Geoffrey Hoffman (left) will collaborate with the Mexican consulate in Houston to give them information about immigration issues affecting the community. | Courtesy of Consul General Alicia G. Kerber Palma
A Law Center clinical professor was named the attorney adviser on matters of immigration to the Mexican consulate in Houston.
Geoffrey Hoffman, director of the Immigration Clinic at the Law Center, will serve as a resource for the Mexican consulate as well as a mentor for pro bono attorneys for five years.
”I am extremely honored to have been asked to be an attorney adviser and look forward to supporting the Mexican consulate,” Hoffman said.
As an attorney-adviser, Hoffman will consult on individual cases and also educate the public through outreach projects about various immigration law topics like the public charge rule, the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, temporary protected status, adjustments, naturalizations and more.
“This appointment displays the commitment that the University of Houston has to help the diverse populations that make up our larger Houston community,” Hoffman said.
Hoffman is an immigration law expert and a frequent commentator on immigration law and policy.
For the last 10 years, he’s been the director of the Law Center’s Immigration Clinic.
The clinic aims to supervise and educate law students as they assist clients on a range of immigration matters. They handle all aspects of family-based immigration cases, from asylums to appeals, crime victim cases and everything in between.
“I have been fortunate to work with the talented law students, staff and faculty here at UH,” Hoffman said. “We often engage in outreach to the community and conduct intake consultations for people who need to speak with a licensed attorney. We teach between 20-25 law students per year to be competent, committed, compassionate and ethical immigration attorneys.”
The clinic works with non-profit partners, such as the Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative, Catholic Charities, YMCA and more to help meet the needs of immigrants in the city of Houston.
Their efforts have helped hundreds of clients navigate their way in the complex world of immigration law, Hoffman said.
”The work of the clinic is so important,” said Hoffman. “We are a teaching institution and our mandate is to educate students to be excellent attorneys. Many of our students go on to be the leaders in the immigration legal community here in Houston and outside Houston.”
