Devoted to Assisting Immigration Populations
Attorney Jacobson has ten years of experience helping clients with immigration matters. Prior to starting her own law office, she worked at the Hartford Public Library for over three years and represented clients before U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). She assisted hundreds of individuals with their citizenship, naturalization, and green card renewal applications. She provided training to lawyers and law students, and ran a DACA clinic for undocumented youth.
In addition to her work at the Hartford Public Library, she was involved with Connecticut Students for a Dream, advocating and furthering policies to help undocumented youth. She also worked at Catholic Charities Migration and Refugees Services, where she developed after school and summer youth enrichment programs. In 2014, she was appointed to the City of Hartford Commission on Refugee and Immigrant Affairs and served in leadership roles to develop the Commission’s bylaws and extensive needs assessment survey, which was administered across Hartford.
Skilled at Understanding the Needs of Victims
Attorney Jacobson worked at Lawyers Without Borders for over seven years, managing several U.S. Department of State grants ranging from $750,000 to $1.25 million. She implemented trainings in the Latin America and Caribbean Region on mediation and negotiation to improve the rule of law and strengthen civil society organizations. She subsequently launched, developed, and oversaw large trial advocacy trainings in Africa, including in Kenya, Tanzania, and Namibia.
The trial advocacy programs taught hundreds of judges, prosecutors, and law enforcement officers skills to improve the prosecution and investigation of human trafficking, domestic violence, and wildlife trafficking crimes. She liaised with foreign governments to foster support of the programming and worked directly with federal judges on the U.S. Supreme Court, Courts of Appeals, and District Courts to provide quality trainings.
The trainings taught best practices for interviewing victims, such as using open ended questions and ensuring that their basic needs are met. She developed interactive activities for participants to practice learned skills when encountering challenges that arise when victims are reluctant to report crimes or testify in court. The programs aimed to train criminal justice actors on the victim-centered approach to avoid retraumatization, which is prevalent in all legal matters where there is a victim of domestic violence.
Committed to Helping the Community
Attorney Jacobson is deeply committed to working with local organizations to meet the needs of vulnerable populations. In addition to her law practice, she served over three years as the Director of the Connecticut Community Law Center at UConn School of Law, which is an access to justice initiative aimed at providing legal services to low- and moderate- income individuals who have traditionally been underserved. The Connecticut Community Law Center aims to provide access to legal representation for individuals who have been unable to afford legal fees at market rates.
Over the last fifteen years, she has also worked with numerous nonprofit organizations in the Greater Hartford Area. She served as the Chair and is still a member of the Board of Directors of Charter Oak Cultural Center, which is a nonprofit organization that provides free classes in the arts to youth in Hartford, ranging from visual art, music, theater, and dance classes. The organization also provides educational opportunities to homeless populations at no cost, including classes covering leadership and communication skills, and full scholarships to attend Goodwin College after the completion of classes.
Educational Background and Teaching
Attorney Jacobson received her Juris Doctor (JD) from UConn School of Law. Prior to graduating from law school, she received her Master of Public Administration (MPA) and Certificate in Public and Nonprofit Management from UConn. She has also taught courses at UConn School of Law.