Hemanth C. Gundavaram
Clinical Professor and Director, Immigrant Justice Clinic; Interim Director, Clinical Programs
Boston University School of Law, JD 2004
Professor Gundavaram joined the Northeastern University School of Law faculty in 2014. He is the co-founder and director of the school’s Immigrant Justice Clinic. In the clinic, attorneys and students represent non-citizen clients in their claims for asylum, permanent residence, release from immigration detention and other forms of relief. He also teaches Immigration Law and Administrative Law. Prior to joining the Northeastern community, he completed a teaching fellowship in the Boston University School of Law Immigrants’ Rights Clinic.
Professor Gundavaram received his law degree from Boston University School of Law and his BS in journalism from Boston University College of Communication. After law school, he joined the global law firm of Mintz as a litigation associate. He then served as an attorney at the US Court of Appeals for the First Circuit before transitioning to full-time teaching.
In 2019, Professor Gundavaram was voted the law school’s professor of the year, gave the faculty commencement address at graduation and received the faculty service award. A frequent public speaker on immigration law, he has appeared on Fox News (Tucker Carlson Tonight), NPR (All Things Considered), WCVB (CityLine), NECN (The Take) and WGBH (Greater Boston). He has also been quoted in various news outlets, including Politico, USA Today, Politifact and The Christian Science Monitor.
Fields of Expertise
- Administrative Law
- Dispute Resolution
- Immigration Law
- Legal Research and Writing
- Litigation
- Social Justice
Selected Works
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- Book Review: The Lawyer's Guide to Writing Well, 66 Journal of Legal Education 439 (2018).
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- “Why the Remain in Mexico Policy, Recently Upheld by the Supreme Court, Can Still Be Trumped,” Northeastern News (September 3, 2021).
- “For the Many Left Behind in Afghanistan, a Refugee Crisis in the Making.” Northeastern News (August 24, 2021).
- “How the Trump Administration Is Weaponizing Work Permits,” Politico (August 5, 2020).
- “Immigrant Detainees are at High Risk for COVID-19. Should They be Released?,” Northeastern News (March 25, 2020).
- “The Third Narrative about Immigrants: Why We Need Them As Much As They Need Us,” International Institute of New England Blog (September 16, 2019).
- “The ICE Raids Aren’t Just Wrong – They’re Expensive,” Politico ( August 9, 2019).
- “There Are Limits To What Immigration And Customs Enforcement Can Do During Raids,” NPR's All Things Considered (July 12, 2019).
- “Law Schools See 'Trump Effect,' With More Students Studying Immigration Law,” WBUR News (June 19, 2019).
- Video: Northeastern University School of Law Commencement 2019 Faculty Address (May 23, 2019).
- Video: “Sec. Nielsen Is Out, But Her Family Separation Legacy Lives On,” WGBH News (April 8, 2019).
- “Will an ISIS Bride be Allowed to Return to the US?,” Northeastern News (March 29, 2019).
- “Trying to Make Sense of the Government Shutdown,” NECN News (January 7, 2019).
- “Abolish ICE? Reform it? Or what?,”The Christian Science Monitor (July 31, 2018).
- “Tucker Battles Professor Who Wants to Abolish ICE: Who Will Arrest Criminal Aliens?,” Fox News Insider (June 28, 2018).
- “Ice on Ice? Move to Abolish Ice, at Center of Storm in Immigration Battle, Has a Long Way to Go,” USA Today (June 27, 2018).
- “No, The Government Hasn’t Lost 1,500 Children. What’s Actually Happening Might Be Worse,” Northeastern News (June 7, 2018).
- “DACA and Dreamers,”BUTV's On That Point (May 8, 2018).
- “What the US Supreme Court Decision Means for the Deportation of Criminal Immigrants,” PolitiFact (April 23, 2018).
- “Video: Immigration Issues,” WCVB On Demand (January 28, 2018).
- “How the 7-Eleven Immigration Raids ‘Feed on Fear’,” Northeastern News (January 19, 2018).
- “Book Review of The Lawyer's Guide to Writing Well,” 66 Journal of Legal Education 439 (2016) (co-author).
- “Law School and Beyond: NCC Parent Passes Bar, Builds Legal Career,” BlogNCC (November 18, 2016).
