JIFS Student Mariana Rodrigez '25
What sort of work have you been involved in with JIFS?
Over the summer, when I first began working with JIFS, I worked on prepping a client for a parole hearing, at which he was granted release. Currently, I am working on a pardon for a former JIFS client who was released in 2020. I am also working on a motion to get mitigating evidence on the on the record for another client who recieved an exceedingly high sentence as a juvenile.
Why is the JIFS clinic work so important?
The JIFS clinic gives a voice to children who have been forgotten in the criminal justice system. In particular, minority children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Although all our clients are now adults, they were children when they began serving their egregiously lengthy adult sentences. Through the clinic, we are able to advocate for their resentencing and release, providing them with a new sense of hope. All of our clients have turned their lives around, despite the dangerous conditions of prison. With JIFS, they are able to continue their positive growth with hope that it will flourish beyond the confinements of prison.
What are some skills you've honed/gained in this clinic?
The clinic has allowed me to greatly improve my legal writing and trial advocacy skills. Many of our clinic wins have centered around details and strategies, which our clients' past attorneys have overlooked. This experience has trained me to consider everything in a case and stay informed regarding changes in the law.
What are some lessons you've learned that you will take with you post-graduation?
To listen. We are our clients main point of contact, and many times their only sense of hope. Simply listening to their story creates a foundation for them to trust us, which leads to effective advocacy. Our clients have taught me not only how to be a better attorney, but how to be a better human. Many people are under the impression that inmates who are committed to rehabilition are “unique”. However, our client's dedication and strive for betterment are similar to many other forgotten prisoners.
Would you recommend the clinic experience to other law students? If so, why?
100%. I may be biased, but I wholeheartedly believe this is the best clinic Loyola has to offer. JIFS provides the most valuable hands-on legal experience to students, which prepares you once it's time to enter a courtroom alone. It allows students to build interpersonal skills with clients that are instrumental to the investigative portion of building a solid legal argument.