One of Lindsay Toczylowski's former clients got in touch with her recently. Years ago, Toczylowski JD '08 had helped the 17-year-old immigrant win deferred action, and now he's in college studying to be a teacher because he wants to help young people, just like Toczylowski assisted him. Throughout her career, Toczylowski has represented hundreds of young immigrants who have gone on to do amazing things - even if that's just living a safe life with their families here in the United States.
As a founding member and executive director of the Immigrant Defenders Law Center, a social justice law firm that defends immigrant communities against systemic injustices in the legal system, Toczylowski faces each day with thankfulness. "Every single day when I come to work I feel so lucky that I get to do something that I believe in so deeply," she said.
Before co-founding her firm in 2015, Toczylowski worked as the directing attorney for representation programs at Esperanza Immigrant Rights Project, as a staff attorney at Kids in Need of Defense and the Children's Law Center of Los Angeles, and as the overseas operations director at Asylum Access.
Why did you start the Immigrant Defenders Law Center?
We feel strongly that there should be a public defenders system in immigration court. Having sat in court and watched people struggle to represent themselves without an attorney is one of the most heartbreaking things you can see, especially when you know what the stakes are for someone who's an asylum seeker or somebody who's lived here for many years and is facing deportation. One of the most vulnerable populations are those who are in immigration detention, and the statistics are really alarming: if you have an attorney, you're five times more likely to get relief in your case. A lot of times if you don't get relief, you're deported back to your country. That can mean you're being given a death sentence. The stakes simply couldn't be higher. There was no nonprofit out there on the vanguard of that movement for a public defenders system, so we founded ImmDef with the hope that one day we'll be part of that universal representation for all immigrants.
What is your other involvement in the movement toward universal representation?
ImmDef is a member of the Universal Representation Coalition of California, which also includes Public Counsel and the ACLU and other organizations. One of our projects focuses on Sacramento and convincing the state legislature to provide funding for all detainees in California. It is a lofty goal, but we are seeing small steps that get us closer to that goal of no immigrant having to defend themselves in court here in the state of California.
How did you become interested in helping immigrants and children?
When I went to law school, I knew I wanted to be a social justice lawyer. Within my first few weeks at Gould, I started doing volunteer work with legal aid clinics, and my second year I was lucky enough to get in the Immigration Clinic and work with Professor Niels Frenzen. That was when I first started doing real cases with clients, including working with victims of crimes and trying to help them be able to stay safely in the U.S. That work really catapulted me into what I do now.
How did your Irmas Fellowship at USC Gould impact your career?
I worked with a fabulous organization called Asylum Access, an international nonprofit that places volunteer lawyers in countries of first refuge for refugees. I went to Ecuador, where a lot of Colombian refugees have fled, and I was able to provide legal aid to refugees and also able to participate in some policy advocacy with the Ecuadorian government to try and increase access to justice for refugees and promote access to employment authorization. That first fellowship really opened my eyes to how refugees were being treated and how we could look at things differently here in the U.S. So when I came back, even though it took me a little while to find the right position, I eventually went back to immigration and refugee work. My experience as an Irmas Fellow really informed the lawyer I am now and the organization I founded.
How are you involved with USC Gould now, and why do you feel it's important to stay connected?
I've been on the Public Interest Law Foundation (PILF) Advisory Board since I left Gould. As a student at Gould, I was president of the USC PILF, and I think that first leadership experience in a legal context was important. Combined with my Irmas Fellowship where I had a great mentor, and the substantive experience I had in the Immigration Clinic, the experience of leading PILF gave me the sense of fearlessness to take the chance and start my own organization.
I feel really strongly that I owe my entire career to the law school. I was able to launch my career with the financial support of the law school as a beneficiary of the loan repayment assistant program at Gould, which is one of the most generous programs out there. The support from the network I built as a student is another reason I have the career I have. Additionally, it means the world to me that Dean Guzman funded a USC-supported fellow, Cam Gomez '16, to work with ImmDef this year doing Post-Conviction Relief work for our clients. So whatever chance I get, whether it's being asked to read admissions essays or come speak on panels, I always, if I can, say yes.
