
Julie A. Dahlstrom
Associate Dean of Experiential Education
Clinical Associate Professor of Law
BA cum laude, Boston College
JD cum laude, Boston College School of Law
Biography
Julie Dahlstrom assumed her role of Associate Dean of Clinical & Experiential Education on July 1, 2023, after over ten years teaching and supervising student attorneys in the experiential program at BU. Dahlstrom began her clinical teaching career as the founder and director of the Human Trafficking Clinic, which was named one of the most innovative law clinics by preLaw magazine in 2014. In 2017, she became the Director of the Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program, where students represent indigent clients and engage with policy-related projects to address systemic injustice. At BU Law, Dahlstrom has been deeply committed to building community and resources for public interest students. She chaired the Public Service Committee, spearheaded efforts to develop the public interest concentration, and oversaw the creation of the public interest retreat.
As Associate Dean of Experiential Education, Dahlstrom understands the incredible value of experiential education in building the next generation of lawyers and leaders. She views experiential programs as a powerful force in developing innovative responses to the most pressing legal issues of our time, including racial justice, climate change, immigrants’ rights, civil rights issues, and other issues. Experiential offerings—from clinics to practicums to externships—offer an important bridge between the community and the legal profession, allowing grass roots efforts to inform legal change and shape the next wave of law students and leaders within the legal profession. Dahlstrom’s primary priorities are to ensure that law students have the training to confront bias, racism, and oppression within the legal system and legal profession. She is committed to strengthening intersectional and interdisciplinary responses to systemic bias by encouraging partnerships among experiential programs and the broader University.
Dahlstrom writes and speaks as an expert on issues related to gender-based violence, human trafficking, public interest law, and immigrants’ rights. She has been a leader on issues of victims’ rights nationally and locally. In 2022, she was awarded the Access to Justice Award in by the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance, and in 2015, she received the Case Award from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for her legal representation of a survivor of labor trafficking. She has served on the U.S. Attorney’s Office Civil Rights Task Force, was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Massachusetts Interagency Human Trafficking Task Force, and now is a member of the Commonwealth Anti-Trafficking Task Force. She has used her voice to advocate for critical legislative efforts, testifying in support of criminal legal reform and critical legislation to improve the rights of immigrants in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. She co-counseled first-of-its kind litigation arguing that the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Office cannot arbitrarily deny U visa certification to an immigrant detainee who was violently assaulted.
Dahlstrom speaks nationally on the topic of human trafficking, immigration law, and clinical legal education. She has published law review articles in leading journals, including the California Law Review, Florida Law Review, UC Davis Law Review, and UC Irvine Law Review. She regularly presents at academic conferences and has published opinion pieces in The Hill, Cognoscenti, and The Los Angeles Times. She also has been quoted in articles from VICE News, NBC News, the Boston Globe, Radio Boston, WBUR, and the Washington Post.
Dahlstrom initially joined the BU Law clinical faculty as a clinical fellow in 2012, and she became a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of the Immigrants’ Rights and Human Trafficking Program in 2017. She served previously as a senior staff attorney at Casa Myrna Vazquez, where she represented survivors of labor and sex trafficking, and as managing attorney of the Immigration Legal Assistance Program at Ascentria Care Alliance, where she handled a wide range of humanitarian immigration cases. Dahlstrom founded the U and T Visa Working Group of the Immigration Coalition and is a member of the Human Trafficking Subcommittee of the Delivery of Legal Services Committee. She previously served as the co-chair of the Public Service Subcommittee of the Immigration Committee of the Boston Bar Association and is an advisory committee member of the Civil Legal Aid to Victims of Crime (CLAVC) advisory Committee.
- Profile Types
- Associate Deans, Clinical & Experiential Programs, Faculty, Full-Time Faculty, and Professors & Clinical Instructors
- Areas of Interest
- Gender-based Violence, Human Trafficking Law & Policy, and Immigration Law & Policy
Publications
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Julie A. Dahlstrom, Commentary on Chy Lung v. Freeman, in Feminist Judgments: Rewritten Immigration Law Opinions (Kevin Lapp and Kathleen Kim,2023)
Scholarly Commons -
Julie A. Dahlstrom, The New Pornography Wars 75 Florida Law Review (2023)
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Julie A. Dahlstrom, Empathic Solidarity on the Frontline 40 Boston University International Law Journal (2022)
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Julie A. Dahlstrom, Trafficking and the Shallow State 12 UC Irvine Law Review (2021)
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Alexandra Bonazoli, Julie A. Dahlstrom, Emily Leung, Sarah Leidel, Jennifer Ollington, Ashleigh Pelto & Jamie Sabino, A Guide for Certifying Agencies: MGL 258F Certification for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking (2021)
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Julie A. Dahlstrom, Trafficking to the Rescue? 54 U.C. Davis Law Review (2020)
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Julie A. Dahlstrom, The Elastic Meaning(s) of Human Trafficking 108 California Law Review (2020)
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Julie A. Dahlstrom & Christina Tousignant-Miller, Working in the Shadows: Child Labor Trafficking in Massachusetts (2017)
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Brief of Amici Curiae Ascentria Care Alliance, Coalition Against Trafficking in Women, Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, Demand Abolition, EVA Center, and My Life My Choice in Support of Plaintiff-Appellee on the Constitutionality of An Act Relative to the Commercial Exploitation of People, Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. Tyshaun McGhee, et al.
Scholarly Commons
In the Media
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wgbh February 7, 2025
State Department Erases LGBTQ Victims from Human Trafficking Report
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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WGBH November 15, 2024
Woburn Restaurant Owners Plead Guilty to Smuggling Migrants, but Not Forced Labor
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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BU Today June 24, 2024
Human Trafficking Case against Local Pizza Chain Owner Got Help from BU LAW Clinic
Julie Dahlstrom is interviewed.
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Boston Globe June 7, 2024
Jury Finds Boston-Area Pizza Shop Owner Guilty of Forcing Immigrants to Work Long Hours without Fair Pay
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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WGBH June 6, 2024
Jury Convicts Stash’s Pizza Owner of Forced Labor Charges in Federal Court
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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Reuters March 13, 2024
Behind the OnlyFans Porn Boom: Allegations of Rape, Abuse and Betrayal
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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Mass.gov December 21, 2023
AG Campbell’s Office Secures First Labor Trafficking Conviction as New Bedford Man Sentenced to 5 Years in Prison
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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CBS News November 15, 2023
Will We Ever Learn Who the Clients Are in High-End Sex Ring Bust?
Julie Dahlstrom is featured.
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Brazilian Times November 3, 2023
Conference in Boston for Portuguese-Speaking Communities Addresses Human Trafficking
Julie Dahlstrom is speaking on a panel.
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Bloomberg Law September 18, 2023
Salesforce Petition Reignites Sex-Trafficking Liability Fight
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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Eagle-Tribune June 10, 2023
Human Trafficking Victims Getting Help with Visas
Julie Dahlstrom's research is featured.
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The Brink May 9, 2023
Is Suing Visa the Best Way to Shut Down Pornhub?
Julie Dahlstrom pens an opinion.
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GBH April 5, 2023
Charges in Woburn Restaurants Case Upgraded to Labor Trafficking, Forced Labor
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
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New England Weekend February 25, 2023
Sold: Inside the World of Human Trafficking (Part 2), and Project New Hope Helps Veterans Heal
Julie Dahlstrom is a guest on a podcast.
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GBH January 20, 2023
‘Working like a Slave’: Why Human Trafficking in Restaurants Is Underreported
Julie Dahlstrom is quoted.
read more - View All Articles
Stories from The Record
Activities & Engagements
No upcoming activities or engagements.
Association of American Law Schools 2024 Conference on Clinical Legal Education
Get DetailsThe Association of America Law Schools 2024 Annual Meeting
Get DetailsIndiana International and Comparative Law Review Virtual Symposium
Get DetailsThe Anti-Trafficking Cause: The Evolution (and Limitations) of Legal Responses to Trafficking
Get Details“Confronting Emotional Depletion: Making the Case for Rational Compassion”
Get DetailsAALS Conference on Clinical Legal Education
Get Details6th Annual Human Trafficking Symposium
Get DetailsAn Act to Promote Safety for Victims of Violent Crime and Human Trafficking
Get DetailsCourses
Immigrants' Rights - Human Traffic Clinic: LAW JD 859
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program. Students have three fieldwork options: (1) concentration in immigrants' rights; (2) concentration in human trafficking; or (3) work on both types of cases. Students focusing on immigrants' rights will represent adult and children asylum seekers and other vulnerable noncitizens with the opportunity to litigate an immigration case in the Boston Immigration Court. Students focusing on anti-trafficking work will represent survivors of labor and sex trafficking in a wide range of civil matters and engage in policy-related work to address gaps in the local and national landscape. Students focusing on both immigrants' rights and human trafficking will represent immigrant clients and survivors of human trafficking in a range of civil matters. All students will have the opportunity to engage in immigrants' rights and human trafficking work through "Know-Your-Rights" visits at the local jail/detention center and by conducting intake at the Family Justice Center for human trafficking survivors. Students, working in pairs, assume the primary responsibility for multiple clients' complex cases, from start to finish. Students conduct client interviews, track down witnesses, speak with experts, develop documentary, testimonial and expert evidence, and write legal briefs. The clinical supervisors prepare students for their cases through weekly supervision meetings, mid-semester and final individual meetings, and mock hearings, as appropriate. NOTE: The Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. PRE/CO-REQUISITE: Evidence. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
FALL 2024: LAW JD 859 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ARR | 12:00 am | 12:00 am | 3 | Julie A. DahlstromSarah R. Sherman-Stokes |
Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ARR | 12:00 am | 12:00 am | 3 | Julie A. DahlstromSarah R. Sherman-Stokes |
Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Clinic: Human Trafficking Advocacy: LAW JD 817
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program. In this seminar, students will further develop their trial advocacy and client counseling skills by participating in multiple simulations and a mock hearing. They will learn about comparative models to address human trafficking, and the challenges of a criminal justice framework to solving complex social problems. The course will focus on the lawyer's role in anti-trafficking work, given: (1) converging areas of law; (2) the emerging multi-disciplinary nature of legal work; and (3) tensions among the role of the client as both victim and defendant. Courses will focus on further developing students' competencies in the following areas: (1) strategic planning and decision-making; (2) client interviewing and counseling; (3) trial advocacy; (4) leadership and innovation; and (5) professional responsibility. Classes will focus on a wide range of topics, including: (1) oral advocacy; (2) direct and cross examination; (3) accompaniment and survivor-led advocacy; (4) legal advocacy and brief writing; (4) legislative advocacy; and (5) developing professional roles and self-care. NOTE: The Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
SPRG 2025: LAW JD 817 A1 , Jan 13th to Apr 23rd 2025Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 2:10 pm | 4:10 pm | 3 | Julie A. Dahlstrom | LAW | 508 |
Immigrants' Rights/Human Traffic Course Skills: LAW JD 882
THIS CLASS IS RESTRICTED to students who have formally applied to and been accepted to the Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program. The seminar is the fall companion course for students enrolled in the Program. It provides a practice-oriented introduction to advocacy on behalf of indigent clients, including noncitizens and survivors of human trafficking. Students will develop a wide range of competencies with classes focusing topics including: (1) client interviewing and counseling; (2) case planning; (3) legal research and writing; (4) cultural competency; (5) legal story-telling and developing a theory of the case; (6) affidavit writing; (7) vicarious and secondary trauma; and (8) professional responsibility. Students will participate in class simulations, present in case rounds, and actively engage in facilitated discussions. There also will be two boot camp classes for students with specialized training in the following areas: (1) immigration law with a focus on asylum law and representing vulnerable noncitizens; and (2) human trafficking law with a focus on the protection framework in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act and multi-disciplinary lawyering. NOTE: The Immigrants' Rights and Human Trafficking Program counts toward the 6 credit Experiential Learning requirement. GRADING NOTICE: This course does not offer the CR/NC/H option.
FALL 2024: LAW JD 882 A1 , Sep 3rd to Dec 5th 2024Days | Start | End | Credits | Instructors | Bldg | Room |
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Tue | 2:10 pm | 4:10 pm | 3 | Julie A. DahlstromSarah R. Sherman-Stokes | LAW | 416 |