Professor Danielle N. Kalil’s, ’15, research, teaching, and practice focus on the intersection of human trafficking with immigration and child welfare. She is a clinical teaching fellow in the Human Trafficking Clinic representing domestic and foreign survivors of trafficking in a variety of civil legal areas.

Prior to joining the Law School faculty, Kalil worked as a legal aid attorney in Texas, where she represented foster youth, immigrants, and survivors of human trafficking and sexual assault. In this role, she served as a member of Legal Aid for Survivors of Sexual Assault, representing survivors with any civil legal needs arising from their victimization. She also worked with the Texas Foster Youth Justice Project, helping current and former foster youth address legal issues arising from their time in care. Her legal aid practice focused specifically on undocumented foster youth and the interaction between the immigration and child welfare systems. Kalil has trained professionals around the country on human trafficking and child welfare.

She earned her JD from the University of Michigan Law School, where she served as a student attorney in the Human Trafficking Clinic for three semesters. Prior to law school, she worked in the nonprofit sector in Washington, D.C., in the areas of human trafficking and international development. She is admitted to practice law in California, Michigan, and Texas.

Related Information

Education

  • University of Notre Dame, BA, political science
  • University of Michigan Law School, JD

Recent Courses

Activities

August 2019-present

Serves on the University of Michigan Committee for an Inclusive University.

April 2019 and March 2020

Presented "Human Trafficking for Child Welfare Professionals" webinar through the Michigan State University School of Social Work.

November 2019

Co-presented a community training on labor trafficking for the National Council of Jewish Women, Detroit, Michigan.

October 2019

Co-presented "From Tried and True to Something New: Navigating Co-Teaching with Clinicians at Varying Career Stages" at the Midwest Conference on Clinical Legal Education, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

April 2019

Presented "Human Trafficking: Identification and Advocacy" at the Oakland University Human Trafficking Conference in Detroit, Michigan.

March 2018

Presented "Immigration Relief for Foster Youth: Alternatives to Special Immigrant Juvenile Status" to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in Austin, Texas.

December 2017

Presented "Legal Remedies for Survivors of Sex Trafficking" to Baptist Child and Family Services, San Antonio, Texas.

December 2017

Co-presented "Advanced T Visa Strategies" at the American Bar Association/Kids in Need of Defense Unaccompanied Children Conference, Houston, Texas.

May and September 2017

Presented "Legal Rights and Resources for Foster Youth in Texas: Diminishing Vulnerability to Exploitation" at multiple National Center for Missing and Exploited Youth Spotlight on Exploitation Trainings in Austin, Texas, March 2017, ​El Paso, and Brownsville, Texas.

June and July 2017

Presented "Benefits and Resources for Foster Youth Aging Out of Care" to Texas Department of Family and Protective Services in ​Corpus Christi and Edinburg, Texas.