Linda K. Barreto (Law ’14) says becoming the Director of the New American Legal Clinic brings her “full circle.” She remembers being “one of the first NALC students,” but adds she “never in a million years dreamed” she could become director. Still, it was not an unlikely thing. She says ““My mom is an immigrant, I have dedicated my practice to that solely of immigration law, giving me both the knowledge and experience to understand immigration law as a complete body both in the practical and procedural sense.”
That experience includes not only her background working at NALC during law school, but also working as an associate attorney for Lazaro Salazar Law, Inc. where she remains Of Counsel assisting with complex immigration cases.
She also defended the rights of immigrant children as a staff attorney for the non-profit organization Kids in Need of Defense (KIND). Those children were in deportation proceedings where they do not have a right to counsel, but those who are unrepresented are five times more likely to lose their case. Her job was to try to help them either gain asylum or Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. To gain the latter Status, they first have to prove they were abused, abandoned or neglected by one or both parents. If they are successful, they are allowed to remain legally in the U.S. where they might later seek citizenship.
She admits that she loved her clients at KIND, but felt limited in how much she could help them. Meanwhile, “NALC’s mission statement is in its name. ‘New American’ means that we want to help them get citizenship, and follow them all the way through to obtaining citizenship.” She adds “They’re trying to do the right thing, which is why they’ve come to NALC.”
Barreto’s vision for NALC is ““making the clinic the go-to place for community organizations, and anyone who needs help with their immigration case, but also for SJCL students to gain the practical and clinical experience they need to succeed in a law office setting.” She would also like to expand the services offered by NALC “to take an even wider breadth of cases.
She feels she has the resources to make it happen. Aside from being “super-excited to be back at San Joaquin,” she gives an enthusiastic nod to the rest of the NALC team, who she feels are “motivated, energetic, and committed.”
In addition to her duties as Director of NALC, Professor Barreto will also be teaching a basic immigration class.
Barreto replaces Professor Gregory Olson, who left to open his own private practice.