Immigration Law Clinic
Our Immigration Law Clinic has been a lifeline for people navigating complex, high-stakes immigration challenges since 1996. Our students also help unite West Virginians with family members and support small businesses in legally hiring talented employees.
Client Eligibility and Application
By introducing our students to a growing field of law through service work, our clinic has a direct impact on West Virginia’s population. Our students are often the only source of legal aid for clients who are unable to afford their own attorneys.
Driven by a commitment to justice, dignity, and compassion, the clinic assists vulnerable individuals at critical moments, strengthens the broader community it serves, and continues to build West Virginia into a national leader in immigration law.
For more information or referrals to other attorneys and organizations, please email cliniclaw@mail.wvu.edu or call 304-293-7249.
Education in Action
Hands-on experience, real clients, and practical skills that prepare you for legal practice.
4,500+ hours of student legal work annually
8-12 student clinicians annually
From the Director’s Desk
“Students in the Immigration Law Clinic have first-chair responsibility for their cases, guided by experienced immigration lawyers. They argue in immigration court, write briefs, and guide clients through regulatory compliance. The stakes for our clients are high and the immigration legal landscape complex. That challenge calls on our students to give the very best you have to offer. Our students often say that working alongside their clients to help them achieve their goals has changed their own lives, too.”
— Alison Peck, Director of the Immigration Law Clinic
Student Insight
“This work matters to me because it allows me to support individuals and families navigating the same legal systems that shaped my own family’s experience in the United States. Those systems are constantly evolving and often feel more like a maze than a clear path. One of my first assignments was to help prepare paperwork for an in‑person client check‑in in Pittsburgh, a task that unexpectedly led to one of the most meaningful moments of my time in the clinic. As the client and I sat across from each other, we began chatting—mostly about our shared love of manual Mazdas from the ’90s. In that quiet, ordinary moment, I realized I was looking at a reflection of my own father, who used to send me photos of every Mazda Miata he spotted until his passing.
Both men did their best to make sense of an overwhelming legal system while trying to build stability and a future for their families in this country. That moment set in stone why this work matters and deepened my appreciation for the work immigration attorneys do.
Claudia Nicole Mejia 3L WVU Law Student
Your Support is Critical to Our Success
Help Provide Legal Aid
We are thankful for our partnership with the WVU College of Law and for the resources the college provides to empower our work. To complement these resources, our clinic also raises funds to fulfill our mission of serving immigrants with critical cases.
These donations support our students’ work, including travel to federal agency hearings and interviews (all of which are located outside West Virginia) and delivery of special projects such as community presentations on immigration rights and obligations.
Visit give.wvu.edu or contact:
Immigration Law Clinic Director
Alison Peck
Phone: 304-293-7249 Fax: 304-293-3762 Office: Room 123, WVU College of Law