Jayesh Rathod

Professor of Law

Jayesh Rathod is a Professor of Law at American University Washington College of Law, and founding Director of the law school’s Immigrant Justice Clinic. His areas of expertise and scholarly interests include immigration law, labor and employment law, and clinical legal education. Prior to joining the faculty, he was a Staff Attorney at CASA of Maryland, representing low-wage immigrant workers on employment law and immigration matters, and participating in worker education, organizing, and advocacy efforts. He also practiced in the litigation section at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering LLP, and was law clerk to the late Honorable Louis F. Oberdorfer, of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia. He is a graduate of Columbia Law School and Harvard College.

Over the course of his career, Professor Rathod has worked on cutting-edge cases and projects relating to immigration detention, removal defense (including criminal-immigration intersections), humanitarian relief, immigrant workers’ rights, language access, and more. He has been recognized for his innovative teaching, including the use of technology and the promotion of bilingual education within U.S. law schools. His scholarship, covering a range of topics relating to immigration law, labor & employment law, and legal pedagogy, has been featured in a variety of prominent journals. Professor Rathod has been invited to speak on these topics at institutions across the United States, and has served as a commentator in local and national media (including CNN, NBC News, and National Public Radio) on immigration and workplace law topics.

In fall 2016, Professor Rathod was a Fulbright Scholar at two universities in Brazil, where he taught courses on U.S. immigration law and comparative migration policy, and conducted research relating to the Brazilian immigration system. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

Tina Goel

Tina Goel is an experienced immigration attorney currently employed at the law firm of Taylor & Ryan in Baltimore, MD.  She has filed complex family and employment-based petitions, litigated in the immigration courts, and represented clients throughout the naturalization process. Prior to joining Taylor & Ryan, she was an associate with a small immigration practice in the DC metropolitan area and a student attorney in the Immigrant Justice Clinic at American University (Washington College of Law). Ms. Goel is fluent in spoken Hindi. She is a frequent contributor and speaker at immigration conferences.