JULIE LEFTWICH

FOUNDER & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Julie Leftwich is a passionate human rights lawyer who has extensive experience working with immigrants and refugees. She has worked locally, nationally, and globally to advance human rights and gender equality, especially in conflict affected countries, and has a deep understanding of the issues facing these communities. She is a recognized expert in gender, peace and security. Julie has developed initiatives and managed programs related to gender justice, women’s rights, and the rule of law in Africa, Asia, the Middle East and North Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, and has advised, trained, and published extensively on gender, peace and security, women’s rights, international human rights law, gender-based violence, refugee and asylum law, and human trafficking.

Julie has worked with many nonprofit organizations including the National Democratic Institute for International Affairs (NDI), where she is currently the Lead Technical Advisor on a global initiative to advance justice and accountability for conflict-related sexual violence; as well as Freedom House, the U.S. Institute of Peace, Women in International Security (WIIS), Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND), One Earth Future Foundation/Our Secure Future and the International Association of Women Judges, and locally with the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, End Slavery Cincinnati, and the World Affairs Council.

Julie is adjunct faculty at the University of Cincinnati College of Law and previously held faculty appointments at the University of Colorado Boulder and the Korbel School of International Affairs at the University of Denver.

Julie is a graduate of Brandeis University. She received her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and Master’s degree in International Relations and Communication from the Complutense University of Madrid, Spain. She is fluent in Spanish and has a reading knowledge of French.

Courtney Kinter

Lead Attorney, Unaccompanied Children’s Program

Courtney has provided legal representation to adults and children in both the private and public interest sectors since she graduated law school in 2014. While in private practice, Courtney provided representation in criminal cases and worked on a wide range of immigration issues, including immigration options for youth, consequences of criminal convictions, humanitarian-based protection cases (including U Visa, T Visa, and Asylum), family based and waiver cases, and removal representation before EOIR. During this time, Courtney also volunteered with IRLC and other organizations in the Cincinnati area. In 2018, Courtney began working at the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio as an Equal Justice Crime Victims Justice Corp Fellow. As part of her Fellowship, Courtney provided culturally competent, trauma-informed legal services to domestic and immigrant survivors of human trafficking in Southwest Ohio. Courtney most recently served as a Staff Attorney with Legal Aid where she specialized in representing victims of domestic violence, human trafficking and other crimes in family law and immigration matters. In this role, Courtney also led efforts to fund and develop the Anti-Trafficking Advocacy Program, where she served as Lead Attorney and Project Coordinator of the multi-attorney program.

Courtney received her B.A. in Political Science and Spanish from Eastern Kentucky University and her J.D. and LL.M in Rule of Law and Democratic Governance from Ohio Northern University. During law school, Courtney externed with Development Professionals Inc., an organization providing technical implementation and analytical services for democracy, human rights, good governance, civil society, and related sectors. She also externed with the Department of Defense’s Combatting Trafficking in Persons Program Management Office. Courtney is admitted to practice in Ohio and the U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio.

https://www.equaljusticeworks.org/fellows/courtney-kinter/

https://www.timbelo.com/our-cause-blog/spotlight

Suzy Firestone

Attorney

Suzy comes to IRLC from the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio, where she worked for seven years as an Ohio Justice for All Fellow, staff attorney, and senior attorney. While at Legal Aid she specialized in representing victims of crime and unaccompanied minors in seeking immigration relief. Suzy also worked to provide holistic services to domestic violence survivors, as the project manager for Legal Aid's partnership with the YWCA Family Justice Center and supervisor of the Legal Aid-UC Domestic Violence Clinic.

Suzy received her B.A. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her J.D. from the University of Cincinnati College of Law where she was an Urban Morgan Institute of Human Rights Fellow and an associate member of the Law Review. Following her graduation from law school, she clerked for the Honorable Michael J. Newman in U.S. District Court, Southern District of Ohio, at Dayton. Suzy is admitted to practice law in Ohio and is fluent in Spanish.

Mayra Casas Jackson

BIA REPRESENTATIVE

Mayra Casas Jackson has extensive experience working with Cincinnati’s immigrant community as a paralegal and advocate.  A native of Peru, she came to the U.S. in 2003. She worked at the Legal Aid Society of Southwest Ohio for 10 years, assisting clients in immigration and public benefits issues. As a BIA Accredited Representative, Mayra represents individuals requesting humanitarian relief before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Prior to joining IRLC, Mayra worked at the Cincinnati-Hamilton County Community Action Agency as their first Immigrant Liaison, where she successfully connected the agency's services with the most vulnerable members of the various immigrant groups in Cincinnati. 

Mayra has been a board member for LULAC (League of United Latin American Citizens) since 2012, and is currently on the board of Planned Parenthood of Southwest Ohio. She has been very involved in civil rights and education issues.  She has a bachelor’s degree in Tourism Management and studied law in Peru. 

Emma Schuiling

Legal Assistant

Emma comes to IRLC from the Michigan Immigrant Rights Center (MIRC) of Grand Rapids, Michigan, where she worked for about a year as a legal assistant on the Transitional Foster Care Team of the Unaccompanied Children's Program. While at MIRC, she worked with ORR shelters that housed unaccompanied minors and provided educational Know Your Rights presentations and individual legal screenings. Additionally, she assisted the attorneys on the team and other legal related responsibilities. She is fluent in Spanish.

In May of 2023, Emma received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and Intercultural Studies from Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. While in undergrad, she was involved in a Social Justice group, fundraising to fight against and promoting awareness about human trafficking. Emma has always been passionate in working with immigrants and refugees and is hoping one day, to become a BIA Accredited Representative.

She recently moved to Cincinnati and is excited to explore all that IRLC and the city has to offer. In her spare time, she enjoys trying new coffee shops, spending time with friends and family, running, and traveling.