Think Immigration – AILA Meets You Where You Are

This blog post is part of our series from the Member Experience Committee highlighting the ways AILA members can join in, build community, access resources, advocate, and enhance the overall AILA member experience.

Whether you are just beginning to explore immigration law or you have built a long-standing practice, joining the American Immigration Lawyers Association (AILA) is an investment in your professional development and in the broader community that makes this work possible. AILA offers the tools, training, and relationships that help you serve clients more effectively and sustain a fulfilling career.

Kate Rodriguez: (Professor and Director of the Immigration Clinic at Barry Law in Central FL)

As a law student, AILA feels like the most practical way to turn curiosity about immigration law into real competence. Student membership is free and includes access to AILALink, so my students can move beyond casebooks and find the same kind of authorities and practice materials that attorneys rely on every day. Grace Anne King, a current student member, felt that the resources available to students “gives [her] greater confidence in contributing meaningfully to discussions and legal work” and that, in turn, “makes the field more accessible and engaging.” The daily AILA8 updates also keep individuals grounded in the fast-changing reality, where new policies and decisions shift the landscape overnight.

Just as important, AILA makes the field feel accessible through its connection between members, which garners confidence through learning directly from experienced practitioners and recognized leaders while creating a network of meaningful relationships. Ms. King said the opportunity to “learn directly from leaders in the field like Ira Kurzban” is a significant benefit of membership. Many lawyers, who first joined as students later step into leadership roles within AILA.

Carly Hetland: (Younger Associate Attorney)

As an attorney newer to the area of practice, and AILA membership, I quickly realized that immigration law rewards precision, repetition, and up-to-the-minute knowledge. All of these skills develop more efficiently with access to strong practice resources at your fingertips. AILA fills the gap between what law school teaches and what clients need. Its practice manuals, templates, liaison updates, and step-by-step guidance help me learn how to build a case file, prepare petitions, respond to government requests, and spot issues before they become expensive mistakes, thus strengthening my client relationships. Instead of reinventing the wheel, I can learn from vetted materials and the collective experience of membership.

The other benefit is the network. In immigration practice, you do not always have time to “figure it out later.” Through local chapters, listservs, and mentoring opportunities, AILA gives me a place to ask practical questions, compare strategical approaches with industry leaders, and learn the professional judgment that only comes from experience. That support system accelerates my growth and helps me build confidence, not just competence. It also connects me to colleagues and develops meaningful relationships that make the work more sustainable in chaotic times.

Karen Hill: (Advanced Practitioner)

I value AILA because it strengthens my individual practice and professional network. The organization’s national programming and its local and regional chapters (~39 total) create a steady calendar of conferences, roundtables, and trainings: all of which offer substantive depth, timely strategy, and the rare chance to workshop complex issues with colleagues who understand the stakes. I also rely on AILA’s practice pointers and client-facing materials, which translate emerging trends and policy shifts into clear, usable guidance when time is short and decisions matter.

Membership also creates meaningful ways to lead and give back through national and local committees, interest groups, and advocacy and pro bono efforts, including opportunities such as National Day of Action. AILA’s culture is notably collegial, rather than adversarial, where members share insight because they want the entire community to succeed.

Lynn Calder: (Long-standing AILA Member)

From the perspective of a 38-year AILA member, the benefits discussed above are perfectly stated. Practicing immigration law cannot be undertaken without access to the highest-level resources; up-to-date guidance; and a passionate network of colleagues willing to offer professional and personal support. AILA also provides members, without parallel, the ability to truly make a difference. For a career-long credible, sustained, and fulfilling practice, immigration lawyers need to be able to contribute to the “immigration conversation” in their communities and nationally. AILA encourages and equips members to be active and dedicated immigration jurists; knowledgeably speak the truth of immigration and debunk myths; advocate at all levels for fair treatment of non-citizens; volunteer with organizations intersecting with immigration; and, influence, in the best sense of the term, for the benefit of immigrants, families, and employers.

Conclusion

AILA meets you where you are: it helps students learn the field, helps new attorneys practice it with confidence, and helps experienced lawyers refine their craft while shaping the future of immigration law. No matter your career stage, joining AILA means joining a community built on shared expertise, professional support, and a commitment to better outcomes for clients.