Monday, April 13, 2026

Hiscock Legal Aid Society: A day in the life of immigration attorney, Anna.
By: Laya Sumithra 

We spent the day following Anna Petrie, an immigration attorney at Hiscock Legal Aid Society, as she represents immigrants navigating one of the most challenging legal landscapes in the country.

7:00 A.M.––A Quiet Start:

Before the day takes hold, Anna Petrie makes time for the small things. 

She shares breakfast and coffee with her family. It’s a warm, unhurried beginning—the kind that makes what comes next a little more manageable.

Anna’s road to immigration law was unique. She pursued International Studies and Spanish at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. From there, she headed to Princeton Theological Seminary to pursue a Master of Divinity, considering becoming a priest for the Episcopal church. But along the way, her path shifted. A local congregation ran a refugee resettlement program, and Anna found herself interning there—and then running it, hired as its director.

For years, she did case management for families arriving with almost nothing, helping them find footing in a new country. 

She loved the work deeply. But, she wanted to do more to help immigrants and refugees. So she enrolled in night school at Rutgers to become an immigration attorney. 

8:30 A.M. — Into the Office:

Anna arrives at HLA’s office on 221 South Warren Street in downtown Syracuse and eases into the morning. She reviews her calendar, works through emails, and begins mapping out the day ahead—a routine that keeps her grounded before the client meetings start.

She came to HLA after a few years at a private immigration firm. Wanting to return to publicly funded work, she found her way to HLA. HLA stood out—well-resourced, mission-driven, and willing to let her shape her own caseload. Syracuse also gave her the opportunity to be closer to family. 

10:00 A.M. — The Work that Matters Most:

On any given day, Anna is juggling a wide range of cases. 

She represents clients in removal proceedings, defends them in immigration court, and prepares the motions and applications for affirmative asylum cases and U-visas. The work is detailed, high-stakes, and deeply personal.

She plans carefully for each client meeting, sits with them through the hard conversations, and then documents everything with an eye toward the next step. There are at least two of those meetings on her schedule today, and she gives each one the same focused attention.

What keeps her going, she says, is the people. She finds real meaning in being present for clients who are in the middle of profound transitions—between what they left behind and what they’re working to build here. I

t’s the kind of work that asks a lot of you. It gives a lot back, too.

3:00 P.M. — Finishing Up The Afternoon:

The back half of the day looks much like the first—more client meetings, more case notes, more preparation for what comes next. Anna moves through it steadily, the same careful attention she brought to the morning still intact. Before she leaves, she makes sure everything is documented and that each client has a clear next step. It matters to her that no one leaves without knowing what comes next.

4:30 P.M.—Winding Down with the Evening:

When the workday ends, Anna heads to an Orangetheory class—a reliable reset after hours of focused, emotionally demanding work. Then it’s home for dinner with the family and a walk with the dog as the evening settles in.

Later, she knits. 

She’s currently in the middle of knitting a baby blanket for a friend, working through it panel by panel, planning to seam it all together with a mattress stitch when it’s done. It’s patient, constructive work—not so different, maybe, from everything else she does.

Then, she’ll watch some TV—lately, she’s been into The Wire and White Lotus—and finish off the day heading to bed. Tomorrow, she’ll do it all over again, representing the clients who need it most.