Natalie Nilson ’27
Natalie Nilson ’27
JD Student
Hometown
Marion, Massachusetts
Undergraduate Institution
American University
Undergraduate Major(s)
Communications, Legal Institutions, Economics and Government (CLEG)
Year of Undergraduate Graduation
2024
Area(s) of Legal Interest
Health law, Business law, Intellectual Property, Constitutional law
In terms of support and resources, what do you recommend to prospective students considering Northeastern Law? The Teaching Assistants (TAs) at Northeastern Law are phenomenal. I loved having them as a resource during my 1L year.
What extracurricular activities have you been involved with at Northeastern?
American Constitution Society, If/When/How, Health Law Society
Natalie’s Journal
Legal Skills in Social Context Student Ambassador Insights
What is Legal Skills in Social Context?
Legal Skills in Social Context (“LSSC”) is a first-year course broken into two parts: Skills and Project. In Skills class, you will learn essential legal research and writing skills. In Project class, you will work with a partner organization on a social justice project.
Who will I work with on the Social Justice Project?
You will collaborate with a “Law Office” of about 15 students. Your Law Office will partner with a community-based or advocacy organization to tackle complex medium to large-scale social justice projects.
Who did your Law Office partner with?
We partnered with the Justice Center of Southeast Massachusetts. Our project focused on the U Visa, a nonimmigrant visa for victims of certain crimes.
What did you create for your finished product?
We created a comprehensive manual for U Visa applicants. We researched both federal and state requirements for U Visa applications, the employment authorization process, and common difficulties in navigating the process.
What did you gain from the experience?
I dove deep into a specific part of immigration law and gained a greater understanding of the U Visa process. I also learned how to communicate complex legal issues to a broader audience and make our work accessible. The most valuable thing I learned was teamwork. My Law Office became very close and we all played off of each other’s strengths to complete our project. I learned how to navigate differences of opinion respectfully.
Do you have any advice for first-year students starting their projects?
Get to know your Law Office! You will be working together for the entire first year of law school. Don’t be afraid to try out new roles. We all have our strengths, but this course is a great place to work on all of your lawyering skills!