The young man came from Ethiopia to pursue higher education.
But soon after he arrived in the U.S., a phone call left him without a country鈥攐r a family.
His father鈥攁 member of a coalition that fights for the rights of ethnic minorities鈥攚as believed to have been murdered by members of the government. His mother and sibling had been kidnapped, and no one knew where they might be.
Essentially orphaned in an utterly unfamiliar place, he found hope through a friend鈥� specifically, a connection to the Immigration Law Clinic at Case Western Reserve University School of Law. The students there were fully prepared to help him file an application for asylum, which protected him from being returned to a potentially lethal situation.
His case is one of dozens that the clinic鈥檚 students and faculty handle every year. It鈥檚 also an example of the experiential learning opportunities Case Western Reserve law students have.
Fifty-five years ago, Austin Fragomen, JD (LAW 鈥�68), was one of those students: He founded the Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law and earned an award for providing the most pro bono legal services across the school. Today, the founder of one of the world鈥檚 largest immigration law firms鈥擣ragomen, Del Rey, Bernsen & Loewy鈥攃ontinues to shape international law practice at the university.
Through a $1 million gift, Fragomen and his wife, Gwendolyn Robosson Fragomen, JD, established the Fragomen Distinguished Practitioner position鈥攁 role dedicated to advancing the work of the law school鈥檚 Immigration Law Clinic. The clinic鈥檚 director, Aleksandar Cuic, JD, is confident such a gift can make an immeasurable鈥攁nd hopefully immediate鈥攊mpact. As director since 2016, Cuic has overseen 50 students who, in turn, have helped change the lives of more than 120 clients.
鈥淯ltimately, this gift is going to go a long way in terms of growing the clinic and taking it to the next level,鈥� Cuic said. 鈥淚n Cleveland, we have a large immigrant population with not a lot of pro bono resources. This clinic can truly help make a difference for them.鈥�
Originally published in the winter 2024 issue of Forward Thinking magazine