Frances Marie Prizzia, a third-year law student at Santa Clara University, and recent graduate Christine Tassos, prepared, filed, and diligently pursued a self-petition under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) on behalf of their client, the battered wife of a U.S. citizen. Their client was severely abused physically and mentally by her spouse. His emotional abuse included failing to reveal to her that he had a pre-existing marriage, which made his petition for her permanent residence invalid. Thanks to the students’ well-prepared application, the US Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) approved the client’s self-petition based on the abuse she had suffered. Having recently obtained her permanent residence, their client may now begin to rebuild her life in the United States free of violence.
During the 2005 Spring semester, third-year law student Kirsten Bowman prepared and filed an application for political asylum before the Asylum Office for her client. The client fled his country in East Africa after being threatened and attacked several times for his leadership role in a community organization that challenged a group with ties to the government. Thanks to Kirsten’s thorough and effective representation, the Asylum Office granted the client’s petition. He is now eligible to bring his wife and children to safety in the United States.
