With a passion for helping others, Jessica Jaramillo Perez (J.D.' 21) went to San Joaquin College of Law so she could help people learn about and protect their rights. Today, she helps Central Valley residents become U.S. citizens through her role as Staff Attorney at the New American Legal Clinic.
Learn more about Jessica, including how she transitioned from student to NALC Staff Attorney, her advice on balancing law school with parenthood, and the importance of knowing your "why."
Tell Us About Your Journey to Law School.
I did my undergrad at UC Merced and a summer internship with a private defense attorney in Merced. I graduated in December 2014, and around October 2015, the attorney I'd interned for called me and offered me a position as a full-time legal assistant because he needed the help. So I took that offer, and I always knew I wanted to be a lawyer, but life happens. When he called me at the time, I had just given birth to my son, and I was thinking, "this isn't going to happen, I'm not going to go to law school." Getting thrown back into the legal world through that job reignited my desire to become a lawyer.
So, I started looking around to see the nearest law schools on the internet. One day, I was scrolling on Facebook and saw an ad for San Joaquin College of Law inviting students to attend their Law School 101 event. I decided to research the law school and attended one of the law school forums, and that's how I connected with Diane Steel and started on the road to law school.
That First Year of Law School is Tough. What Tips Do You Have for Future Students?
The first year is the hardest because it's like learning a new language. The readings are difficult, and you don't know what you're looking for yet, so it's hard. You pull a lot of information you think you need and ultimately end up not needing it. That's why they say that first-year student briefs are pages long. You're also stressed out because you really don't know if you're going to make it. They say most people who don't make it will fall off the first year, which adds to the stress of everything. At the time, I got really good advice from my Legal Methods Professor, Alica Diaz-Wrest (J.D.' 10), because she told us organization in law school was essential. She told us how important it was to have a very set schedule and to work with your schedule. Even family time should be scheduled to ensure you make time for them.
So, I adopted that approach and it got me through my first year. You could ask me, "What are you doing on Tuesday at 3?" and I would tell you exactly what I would be doing. That really helped me because I would set time on the weekends - a few hours here and there - to spend with my family or to go visit my mom. That helped me maintain the school, life, and work balance because I was doing all three. So my biggest advice is to always schedule your time and keep some type of schedule. Try to abide by it, and that way, you can make sure that you're staying well-rounded and won't get burnt out because you'll still have support from your family, friends, and things like that.
Did You Work During Your First Year of Law School?
I did the Four Year Program. The whole time I went to law school, I worked an average of about 30 to 35 hours a week. I did 30 hours a week the first year because I did a hybrid of day and night classes. On Mondays and Wednesdays, I had night classes, and on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I had day classes so that I could get home at a reasonable time and see my two kids, who were one and two- years old.
As a Parent Going Through Law School, What Advice Do You Have for Other Parents?
With the whole child situation, it's going to be about time management. Make time, set time apart for your kids, and abide by it. Don't just set the time and say, "Oh well, I didn't get this done so I'll have to go into that time to finish this brief or finish for this class." Instead, set some time to spend with your kids, drop what you're doing, and spend that time with them. Because to me, that's time that you're never going to get back. You're already missing a lot of time with them while you're in law school, so schedule time for them and drop what you're doing to spend time with them. For most parents that go through law school, that lost time will always be one of their biggest regrets. You just have to remember that you're also doing it for them. You're doing it for their future, and that keeps you going.
My husband would send me pictures and videos of the kids, and I would look at those during my breaks, and that always helped. My husband recorded a lot for me, so even though I wasn't there at the moment, I could at least see what they were doing throughout the day. The first time I saw my daughter's steps was during a break from my Torts class on a Monday night. I still remember going on break and getting the video of her taking her first steps in our living room, which was bittersweet. I felt bad because I wasn't there to see it, but at the same time, I was very grateful that my husband could capture that moment and share it with me as it was happening too. While it'll never be the same as being there to see it, to me, it was pretty close.
What Was Your Experience Like Trying to Prepare Family and Friends About the Time Commitment That Law School Requires?
I think that when you have that conversation with your family, most of the time, they're kind of skeptical about it. They think, "Oh, you're saying that now, but that's not really what it's going to be like." It's not until you're actually going through law school and start declining invitations to events, birthdays, and stuff that they really start to understand. I think, for the most part, family is going to be really supportive of you, and they're going to understand.
There may be some moments when there's an issue or some tension where they're questioning your priorities, but you just have to remind them this is temporary. It's not going to be like this forever, and you have to go back to that initial conversation that you had before you started law school. You can tell them, "We talked about this, this is something that I need to do. This is something that's really important and I'm committed to it." If you're getting a lot of hesitation or negativity, then I would venture to say that you should rethink those relationships because I think anybody who cares about you, loves you, and wants what's best for you will understand and support you through that.
Of course, there were tough moments because it does get tough, and I would have to remind my husband or my parents that we did talk about this, and this is just one of those situations where I can't make it because of school. The key is reminding them that it's temporary because you're reminding yourself, and you're also reminding them. Law school is temporary. It's not gonna be like this forever. This is just a small time frame in our lives and relationships, and eventually, you'll be able to go to every event, but just not right now.
What Was the Culture Like at San Joaquin College of Law?
Everybody here at the school wants what's best for you, from the administration to the faculty. They want you to be successful. They were all very understanding of the fact that we have lives outside of school. We're adults, some of us work, and some of us are also parents. So I really appreciated the support and the understanding that they gave through law school. I didn't have any major issues with having to miss class over the allotted absences or anything. I can't really speak for other parents, and I'm sure the school has a way of working with each student, especially when it comes to things like your children and your family. I don't have firsthand knowledge of any way that they would be able to help with major problems like that, but I do know that they're really understanding. The only thing I could speak to in terms of culture and parents is that I wasn't very involved in college with things like student government. That was a major difference coming into law school as a parent because I didn't really have that time to get involved in clubs or student organizations. That was very different because I've always been very involved in school. But again, it's about prioritizing, and I never felt any pressure from anybody to get involved or to stretch myself too thin.
Were You Already Interested in Immigration Law or Was That Something That Developed as You Progressed Through Law School?
My mom always wanted me to be an immigration attorney, and I always told her, "Mom, I'm not going to do that, that doesn't interest me, it's not going to happen." But it just developed while I was in law school. I'm Hispanic, and my parents immigrated to this country, so it's something that hits close to home with a lot of my family members, immediate and extended. That's where my interest was, and I worked in the New American Legal Clinic during my first year, which was like a hybrid class with clinical hours. Before Linda Barretto became the NALC Director, we would go to the Consulate for interviews.
I found it very interesting and rewarding to be the first point of contact for people who were going through very serious things in their life and looking for help. To be able to help them was awesome, and that's what stuck with me.
Then in my last year, I worked with the NALC clinic again. This time, I wanted to do it because I wanted to see what was going to be different with the new directors. That's when I started working with Linda, and it was a different experience because she doesn't do the interviews at the Consulate. Working under both directors gave me a well-rounded picture of the whole area. After I left, I felt like that could be an area of law I could work in after I graduated. But ultimately, it's feeling like I'm making a difference and helping people that's what really stuck with me.
How Was the Rest of Your Law School Experience Like Graduation and Studying for the Bar?
It got easier over time. The material didn't get easier, but you know what to expect by then. You've learned the legal language, so you really hone in on what you're studying for that week. Then when you're reading the cases, you're able to spot the issue and filter the information that's going to matter versus the information that won't. It makes things go quicker because you can hone in on the issues quicker, your briefs become shorter, your reading gets faster, your note-taking gets quicker, and it makes it feel easier. I always kept a schedule through law school, but it wasn't as strict as it was during my first year.
I felt like you did get more time to spend with your family and things like that. I found myself not having to decline as many invitations toward the second, third, and fourth year of law school, so that was nice. Then after graduation, I took two months off work to study for the Bar. All I can say about that is, if you have good study habits during law school, then those are going to transfer into your Bar prep, and I think that's really important.
I can't stress enough that you really need to take law school seriously. You need to take your notes and learn the material in law school. That way, when you're studying for the Bar Exam, it doesn't feel like you're learning a whole area, it's more like a refresher, and you remember what you've learned before. It's much easier to retain the information you already know and just give yourself a refresher versus actually having to learn a new area. There were a couple of classes where I felt like maybe I didn't learn the material as well as I would've liked, and Bar prep for those areas was a lot harder than the areas where I had very good notes and a very good grasp of the big concepts. Those areas went a lot quicker for me during Bar prep than the others.
How Did Things Come Full Circle With You Working at the New American Legal Clinic After Graduation?
I previously worked for a solo practitioner who only practiced criminal defense. When I got sworn in, I was still working at his office, and I'd worked there throughout my whole law school journey. He only does criminal defense, and I was comfortable with that area of law because it's what I knew. But I still had that thought in my head pushing me to look into other areas of law. I think after the two summers that I did at the NALC clinic; I was still looking for something that gave me a rewarding feeling of knowing that I was helping a family gain legal status. It's an important thing, and people just appreciate it so much.
I contacted Linda and told her I really want to work in immigration law, but I didn't feel like I had a good enough grasp on it. I wanted to represent people competently because that's important, and I let her know that I didn't have a good mentor either because my boss at the time didn't do immigration law. So I asked if she knew of any resources or training that could prepare me to start taking my own immigration cases, and she gave me a ton of resources, more than I could count. She told me I could even volunteer at the NALC clinic, and they would be there to answer any questions and help me with any processes. So that's what I did. I started in December 2021, one month after getting sworn in, and that's how I became a volunteer attorney with NALC and started working on removal defense cases with former Staff Attorney Jaspreet Klar. When she was preparing to leave the NALC clinic, she told me her position would be available and encouraged me to apply. I thought a lot about it, talked to Linda, and ultimately decided to apply.
How Important is it to Make Connections While You're in Law School Like You Did at the NALC Clinic?
I think it's really important. In both of the full-time jobs I've had at law offices, the former one and this one, the connection with those bosses was established before I graduated from law school. The connection with the criminal defense attorney was established before I finished my undergrad degree. The connection with my current employer was established while I was in law school.
So it's really important, but it's not detrimental because, in this area, there's such a need for attorneys. You're not going to really struggle to find a job if you come and stay here. At the same time, it takes some of that pressure and stresses off because you become familiar with the people, their processes, and their procedures. When you start a new job, it's always stressful, and you're always nervous because you want to do a good job and you want to make a good impression. One thing that helps is when your environment is familiar. Because if it's not familiar, you're even kind of wary of your environment in the beginning. Starting work here was like coming back home because this was my law school, so the environment and atmosphere felt familiar. That really helped ease some of the anxiety that you get from starting a new job.
Is There a Case Or Client That Had a Big Impact on You So Far and Why?
I had a short stint as a volunteer attorney before becoming the staff attorney, so the only real case that I would say that I got to work on, and it's still in proceedings, is an asylum case. It's a special immigrant juvenile case, so it's two cases with the same client. He's a 17-year-old boy from Honduras, and we filed an asylum case for him and a special immigrant juvenile status case for him. Basically, he came over from Honduras with his cousin, seeking asylum as a minor.
For me, his journey was inspirational, and knowing that I was helping him is so rewarding. His case has been the most impactful because I have a son who's seven right now. Hearing about this young boy's journey by himself from Honduras to the United States with no adults and no protection was impactful because it was so brave. It's also a testament to what's going on in his home that his family felt the need to send him to a new country alone. I talked to him about his journey and what led him to come here, and it was the violence back home and his experiences. It's nice knowing that we can help him, but when I think about him, I think of my son, so his case has had a huge impact on me. Both of his cases are still pending, but at least he doesn't have to be scared that he'll be deported because he's not in deportation proceedings any more.
How Important is Your "Why" in Law School?
It's important because there will be difficult times during your law school career when you'll question what you're doing and whether or not it's still worth it. If you have that strong connection to a certain area of law or you have a strong connection to "why" you're doing all this, then your "why" will always pull you out of those doubts. More than once, I would drive up to the law school in tears because I didn't want to come to class and wanted to stay home with my babies. I missed them a lot during the school year, but I had to remind myself why I was doing this. I had to remind myself why I wanted to be a lawyer and who I wanted to help, so that pulled me out of those moments of doubt.
I know that some people will drop out their first year, and I can't say why, but I imagine they don't have a strong connection to their "why" or to a certain area of law. I find that most people that have a passion for a certain area that come into law school continue to have that passion. Even after becoming a lawyer, you still hear it when you talk to them, and it's just different now because they're able to help in a way that they weren't before. I think it really just intensifies the passion for the area.
How Does it Feel Knowing Your Law Degree Opens Doors to So Many Career Opportunities?
I love it. It's awesome knowing you have those options because, a lot of times, people want to quit their profession when they start to feel stuck. They feel boxed in or like they don't have a choice because they went to school for that career and don't want to spend a lot of time making a switch. The law is so versatile and comes with so many different career options. You could be in court every day, you could be in court once a year, or you could never step foot in a courtroom. I think it's awesome because you don't really feel boxed in.
I jumped from criminal law to immigration law. I knew what I was doing in criminal law - all the concepts, legal terms, and processes - and then I switched and learned something new. It can be scary, but at the same time, you don't have that boxed-in feeling. Ultimately, the major things that you're taught in law school (spot the issue, analyze and research) apply across the board in any area of law. As long as you know you're fully capable of researching the law, developing a rule set, and applying that rule set to a fact pattern, then you don't really feel like you can't make that switch. It's just a matter of learning the new rule and seeing the new fact patterns, but the foundation is there.
If you're ever unhappy with the area of law you're studying or working in, remind yourself that you don't have to stay there. In fact, a lot of older attorneys that I've talked to say that one of their biggest regrets is that they didn't try different areas of law before retiring. Most of the time, you stick to what you're comfortable with, and in my case, I would've been practicing criminal law for the rest of my life because that's what I was comfortable with. I decided to make this jump to immigration law because I had multiple experienced attorneys tell me about that regret.
What Does Your Current Job Entail on A Day-to-Day Basis?
I'm primarily responsible for removal defense cases, which means representing clients who've gotten the notice to appear in court or are in deportation proceedings or removal proceedings. Our job is what it sounds like - removal defense. We're defending them and trying to find a way to keep them here and researching what avenues of relief they have. That will primarily be my caseload, but I also help with naturalization, which is the citizenship process. We screen to see if they qualify for citizenship and if they do, we'll file the appropriate petition and paperwork with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Then in some cases, we actually go with them to their citizenship interviews and help people become citizens.
How Does It Make You Feel Knowing Your Career Has Such a Big Impact On People, Especially in a Diverse Community Like the Central Valley?
For me, it feels surreal, but it's so rewarding. Ultimately, I want to help people. I went to law school because I wanted to help people. I want to make sure that people know their rights and are treated fairly and with respect.
It is humbling to know I can help ensure their rights are protected and that they're being respected through this process. I'm still kind of shocked that I'm able to do this type of work because becoming an attorney is huge. Sometimes it takes me a second to realize this is what I'm doing now, I'm fully capable of doing it, and that my work is having an impact on people. I hope someday it'll catch up to me, and I won't be so much in shock anymore.
How Does it Feel Knowing You're a Role Model for Other Young Women of Color Who See You Achieving Your Goals and Helping People in Your Community?
I love it, but that imposter syndrome is definitely still there, especially for Hispanic women. You just have to keep reminding yourself that you put in the work to be where you're at, and you're capable of doing it. I think it gets easier over time, and I'm not fully there yet. I still have my moments, but what helps is having that reassurance that your motions are getting granted or you're getting that positive reassurance from other attorneys you work with and opposing counsel. I've gotten compliments from opposing counsel multiple times on my argument style and positive feedback here at the NALC clinic. And even when Jaspreet called and insisted on me applying for the position, hearing that from somebody you've been working with reminds you that you have the knowledge and you're fully capable. It feels good to talk to others who aren't as far along in their journey as I am and tell them, "I did it and so can you."
What Advice Do You Have for Anyone Interested in Law School Who's Dealing with Self Doubt?
Talk to people that have been there. Reach out to former professors or anybody in the legal profession that you know who's done it and can offer advice. If you don't know anyone in the industry, reach out to SJCL. The Director of Admissions, Diane Steel, really helped me with the admissions process and with those doubts too.
I remember emailing her with my undergraduate GPA and LSAT score and asking if she thought I could do law school, and she encouraged me. So definitely ask around and talk to different people. Go to the Law School 101 event at the law school, and you'll meet different people that are in the same position with different outlooks. They may provide a different insight into what you're thinking, and I just think it's important for you not to keep those thoughts to yourself. You have to voice them to somebody because, most of the time, you're going to get that positive feedback or that reassurance that you're looking for.
Ultimately, just do it. Start the process. Take it one step at a time. Make a list of what you need to do to accomplish your goal, and do one thing at a time. When you look at the big picture, it looks overwhelming. But when you take it one step at a time, it gets easier. So just take it one step at a time.
Want to learn more about San Joaquin College of Law, attend a virtual forum or set up an appointment to discuss your law school future? Contact our Assistant Director of Admissions, Francisco "Javier" Rosas, or our Director of Admissions, Diane Steel, today!