Firsthand perspectives on the experience of refugees who have retrained as legal professionals in the United States
BY COLIN RIGLEY
NOTE: The views expressed in this article are those of the interviewees and do not necessarily reflect the views of the WSBA or its members.
According to the U.N., “[b]y May 2024, more than 120 million people were forcibly displaced worldwide as a result of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations,” among them 43.4 million refugees.11 The U.N. Refugee Agency, “Global Trends At-a-Glance.” www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/. This year in the U.S., 68,291 refugees were admitted for resettlement, the highest since the previous peak of 84,994 in 2016, according to the Migration Policy Institute.22 Migration Policy Institute, “U.S. Annual Refugee Resettlement Ceilings and Number of Refugees Admitted, 1980-Present.” www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-refugee-resettlement.
Among the tens of thousands of people entering the U.S. each year, fleeing war and persecution, some come with a legal background from their home countries and others come with a desire to enter the legal profession in their newly adopted home. Regardless of their extent of prior legal education, refugees often need to start from scratch within the U.S. system, which may involve learning in a language that is not their first.
Highline College in Des Moines, for example, has had a number of refugees come through its doors to complete its paralegal program and move on to careers in Washington’s legal profession. In this article, Bar News spoke with two recent graduates, Marwa Almasri and Najmia Khatibi, both from the Middle East, who share their experiences of leaving their home countries for the U.S. and beginning their legal education—one of them coming with years of legal experience and the other entering the field for the first time.
Marwa Almasri
Lebanon
Originally from Lebanon, Marwa Almasri grew up and received her education in Syria. In 2004, she enrolled in law school at Damascus University, graduating five years later (Syrian law school lasts longer than U.S. schools and requires post-law-school apprenticeship, she explained); she then practiced law as an apprentice for more than two years before finally being able to take and pass the Syrian Association Bar Exam.
In 2011, as civil war broke out in Syria, Almasri moved to the United States, began studying English at Highline College, and eventually enrolled in the college’s Legal Studies Department to earn her paralegal-plus certification, a one-year ABA-approved program for students with a bachelor’s or other higher education degree.
As part of her studies at Highline College, Almasri volunteered with Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) for about 18 months, where she gained experience working with the Violence Against Women Act program to help immigrants who have experienced abuse petition for legal status—without having to rely on their abusers to obtain immigration relief. From there, she took a legal assistant position with the Domestic Violence Advocacy Project at the King County Bar Association. She is currently pursuing an LL.M. at Seattle University School of Law.
Q. Why did you move to the U.S.?
A. The civil war in my country began in 2011. My husband is an American citizen, and I decided to move here as the chaos started to escalate there.
Q. What motivated you to pursue a career in law?
A. Many things prompted me to study law, but the most important of them are the extensive discrimination in our world and lack of equal opportunities.
I believe everyone should be treated equally and everyone should have a chance to better themselves. Since I was a child, I have witnessed many events that made me wonder: Why are women viewed as inferior or a tool that can be exploited and oppressed? Why don’t poor people have a chance to improve their lives? I witnessed many incidents of violations, exploitation, and humiliation of women, children, and poor people who have no power or support. These questions grew in me as I got older and pushed me to pursue studying law to stand up for myself, my family, my friends, and my community. I always feel that I have an obligation to stand up and raise my voice to demand equity everywhere in our world.
Q. Has your experience as an immigrant and a refugee influenced your perspective on the U.S. legal system and how you interact with it?
A. I always feel for the immigrants who were forced to leave their homeland in search of safety. I know how difficult it is to leave your country, your family, and your people to feel safe somewhere else.
Immigrants often struggle with their legal status, including issues with documentation and access to services. Most immigrants come here either to get away from violence, wars, and poverty, or to seek a better life and better job opportunities—and they are met with a complex and unwelcoming system that does not always take into account the trauma that they have faced to get here. Therefore, policy must find legal solutions that protect, assist, and give immigrants opportunities to thrive in a way that simultaneously develops and improves American society. In my current job as a legal assistant, most of our clients are immigrants, and I always do my best to help them as much as I can, especially clients who cannot speak English well.
Q. Did you have any experience with the legal system in your home country? How does that system compare to here?
A. Yes, after I graduated from law school, I began training under a mentor’s supervision. Substantively, the law itself is similar to American law, but procedurally, when it comes to enforcing the rules, it is completely different. There are a lot of things in the legal system [in my home country] that need to be fixed. There is no check and balance system, and this corrupts the legal system. For example, people with money and power can control court decisions, which is very bad and makes me feel very sorry for the innocent people who are victims of these illegal actions. On the other hand, here I see that the legal system works, and no one is above the law, even people with power and a lot of money, but in general there is always room for improvement.
Q. What do you most want to accomplish as a legal professional?
A. I want to work with a nonprofit organization that helps people who are low-income [or] marginalized and immigrants. I want to represent victims of any gender, age, color, or race who are survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, human trafficking, and other serious crimes. I want to help persecuted people who fled from tyranny and repression in their home countries. I want to help people to seek and exercise their rights, especially people who have barriers to accessing the legal system.
Q. What advice would you give to other refugees and immigrants who are interested in pursuing a career in law? Similarly, what advice would you give to other legal professionals who might interact with refugees, or interact with systems that impact refugees?
A. I want to tell immigrants who are interested in practicing law to be patient and not give up. I have had a very difficult time since coming here, especially when I went back to school to start learning a different language, but as we all know “nothing great can be achieved without patience.” Now, I feel like I have achieved the result of my hard work. Now, I use my skills as a bilingual speaker to help other refugees who came and are looking for a better life here. Nothing can stop you from reaching your goal as long as you have willpower in your mind. I also want to advise others who may be dealing with refugees to be patient, kind, and give them grace, because I am sure they have been through enough to get here.
Najmia Khatibi
Afghanistan
In December 2011, Najmia Khatibi graduated from Kabul University with a B.A. in Persian/Dari language and literature. Four years later, she and her husband, who worked for a U.S. construction contractor, were fleeing the country under threat of the Taliban for working with that very U.S. contractor.
After a process that took more than two years, they applied for and were granted a Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) to the United States. Shortly after they arrived in the U.S. in 2019, Khatibi enrolled in Highline College to train as a paralegal despite speaking almost no English. In addition to learning a new language while simultaneously learning about the U.S. legal system, Khatibi found herself faced with a lexicon of legal terminology and procedure to absorb. But over time she picked up the language and the legal. As part of her education, Khatibi took a six-month internship with NWIRP. There, she was able to help immigrants with similar stories to her own, working on immigration cases for Afghans who were also fleeing persecution. Today, she still works for NWIRP’s Afghan Community Project, where she handles asylum petitions for Afghan refugees.
Q. Why did you move to the U.S.?
A. I moved to the United States as an SIV (Special Immigrant Visa) applicant because my husband used to work for a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers design-and-build prime contractor in Afghanistan. Individuals who work for or on behalf of the U.S. government and U.S. military in Afghanistan face significant risks to their lives and the lives of their family members. Due to a couple of security incidents, my husband relocated me and our son to Turkey for safety, while he continued to work in Afghanistan to provide financial support for us. A couple of years later, in early 2019, we moved to the United States.
Q. What motivated you to pursue a career in law?
A. In Afghanistan corruption in the legal system was pervasive, I observed a stark difference upon arriving in the United States: Here, every citizen obeys the law and rules. This stark contrast motivated me to pursue a career in law. Seeing the integrity and effectiveness of the legal system in ensuring justice and equality for all inspired me to contribute to upholding these principles and making a positive impact in society through a legal career.
Q. Has your experience as an immigrant and a refugee influenced your perspective on the U.S. legal system and how you interact with it?
A. As an immigrant, my experiences have profoundly shaped my perspective on the U.S. legal system and how I interact with it. Coming from a place where corruption was rampant within the legal systems, I deeply appreciate and respect the fairness, transparency, and integrity of the U.S. legal system. My experiences have instilled in me a strong belief in the importance of upholding the rule of law and ensuring equal justice for all individuals, regardless of their background or status. This perspective influences how I engage with the legal system, as I am committed to working within it to uphold its principles and contribute to a just and equitable society.
Q. Did you have any experience with the legal system in your home country? How does that system compare to here?
A. In Afghanistan, the system often favored those with power and money, leading to a pervasive lack of trust and fairness. In litigation cases, it was not uncommon for lawyers or prosecutors to align themselves with the party who held more influence or financial resources, rather than upholding the principles of justice. One particularly troubling aspect of the legal system was the mistreatment of female defendants. In cases where the defendant was a woman, she was often subjected to abuse and discrimination by the prosecutor. This blatant misuse of power further exacerbated the systemic inequalities that plagued the legal landscape.
Comparing this to the legal system here in the United States, I have found a stark contrast in terms of transparency, accountability, and adherence to the rule of law. While no system is without flaws, the American legal system is founded on principles of equality and due process, with mechanisms in place to safeguard the rights of all individuals, regardless of their gender, social status, or financial means.
Here, the role of lawyers and prosecutors is to uphold the law impartially, without bias or favoritism. While disparities and injustices certainly exist, there are avenues for recourse and redress through the judiciary and other oversight mechanisms. The commitment to justice and fairness within the American legal system has been a refreshing departure from the corruption and inequality I witnessed in Afghanistan.
Q. What do you most want to accomplish as a legal professional?
A. As a legal professional, my ultimate goal is to become an accredited representative33 According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Federal regulations at 8 C.F.R. § 1292.1(a)(4) allow non-attorney “Accredited Representatives” to represent aliens before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which includes the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).” See www.justice.gov/eoir/recognition-and-accreditation-program. or an attorney, enabling me to serve my community in the most impactful way possible. I am deeply passionate about leveraging my skills and knowledge to advocate for justice and uphold the rights of individuals, particularly those who may be marginalized or underserved.
Q. What advice would you give to other refugees and immigrants who are interested in pursuing a career in law? Similarly, what advice would you give to other legal professionals who might interact with refugees, or interact with systems that impact refugees?
A. To fellow refugees and immigrants interested in pursuing a career in law, I would offer the following advice: Everything is indeed achievable, and don’t let the fear of language barriers hold you back. With determination and perseverance, you can overcome any obstacle. Remember, your unique experiences and perspectives as a refugee or immigrant can be valuable assets in the legal profession. Embrace your background and use it to drive your passion for justice and advocacy.
For legal professionals who may interact with refugees or engage with systems impacting refugees, my advice would be to approach each interaction with empathy, compassion, and cultural sensitivity. Recognize that refugees have endured significant hardships and trauma in fleeing their home countries, and that their journey to safety may have left them vulnerable and in need of support.
Watch More Online
If you would like to learn more about one of the subjects of this article, Highline College filmed a video with Najmia Khatibi about why she chose the paralegal program there. You can find the video on the Highline College website, https://legal.highline.edu/#single/0.
About the author
Colin Rigley is a communications specialist with the WSBA. He has nearly 15 years of experience in journalism and communications. He can be reached at:
NOTES
1. The U.N. Refugee Agency, “Global Trends At-a-Glance.” www.unrefugees.org/refugee-facts/statistics/.
2. Migration Policy Institute, “U.S. Annual Refugee Resettlement Ceilings and Number of Refugees Admitted, 1980-Present.” www.migrationpolicy.org/programs/data-hub/charts/us-refugee-resettlement.
3. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, “Federal regulations at 8 C.F.R. § 1292.1(a)(4) allow non-attorney “Accredited Representatives” to represent aliens before the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Executive Office for Immigration Review (EOIR), which includes the immigration courts and the Board of Immigration Appeals (BIA).” See www.justice.gov/eoir/recognition-and-accreditation-program.