Attorney Sean O'Brien to lead the Immigration Legal Clinic at La Casa de Amistad

La Casa de Amistad staff and Board of Directors are thrilled to announce the appointment of Sean O'Brien to Director of the Immigration Legal Clinic. Attorney Sean O'Brien took the helm, effective January 20th. This position is fully funded by an anonymous donor and allows La Casa to provide unparalleled legal expertise to our community members navigating a complex immigration legal system.

La Casa's Immigration Legal Clinic fields nearly 8,000 intake calls annually and facilitated 309 cases through completion in 2024 from residents in all surrounding counties in Indiana and Michigan. Sean O'Brien will join a talented team of two Department of Justice Accredited Representatives and two immigration program assistants dedicated to providing low-cost, sometimes free, legal support to those in need from over 80 countries.

Sean O'Brien brings more than two decades of experience in immigration law and human rights advocacy to La Casa de Amistad. He holds Bachelor's, Master's, and Law degrees from the University of Notre Dame and is fluent in Spanish and French.

His distinguished career includes a recent role as a Senior Attorney for Monterrosa Law Group where he specialized in removal defense, asylum, U-visas, T-visas, and family immigration. Sean has also served as an educator at the University of Notre Dame Law School, where he directed human rights programs and mentored international legal professionals for nearly fifteen years. He is an elected official and currently serves as the Clay Township Trustee.

Sean's background also includes working with survivors of torture and war trauma, litigating human rights cases at the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and directing immigration legal service programs. His legal expertise and dedication to empowering vulnerable communities make him an invaluable leader for the clinic and the South Bend region's immigrant community.