Matt Bratek

Brief Background:

I was born and raised in Western New York (Go Bills!) but attended undergrad at the University of North Texas in the DFW area. During my last year of undergrad, I completed a year of service through AmeriCorps at Catholic Charities of Fort Worth where I was a cultural orientation and ESL instructor for recently arrived refugees. This sparked an interest in pursuing a career in immigration law, as I realized that asylum seekers navigated a much different system than refugees do. After graduating and completing my year of service with AmeriCorps, I moved to San Antonio. I spent two years as a legal assistant helping to represent detained asylum-seeking families at an immigration prison in Karnes County, Texas. Afterward, I moved to Houston and worked as a legal assistant at an organization that provides full-scope immigration legal services to immigrant survivors of gender-based violence including domestic violence and sexual assault. I worked there for another two years before moving to Portland to attend L&C for law school.

What made you want to go to law school?

Over the years of working as a legal assistant at different public interest organizations dedicated to providing immigration legal services, I met a lot of passionate, hard-working attorneys who were not only working to defend their clients from an adversarial immigration system but also working to make positive changes from within the system itself. As an immigration attorney, you also often wear not only the hat of a legal professional but the hat of a “social worker” as well. The client-centered aspect of the job is something I quite enjoy, and I felt confident after a few years of being exposed to the work that it was something I wanted to do long-term.

Why did you choose Lewis & Clark?

When I was applying to law school, I submitted applications all over the country, with no strong preference for where I moved to. Despite not having a chance to visit L&C’s campus before committing, I could feel that something was different about L&C during the admissions process, in a good way. For example, I had an interview with a recent law school graduate who spoke so warmly of his experience during law school, and how tight-knit and collaborative the law school community was. This was in stark contrast to many of the lawyers I spoke to during the lead-up to applying to law school who spoke so negatively of their experiences, even if they loved their current career. I also deeply appreciated how committed to public interest L&C seemed to be. Since arriving at L&C, everything that seemed to be great about the law school has materialized as true.

What’s your favorite class? Why?

Integrated Evidence and Trial Advocacy w/ Jo Perini-Abbott

In contrast to the classes you take in your first year of law school, which can often feel so constrained and reading-focused, this class was experiential. Twice a week we would have lectures on either evidence or trial advocacy respectively, which sometimes included guest speakers. Then, once a week we would put what we learn to practice in small breakout simulation groups, where we would have the chance to perform parts of trial advocacy, such as opening statements, closing statements, direct examinations, and cross-examinations, all while incorporating rules of evidence and addressing objections. All of this would be done in the presence of guest judges, who would either be practicing attorneys from the community, or actual sitting judges. They would provide us with feedback, while we also had opportunities to chat with them about their own professional backgrounds and paths to law school. Throughout the semester we used a hypothetical case for our simulations, which included a robust and creative assortment of possible evidence, and at the event of the semester, everything culminated in a fully simulated trial from start to finish. The class was fun and interactive, and the skills I learned were both noticeable and substantial.

Tell us about your involvement and leadership with PILP and ISG. How does this work complement your academic experience?

Through the Public Interest Law Project (PILP) I am the co-community outreach coordinator and I have been most active in helping to create the 1LIFE program. 1LIFE, which stands for the “1L Initial Foundational Experience,” is our response to a traditional law school model where a typical 1L year is spent predominantly, if not entirely, in the classroom. Through 1LIFE, participating 1Ls are placed in pro bono opportunities during the fall semester where they are guaranteed 20 hours of real, hands-on legal work supervised by practicing attorneys. Over this past summer, I spent many hours communicating with legal service providers across the Portland metro to build interest in the program and create as many placements as possible. By the start of the fall semester, we were ecstatic and proud to offer a total of 22 pro bono placements to 1Ls across five different organizations involving work such as criminal expungements, immigration, tenant and eviction defense, juvenile dependency, and public defense. Helping to get students involved in and passionate about public interest legal work, especially during the first year of law school, is something that means a lot to me. During the program we had students fill out journals about their experiences, and some students spoke about how affirming the experience was for them in their pursuit of a legal career.

Through the Immigration Student Group (ISG) I am the vice president, and I have been most active in trying to get law students connected with the immigration legal community here in Portland. This has included organizing and hosting various events on campus such as a panel discussion with various immigration attorneys, as well as a discussion about “Crimmigration,” the intersection of immigration law and criminal law. Furthermore, I have been working with our ISG board to find new ways to provide students with opportunities to get hands-on experience with immigration law, such as participating in a program to accompany unrepresented folks to immigration court. This has complemented my law school experience substantially because I have already become well-connected within the Portland immigration legal community and this has helped with finding internship, externship, and work opportunities.

How did your financial aid package influence your decision to attend Lewis & Clark?

This was influential in my decision to attend L&C because as someone focused on pursuing a public interest legal career, I wanted to get an education with as little debt as possible. L&C not only provided me with a generous financial aid offer but also was willing to negotiate with me for a higher offer amount. In addition, I deeply appreciated that L&C doesn’t have conditions on the scholarships beyond maintaining good academic standing, because law school is already immensely stressful and I did not want to attend a school that provided additional (financial) stress to loom over my head.

What is your favorite thing about living in Portland?

There is never a shortage of things to do here, no matter the time of year! I love hiking, snowboarding, visiting farmer’s markets, apple picking, concerts, festivals, etc… Portland has it all! Plus, Portland is perfectly situated where within a few hours in either direction you can be at the beach, the mountains, the forest, or even a desert. The people here are also genuinely kind and caring. Within weeks of moving here, I made friends with an elderly neighbor and now we often exchange baked goods.

What was the hardest thing about adjusting to law school?

The hardest thing about adjusting to law school was the finances. Before law school, I was used to working full-time and having enough income to live comfortably and fortunately be able to put money into savings. Moving across the country pretty much decimated my savings, and transitioning to being a student where I’m taking on debt rather than earning money, especially during the first year, was a huge adjustment.

Do you have any advice for students making their final law school choices?

While prioritizing which school will offer you the best education or the best financial aid package is certainly important, also consider which school/location will provide you the best opportunity to balance the stress of law school with healthy activities and things that you enjoy. For me, I love spending time in the outdoors and being in a city where I can walk instead of having to drive everywhere, so Portland was a no-brainer! Law school is stressful no matter where you go, try to go somewhere that will help to mitigate that stress!