Min Soo Son ’26, LL.M. ’22, had a plan: Graduate from the University of Minnesota Law School with his LL.M., pass the New York bar, and build a career in business and intellectual property law. Those seemed like the next logical steps for the South Korean legal expert who had spent years working in corporate and business law before coming to the United States to further his expertise.
Then he started teaching.
After completing his LL.M., Son took a position at a charter school in St. Paul’s Midway neighborhood, where he taught business, personal finance, and basic legal concepts. As he got to know his students and their families — many of whom were Karen refugees — he kept encountering the same problem. Their immigration status was unstable, and legal help was out of reach.
“I felt I could truly understand what they were going through,” he says. “At some point, I realized I had a strong feeling inside me that I wanted to practice immigration law in Minnesota.”
He stayed at the charter school for a second year even after passing the New York bar. And when he finally left, corporate law was no longer the goal. Son registered as a pro bono attorney, began taking cases at the Immigrant Law Center of Minnesota (ILCM), and applied to transfer to the University of Minnesota Law School’s J.D. program to practice law throughout the state.
His first case was a naturalization filing, exactly the kind of thing his charter school families needed but didn’t know how to access. When Son learned about the Law School’s Saeks Public Interest Residency Program, in which students work full-time during their 3L year for a nonprofit or government agency and have a guaranteed, full-time, paid legal position with the same organization the year following graduation, he didn’t hesitate to apply.
“In a Saeks Fellow, I look for a law student who is pursuing a career in law for the purpose of serving vulnerable communities and committing to public interest,” says Ben Gleekel ’23, a supervising attorney at ILCM and former Saeks Fellow, also with ILCM.
Son fit that description perfectly.
“Instead of being forced out by financial or structural barriers, this [fellowship] is a real benefit for both students and the community,” Son says.
Now a 3L J.D. student and a licensed member of the New York bar, Son works on ILCM’s community defense team, handling detained removal proceedings. His clients are in detention facilities, often reachable only by prison phone. Getting a simple signed form can take days.
The work has grown more urgent since January 2025. Son recalls a DACA renewal case that was ready to file the following week, when his supervising attorney told him it couldn’t wait. That was the last week before the new administration’s immigration policies took effect.
Soon, ICE agents began appearing at immigration court hearings. Cases that once resulted in continuances ended in detention. ILCM’s detention hotline, which previously operated two days a week, expanded to Monday through Thursday, but hotline staff still couldn’t keep up with the call volume.
“I focus on the case and people in front of me, and in a chaotic world, I’m thankful that I can be a part of the small role helping families through difficult moments,” Son says. “My colleagues and I hear painful stories. Each story is really challenging, but it also becomes a strong motivation to continue this work.”
Son draws inspiration from his colleagues and clients alike, who express gratitude simply for being heard.
“I had never worked with people who are so nice and knowledgeable and kind and supportive at the same time,” he says.
What Son brings to the work goes beyond his resume. He has navigated the U.S. immigration system himself, gone through the green card process with his own family, and knows firsthand what is at stake when a case goes wrong.
“Son is a very experienced, thorough legal professional who brings much-needed energy and life to our work during these very challenging times,” says Gleekel. “Min Soo’s previous experience and additional education have given him a leg up over other 3L students. He has a fundamental understanding of the flow of a case and the logistics that are necessary to represent a client in the field.”
Son hopes to stay at ILCM or find another role doing similar work, helping people who can’t afford to access the legal system on their own.
“This area of the law,” he says, “gives me a lot of positive energy and motivation to go forward.”