MSU Law Student Credits Immigration Clinic for Securing DOJ Job
MSU Law 3L Trevor Knapp has found his dream job, combining his desire for public service with his passion for immigration law, and will join the Executive Office of Immigration Review at the Chicago Immigration Court, U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), in September. Mr. Knapp says his experience in the MSU Immigration Clinic exposed him to an area of law that he has grown passionate about and is now completely invested in.
He points to the help and mentorship of Professors David Thronson and Veronica Thronson with the application process and throughout law school. “I honestly don’t think I would have pursued or heard of this awesome opportunity if it were not for the both of them,” said Mr. Knapp. The MSU Law Professors shared the DOJ opening and encouraged him to apply. Mr. Knapp also credited Professor Noga Morag-Levine “for supporting me in the job search and her mentorship that started my 1L year.”
Pursuing his focus of a career in public service, Mr. Knapp will serve as an attorney advisor for the Office of the Chief Immigration Judge under the Executive Office of Immigration Review. He will be a law clerk/staff attorney for three-to-five immigration judges hearing removal cases and associated applications for relief such as asylum claims and applications for cancellation of removal. Mr. Knapp’s previous public service positions include military service, working for a U.S. Congressman, clerking for a state trial court judge, supporting the Ohio Attorney General, and interning at the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Michigan.
The job offer from the Chicago Immigration Court was not the only good news that Mr. Knapp has recently received. After six years in the Army Reserve as a paralegal Non-Commissioned Officer, he has received an appointment to become a Judge Advocate General (JAG). “I knew before starting law school that I wanted to serve as an Army lawyer, obtaining an appointment to become a JAG from the Army only ensures that. I will be staying in the Reserves in this role and will be committed to the one weekend per month and two-to-three weeks in the summer.” He says he is confident he can balance these two roles.
“It’s great to see DOJ hiring a Michigan State lawyer and a Veteran,” said Professor Thronson, the Alan S. Zekelman Professor of International Human Rights Law. “Trevor is an exceptional student and has made incredibly valuable contributions to his clients at the Immigration Law Clinic. He will be a phenomenal asset for the Chicago Immigration Court.”