“Northeastern enabled me to have a greater impact on the lives of immigrants and victims of abuse.
Jillian Tuck ’12
After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania in 2005, Jillian Tuck worked in Guatemala as a human rights observer. She was appalled by the atrocities described by survivors of the Guatemalan Civil War and fascinated by the legal aspects of the genocide case in which they were testifying. Jillian was convinced that law school wasn’t the right fit for her until she learned about Northeastern’s collaborative atmosphere and social justice focus.
After a co-op with Physicians for Human Rights, she joined the organization, advising healthcare professionals about asylum law and training them how to write medical-legal affidavits and testify in court on behalf of asylum seekers. “I became a colleague of the human and immigrant rights advocates I admired before I ever thought about going to law school, “says Jillian. “Northeastern enabled me to have a greater impact on the lives of immigrants and victims of abuse.”
Today, Jillian serves as associate director of public interest advising, programs and community building at Harvard Law School, helping law students and lawyers who are committed to using law as a tool for justice.
Paso Del Norte Civil Rights Project, El Paso, Texas
Jillian worked to provide economic justice for immigrant workers and helped research a civil rights abuse case in which a gay couple was forced out of a food establishment.
- Admissions Committee
- American Immigration Lawyers Association
- Detention Watch Network
- National Lawyers Guild
Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, El Paso, Texas
Inspired to continue assisting the community she connected with during her first co-op, Jillian returned to El Paso to help provide pro bono legal assistance to asylum seekers, battered women, crime victims and unaccompanied minors.
Domestic Violence Clinic
Jillian contributed to the work of the Domestic Violence Institute every year while at Northeastern, including serving as a patient advocate at Boston Medical Center and as a clinical teaching assistant.
Physicians for Human Rights, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Jillian was awarded a PHRGE (Program on Human Rights and the Global Economy) fellowship to pursue her third co-op, where she met her current boss.
- Civil Trial Practice
- Constitutional Law
- Immigration Law
- Lawyering for Spanish Speaking Clients
- Refugee and Asylum Law
- Rights of Noncitizens Seminar
- Social Welfare Law
Joyce and Associates, Boston, Massachusetts
At this private immigration firm, Jillian gained experience drafting motions, thinking creatively about complicated cases, and writing briefs to the Board of Immigration Appeals.
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project
Jillian helped classmate Elizabeth Tully ’12 found this organization’s Northeastern chapter, which provides legal representation to Iraqi refugees seeking to resettle in the US.