04.16.21 — Khalafalla Osman ’21 has been named to the  Class of 2021 Justice Fellows by the Immigrant Justice Corp (IJC). Each year, IJC awards Justice Fellowships to recent law graduates and law clerks from around the country – individuals with tremendous talent, promise and a demonstrated commitment to providing legal services for low income people and for immigrants. IJC trains Justice Fellows to become experts in immigration law and pairs them with leading non-profit legal services providers and community based organizations. Osman is among only twenty-eight graduates from top law schools around the country that were chosen for the prestigious program.  

Osman will spend his fellowship at UnLocal, a community-centered non-profit organization that provides direct immigration legal representation and community education to New York City’s undocumented immigrant communities. He started working in immigration during the summer of 2019 in Tampa, Florida, primarily focused on newly settled refugee clients. In the Winter of 2019-2020, he worked for a business immigration firm. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Khalafalla recently had the privilege of working with two IJC partner organizations, Prisoners Legal Services and Catholic Charities and was exposed to “crimmigration,” defensive asylum, U-visa and adjustment of status services. At UnLocal, he will continue to represent asylum seekers and assist underserved immigrant communities.

“No words can do justice in expressing how humbled I am by this opportunity,” said Osman. “However, I cannot continue without expressing my immense gratitude for the guidance that legal scholars like professors Ilana Greenstein, Rachel Rosenbloom and Hemanth Gundavaram have provided me with in this path of interest towards immigration law. Additionally, I am truly grateful for the support that Co-op Advisor Renay Frankel assisted me with throughout this journey. She helped pave my direction through amazing internships throughout law school that I will never forget. I share this achievement with my teachers and advisor! As a new administration comes to power, it will be a unique opportunity to join the ranks of committed immigrant justice warriors during this time. I will never forget the values and lessons that Northeastern Law’s Immigrant Justice Clinic entrusted me with such: how to research and write for asylum cases; what to know about representing clients dealing with trauma; how to work in a team; etc. I am especially excited to work with UnLocal because since the right to counsel does not apply to individuals in immigration proceedings, UnLocal fills that void through a pilot program to move towards universal representation. Additionally, UnLocal incorporates community outreach and social work to assist immigrant clients navigate mental health concerns – all values that resonate with the lessons I was taught at the Clinic. The responsibility is not lost on me to serve a community that has been so marginalized in this country due to the inhumane policies that surround the American immigration system since the very beginning, and I am confident that through this esteemed fellowship I will be equipped to effectively and fiercely fight on behalf of immigrants to the best of my ability.”

About Northeastern University School of Law
The nation’s leader in experiential legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law offers the longest-running, most extensive experience-based legal education program in the country and is a national leader in legal education reform. Founded with cooperative legal education as the cornerstone of its program, Northeastern guarantees its students unparalleled practical legal work experiences. All students participate in full-time legal placements, and can choose from the more than 1,500 employers worldwide participating in the school’s signature Cooperative Legal Education Program. The future of legal education since 1968, Northeastern University School of Law blends theory and practice, providing students with a unique set of skills and experience to successfully practice law.

For more information, contact d.feldman@northeastern.edu