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Brady Dewar and Michelle Kim Hall |
Law student helps Somali terrorized by tribal militia win asylum
BY AJAY SINGH
Today Staff Writer
It’s not often that a law student gets to argue before a judge — and win. Brady Dewar, a third-year law student at UCLA, not only did both this summer, but saved a life in the process.
On July 28, Dewar helped win asylum for a 24-year-old man from strife-torn Somalia who had fled to the United States to escape persecution in his homeland. Dewar, 26, achieved his legal victory in the town of Isabel, Texas, while working as a summer associate in the San Francisco office of Morgan, Lewis and Bockius, an international law firm.
Working along with him on the case was another summer associate, Michelle Kim Hall, a Harvard law student who graduated from UCLA in 2002 as an English major.
Their client, Mohamed Dek Abdi Ahmed, had been terrorized by members of a tribal militia who shot his father, raped his sister and killed his two uncles. A Muslim, Dek entered the United States through Mexico last May and surrendered to border guards.
Both Dewar and Hall worked at the law firm for 10 weeks, mostly helping corporate clients. Toward the end of their internship, they fought for Dek’s asylum under the South Texas Pro Bono Asylum Representation Project, a joint program of the State Bar of Texas, the American Bar Association and the American Immigration Lawyers Association.
Together, the duo went through something of a litigation boot camp. With just nine days to prepare for the hearing, they visited Dek for nearly a week in a detention center and wrote a 20-page brief explaining the reasons for his escape and outlining why he should get asylum.
“Since 9/11, a lot of people have had their asylum applications rejected — even from Somalia. So our case was by no means a slam dunk,” Dewar said. “We stayed up until 2 every night, preparing our argument — it was a pretty intense experience.”
Dewar and Hall rented a two-bedroom condo about a half-hour drive from Dek’s detention center. They were surprised how well Dek spoke English, which aided both their communication and rapport with him.
In court, Dewar and Hall skillfully presented the facts surrounding Dek’s prolonged persecution back home. A month into Somalia’s 1991 civil war, members of the dominant Hawiye militia broke into his house and shot his father twice in the stomach (he survived), the two students told the judge. Subsequently, Dek was badly beaten, his uncles were murdered and his family was forced out of their home.
The turning point came in 2004 when Dek’s elder sister was abducted and raped. When he assaulted one of the kidnappers in retaliation, the militia threatened to murder Dek, prompting him to flee. “He left the country because he knew the militia was after him,” explained Dewar, adding that his sister later fled to Kenya, where she lives in a refugee camp. Dewar’s parents are probably still in Somalia, but he’s not sure if they’re even alive.
“I’ve never done anything that has made such a difference to someone,” said Dewar, who was so overwhelmed by the favorable ruling that he and Hall broke down soon after the judge ordered Dek freed from detention.
“Thank you so much,” Dek said to his two saviors over the phone on the day he was released. “You’ve got a friend forever.” Since then, Dewar has heard once more from Dek, who was living in a half-way house in Harlingen, Texas. Dewar hopes that Hall and he can help him begin a new life in his adoptive nation.
For his part, Dewar has resumed his studies at UCLA. And he’s so inspired by his stint at Morgan, Lewis and Bockius that he hopes to return to the firm as a summer associate next year.
“There are far too few lawyers who dedicate their entire careers to asylum work,” he explained. “Hopefully, I’ll get to do more of helping asylum applicants.”
Dewar was one of many UCLA law students who had the opportunity to try their hand at doing pro bono work this summer.
“Through pro bono work, students like Brady are able to experience the ways in which their legal degree can make a genuine difference in someone’s life,” said Elizabeth Moeller, assistant dean of career services at the UCLA School of Law. “Having the ability to not only gain hands-on experience, but also assist a client who might not otherwise have a voice in the legal system is a life-changing event for both the client and the student.”
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