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For Immediate Release Contact: Former University of La Verne College of Law students win Justice & Immigration Clinic Case Ontario, Calif., September 8, 2008 – University of La Verne College of Law graduates Candace Cromes and David Ngo won their first Justice and Immigration Case while they were still students at La Verne Law earlier this year. “In law school you work a lot with hypothetical cases, but this was different,” Cromes said. “Going against a real judge with a real life in your hands made me put more into it; I didn’t get much sleep.” Cromes and Ngo worked under the direct supervision of the practicing attorney on the case. The Los Angles Immigration Court granted asylum to Cromes’ and Ngo’s client based on well-founded fear of persecution, not past persecution. The grant was also based on political opinion and membership in a particular social group. The case was taken to court in April and the judge ruled in favor of Cromes and Ngo in late June. Officially, the case closed on July 28, the final day for an appeal to be filed. The win is a boon for Cromes who graduated with Ngo in May. Cromes, who headed the Black Law Students Association at La Verne Law, credits the school for preparing her for the case. “I wouldn’t have gotten the same experience or opportunity at any other school,” Cromes said. “At La Verne Law, the school treated me like a student and not like a number. They prepared me; I got my first legal job through the school and I got to do more practical things. Even though it was hard work, it was worth it.” The Justice & Immigration Clinic opened in March and accepted three pro bono cases involving Latin Americans who were minors and not accompanied by an adult at the time they attempted to enter the United States. Students spent an average of 25-30 hours a week on their assigned cases. Their many tasks included client interviews, fact investigation; preparation of a case plan, legal strategy and evidence chart, affidavit drafting and writing a trial brief. The clinic is headed by Professor Diane Uchimiya, a specialist in immigration law who joined La Verne Law in July 2005. # # # About the University of La Verne College of Law # # # The University of La Verne College of Law has been provisionally approved by the Council of the Section of Legal Education and Admissions to the Bar of the American Bar Association since 2006. The Section of Legal Education may be contacted at 321 North Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60610 or by phone at (312) 988-6738.
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