challenges one could have encountered working in the private sector.

Skills and qualities needed

Keeping an eye on different deadlines regulated by the government and on clients’ visas or work permits’ expiration dates is the key to ensuring that we file timely visa and immigration petitions for our clients. Moreover, strong attention to detail is required when filling out USCIS forms and drafting visa petitions to avoid information discrepancies and other errors. Communication skills are also crucial for effectively conveying any doubts you may have regarding convoluted immigration regulations, and for being an active member of LDA’s welcoming community.

Favorite part of my internship

What I like the most about this internship is that I’m given opportunities to handle real cases and gain hands-on experience in family and business-based immigration matters that cannot be acquired in law school. Unlike the “get me coffee” type of internship, I’m confident in the valuable takeaways from this five-month training at LDA. There are many meaningful tasks I’ve had the luck of assisting with, including “Uniting for Ukraine,” a humanitarian program that enables people displaced by the Russian-Ukrainian war to move and temporarily live in the US. Having witnessed Ukraine’s pro-democracy revolution in the winter of 2014, I was grateful to have another chance eight years later at LDA to support lawyers and paralegals’ hard work for freedom and peace-loving people. Of course, doing all this in the heart of Manhattan—is truly a pleasure.

*Sveta Lee majors in Political Science at Columbia University with a special interest in democratization and human rights in Eurasia, and hopes to study international human rights law in the near future.

Sveta is currently doing a five-month internship at Laura Devine Attorneys in New York.