Valerie Herrera joined IILA in January 2017. Valerie provides direct legal representation to Unaccompanied Minors in removal proceedings. She also supervises the Immigration Legal Services Division attorneys and support staff and manages grant applications and their reporting requirements.

Valerie was always interested in public interest law, but was inspired to become an immigration attorney after she joined the Loyola Immigrant Justice Clinic in 2014 during law school and worked with two clients to help them file for a U Visa and T Visa. Those experiences taught her the importance of advocating for the rights of the indigent immigrant population. She continued to pursue her passion for public interest law by interning at KIND (Kids in Need of Defense) and the Harriett Buhai Center for Family Law.  Valerie was also a staff member for the Loyola of Los Angeles International and Comparative Law Review. She received her J.D. from Loyola Law School in 2016.

Prior to attending law school, Valerie received her B.S. in Business Administration with a minor in Spanish at the University of Southern California. She is a member of the State Bar of California.

Learn more about IILA’s Immigration Legal Services Division (ILSD) here.