Biography

Alissa Cooley Yonesawa is the managing attorney for the UNLV Immigration Clinic, a Boyd School of Law community resource that provides free assistance with deportation defense of detained adults and unaccompanied children, DACA renewals, and assisting the UNLV community with general immigration matters.

After graduating cum laude from UNLV's law school in 2014, Cooley Yonesawa became one of the first two justice AmeriCorps fellows at the Thomas & Mack Legal Clinic, effectively jumpstarting the growth of the UNLV Immigration Clinic as a legal aid provider. She spent two years representing and securing asylum, special immigrant juvenile visas, and residency for more than 100 unaccompanied children and teens in immigration court proceedings. 

From 2016 to 2021, Cooley Yonesawa went into private practice, primarily focusing on immigration cases including Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (SIJS), non-immigrant U and T visas, removal defense, asylum, family-based petitions, and adjustment of status. The native Nevadan — who also assisted clients with appeals, record sealing, and family law — has helped shape state law regarding SIJS in two published Nevada appellate decisions.  

After co-teaching UNLV’s Policing and Protest Clinic in 2021, Cooley Yonesawa returned to Boyd full-time to lead the Immigration Clinic's Community Advocacy Office in downtown Las Vegas.

She has been a member of the Lt. Governor’s Keep Nevada Working Task Force. Cooley Yonesawa additionally volunteers with various community organizations, including Nevada Legal Services, PLAN, and Asian Community Development Council.