By Gwyneth K. Shaw
Four Berkeley Law 3Ls took their friendship international during the fall semester, working for nonprofit organizations in Mexico City through the school’s Field Placement Program.
Stephanie Alvarez, Evelyn Correa, Rosie Rios, and Alejandro Castañeda Zúñiga, all of whom speak Spanish, planned the experience and traveled together. Correa and Zúñiga worked at Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, which helps Mexico-based migrant workers defend and protect their rights as they move between their homes in Mexico and their workplaces in the United States.
Alvarez spent the semester at Instituto para las Mujeres en la Migración (IMUMI), which focuses on guarding the rights of Mexican women who are involved in migration — whether they live in their community of origin, are on the move, or live in Mexico or the U.S.
Rios started in Mexico City at Sin Fronteras, an organization that works to promote and defend the human rights of migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers in Mexico. She was supporting its legal clinic on matters related to Mexican immigration law, but the clinic closed after losing its funding.
She stayed in Mexico City and worked remotely for the rest of the semester with a Los Angeles-based nonprofit.
Alvarez says her field placement experience “reshaped how I see myself as a law student and the kind of lawyer I want to become.”
“Working at IMUMI under close mentorship reminded me why I came to law school in the first place and helped me reconnect with my commitment to immigration work,” she says. “It showed me that this field can be intellectually rigorous, impactful, and sustainable when practiced with intention and community.”
International range, impactful work
Alongside Berkeley Law’s growing Clinical Program and increasingly powerful Pro Bono Program, the Field Placement Program is another plank in the school’s vast platform for experiential learning. Often, more than 100 students take a field placement, which offers the opportunity to expand their legal education and earn academic credit for doing legal work in externships at a nonprofit or government agency while directly supervised by an attorney. The semester-long placements are part-time or full-time in the San Francisco Bay Area, around the country, and across the world.
Field Placement Program Director Sue Schechter says the experience can be life-changing for students and exposes them to another facet of the legal landscape.
“Especially with international field placements, students are immersed in another country’s or an international body’s legal system and it is a great way to develop even more and deeper lawyering skills for whatever their eventual practice may be,” she says. “Seeing how lawyers in other countries lawyer is important, as some of the work lawyers may do may involve legal work outside the U.S.”
Rios and Alvarez certainly see it that way.
Despite her unexpected course change, Rios got the most out of the rest of her placement. She helped develop a performance led by formerly and currently incarcerated artists who received special permission to join the group and present at UCLA’s Nimoy Theater.
Rios also received the Trail Blazer Award from the nonprofit.
In addition, she worked as an associate producer and on legal issues for the one-man show Lyrics From Lockdown, which was performed at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures. The executive producer list for the production includes Gina Belafonte, Delroy Lindo, and the late director Rob Reiner.
Rios flew to Los Angeles for both performances.
“Working with both organizations was an incredible experience,” she says. “It also brought together my love for art, law, and advocacy, and served as a reminder that it is possible to combine the things you care about.
“While I was disappointed that my time at Sin Fronteras was cut short, I would not change my field placement experience for anything.”
A challenge, with exploration
Alvarez says she was drawn to IMUMI because of her prior experience in immigration law — including time as a legal intern in the 2025 spring semester at East Bay Sanctuary Covenant — and a desire to continue applying and strengthening those skills. She calls the field placement a way to stay connected to immigration work while gaining deeper, hands-on experience in a cross-border legal setting.
In her placement, Alvarez assisted with legal briefs, petitions under the Violence Against Women Act, and visas for victims of criminal activity who are useful to law enforcement. She also worked on civil legal issues, and matters involving the services of the U.S. Embassy.
In her off hours, Alvarez took advantage of the many opportunities to explore Mexico, traveling to Michoacán, Oaxaca, Guanajuato, and wandering all over Mexico City. IMUMI brings together people from all over the world who are eager to learn from one another and engage deeply with Mexican culture, she says.
“The variety kept the work exciting and constantly challenging,” she says. “My coworkers and I often traveled together and developed genuine friendships — and being part of that community was a highlight of my experience.”
Alvarez adds that she would recommend a field placement to any law student.
“It’s one of the best ways to apply what you learn in law school to real work, build practical skills, and gain clarity about what kind of legal practice actually feels right,” she says. “My placement helped me grow as a law student and gave me a much clearer sense of how I want to shape my career.”