Immigration law expert joins Tulane Law School faculty

Laila Hlass found working with children through an immigration clinic the “most meaningful part of my law school experience.”

Because the work proved so formative, most of her career since then has involved helping immigrants with legal needs and teaching law students to assist vulnerable populations.

“It’s definitely an exciting time to join this new team and think about how to reformulate a program.”

— Laila Hlass, Tulane Law’s director of experiential learning

Before joining the Tulane Law faculty in January, Hlass served as director of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic at Boston University School of Law. She’s become a sought-after authority on immigration law while undertaking her new role as Tulane Law’s director of experiential learning.

Law firms, nonprofit agencies and clients increasingly expect new graduates to be practice-ready, said Hlass, and students are eager to put their classroom learning to work.

“It’s definitely an exciting time to join this new team and think about how to reformulate a program,” Hlass said. “We want to expand the program to ensure that all students have opportunities that align with their areas of interest and to ensure that there’s enough academic rigor and support.”

In 2016, Tulane Law drew its array of skills-training offerings under a single umbrella to better integrate opportunities for students to prepare for their careers. Associate Dean Stacy Seicshnaydre, a former Civil Litigation Clinic director, heads the initiative.

“Professor Hlass brings a wonderful combination of academic credentials, immigration practice background, clinical teaching experience, national networks dedicated to experiential learning and deep ties to the New Orleans public interest community,” Seicshnaydre said. “I think we can expect that she will be a dynamic, productive and engaged director of experiential learning.”

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