On their last day of the exchange program, October 2, the Chilean students visited an array of legal organizations working in the Milwaukee community. 

First, they visited the law firm of Gonzalez Saggio & Harlan LLP to meet with firm attorneys Hugo Rojas, Jeff Krill, Jean-Marie Feedham, and MULS graduate Natalia Minkel to learn about private law practice in Milwaukee and the nation as a whole.   The students were quite curious about the organizational structure of the associates and partners, and how they attract work.  Rojas explained that they rely mostly on word of mouth, pointing out that ethical guidelines limit aggressive forms of seeking new cases.  During the meeting, founding partner Jerry Gonzalez stopped by to greet the delegation and in particular mentioned the firm’s priority in assuring diversity among its attorneys, which only reflects the changing demographics of the country itself.

In the afternoon the students visited non-governmental agencies working with the Latino community in South Milwaukee. First, they visited Catholic Charities to learn about immigration work and the issues it raises, most notably the hardship faced by families that are often separated due to their immigrant status.   Attorney Barb Graham spoke of her tireless work to represent her clients, which frequently requires travelling to Chicago.  Afterwards, the students visited Centro Legal where Executive Director Heather Ramirez invited them to cookies and Alterra coffee.   The meeting featured staff lawyers Sam Levin and Jason Mishelow speaking about family law; and Mike Blater, criminal law. Board member Mike Balter also offered information about the organization, which offers legal services on a sliding scale.  The final stop was at Voces de la Frontera where the members of this association spoke of their grassroots movement to change policy in favor of immigrant and Latino populations, such as laws to allow for valid drivers licenses and fair wages.  They explained that their legal work (free clinics on Saturday) complement their activism to help stimulate broader policy change.

In the evening the Chilean delegation accepted the gracious invitation to attend the annual dinner of the MULS Hispanic Law Students Association which took place at Club Tres Hermanos  in South Milwaukee.  The festive event featured Mexican cuisine and conversation in both Spanish and English.  The Chileans sang songs along with the Mariachi band and demonstrated Chilean dances.  The occasion was a perfect ending to a full week of academic exploration.