Welcome to the twenty-third blog post for The Lawyer Files!
Thank you, as always, for subscribing and following the journeys of tomorrow’s legal leaders. Each edition brings you honest reflections, practical insights, and inspiring stories from aspiring solicitors carving out meaningful careers in the legal profession.
✨ In this edition, we feature Debora Mosso, an Immigration Paralegal at Lewis Silkin and future trainee solicitor, whose legal journey is shaped by lived migration experience, policy engagement, and a deep commitment to access and empathy in the legal system.
From supporting asylum seekers at Phoenix Law in Belfast to working on business immigration strategy in London, Debora’s path sits at the powerful intersection of people, politics, and legal reform. Her placement at the Northern Ireland Civil Service gave her a rare insight into legislative drafting — while her fluency in Portuguese has helped bridge language gaps with clients in vulnerable situations.
What makes Debora stand out is her sharp awareness of how policy decisions impact real lives — and her ability to communicate with care, clarity, and purpose. Whether she’s analysing Home Office rule changes or supporting a client through the visa process, her legal approach is rooted in listening, learning, and serving.
Her reflections on identity, communication, and the role of cultural sensitivity in law offer timely encouragement for aspiring solicitors who want to make impact beyond the desk. Debora’s story reminds us that great lawyering is about precision — but also people.Welcome to the twenty-third blog post for The Lawyer Files!
Thank you, as always, for subscribing and following the journeys of tomorrow’s legal leaders. Each edition brings you honest reflections, practical insights, and inspiring stories from aspiring solicitors carving out meaningful careers in the legal profession.
1. What initially drew you to immigration law, and how has your understanding of it evolved since starting your paralegal work at Lewis Silkin?
Immigration has been a consistent part of my life experience. I moved from Lisbon, Portugal to a small town in Northern Ireland at the age of five, which gave me early exposure to the challenges involved in adapting to a new environment, particularly when language and cultural differences are present.
The town I grew up in had a large immigrant population, and over time, I became aware of the key role immigrants played in supporting the local economy and community. This, alongside broader political developments such as the asylum ‘crisis’ and the lead-up to Brexit prompted a growing interest in immigration policy and the legal framework that governs it in the UK.
My first practical experience in the field was through work experience at Phoenix Law Solicitors in Belfast, where I assisted with preparing asylum applications. This gave me insight into the complexities of the asylum process, including procedural delays and the impact of administrative decisions on applicants. It also highlighted to me the differences between asylum-based migration, and the former EU free movement framework from which I luckily had benefited. Hearing asylum seekers’ stories firsthand gave me a deeper emotional connection to the work, and an appreciation of the cost of a complex system that resulted in delays and undercertainty for individuals.
I have now worked in both U.S. and UK Business Immigraion and since joining Lewis Silkin, my understanding of UK immigration law has evolved significantly. The role has been both intellectually demanding and personally rewarding. I now support corporate clients in bringing sponsored workers and their families to the UK. This has allowed me to strike a balance between assisting individuals and developing commercial awareness. I’ve also gained a more strategic understanding of how how government policy, regulatory changes, and economic considerations affect business immigration strategies.
I am motivated by the opportunity to support people at pivotal moments in their lives, while also understanding the operational realities that drive business immigration. Working at Lewis Silkin has deepened my knowledge and expanded my perspective, showing me how immigration law sits at the intersection of business, individuals and government policy.
2. How do you stay up to date with the constantly evolving immigration regulations and policy changes?
I wish I could say I was so efficient that I could do it all on my own! The Immigration team is backed by excellent Knowledge Lawyers who play a key role in monitoring legal and policy updates and ensuring the team is well-informed. They lead regular internal sessions to explain recent changes such as updates to the Immigration Rules or government policy announcements and how these impact our day-to-day advisory work. For example, following the release of the recent government White Paper, our Knowledge Lawyers provided clear guidance on the potential implications for sponsored work routes and compliance obligations.
In a personal capacity, I keep up to date by reviewing government updates, subscribing to immigration newsletters and following relevant practitioners and organisations on LinkedIn. The Free Movement podcast provides an excellent monthly round-up of monthy immigration law changes and is a great resource for getting an overview of the constant changes in the field.
Our team has an excellent knowledge base that covers a broad range of immigration matters including Skilled Worker sponsorship, sports and creative sector immigration and we often exchange knowledge and insights on complex cases. These internal discussions are invaluable for understanding how policy changes are being applied in practice. UK immigration law is incredibly complex but working in a specialist team as well as having strong external resources makes it a lot easier to keep up to date with the policy changes and how they will affect our practice.
3. How did your placement at the NI Civil Service influence your legal writing or policy drafting skills?
My placement at the Northern Ireland Civil Service was an excellent opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of how legal policy is developed and how legislation is brought into force. As someone in the early stages of my legal career, I was fortunate to work in a highly supportive team that encouraged learning and development. The placement provided valuable exposure to cross-government collaboration, as we worked closely with corresponding departments in Scotland, England, and Wales.
One of the key takeaways from the placement was learning how to approach the drafting of legislation both in terms of structure and linguistic precision. While we often referred to equivalent legislation from other UK jurisdictions as a guide, adapting these frameworks for Northern Ireland required a critical and analytical approach. It was essential to tailor the terminology, format, and legal conventions to align with Northern Ireland’s unique legislative style and requirements.
It was also a particularly interesting time to be in the Civil Service as Northern Ireland did not have a sitting Assembly due to political instability, which meant that policy development had to be carefully managed within the limits of decisions made by the previous Assembly. This highlighted the importance of understanding the political framework in which legislation is developed and how civil servants must work within those constraints.
One particularly valuable experience was observing the policy discussions around legislative language and how the choice of a single term or phrase could significantly alter interpretation, impact implementation, and shape legal obligations. This strengthened my ability to approach legal writing with foresight, taking into account immediate clarity and long-term implications.
Overall, the placement provided a holistic view of the law-making process. As someone who had previously studied law primarily from the perspective of interpretation and application, this experience gave me a much broader understanding of how law is created, shaped, and implemented in practice.
4. You were also an editor and interviewer at LawPod—what skills did you gain from that role, and do they still influence how you communicate or reflect today?
My time at LawPod was a key part of developing my communication, collaboration, and project management skills. It was one of the first long-term, ongoing projects I was involved in during university, and it gave me valuable experience in turning creative ideas into a final product through careful planning and teamwork.
As an editor, I learned how to assess content critically by deciding what to keep and what to cut to ensure that each episode stayed focused and aligned with the podcast’s aims. This helped sharpen my judgment about relevance and clarity in communication, which is something I continue to apply in writing and client interactions.
Working with a diverse group of peers also taught me how to present ideas confidently, navigate differing opinions, and reach a consensus on creative direction. Pitching podcast topics helped me practice developing and articulating persuasive arguments, while ensuring they fit within the broader theme and tone of LawPod.
As an interviewer, I developed a strong sense of how to ask thoughtful, well-structured questions and how to build a meaningful conversation, particularly when covering sensitive or complex topics. One of the most rewarding experiences was interviewing contributors on the Black Lives Matter movement in 2020. These conversations challenged me to listen actively, think critically in the moment, and create space for nuanced discussion.
Collaborating on the podcast with others who were also new to the format meant we learned together. Supporting each other through the learning curve built a strong sense of teamwork. Balancing podcast responsibilities with academic deadlines also helped me develop time management skills and taught me how to manage competing priorities effectively.
The communication skills I developed, whether presenting ideas to a group, facilitating conversations, or working to a deadline, are ones I use every day in my current role. I continue to apply the same principles when speaking with clients, presenting options clearly, understanding their needs, and working toward a shared outcome. These are also the skills I know will remain essential when I qualify as a solicitor.
5. How do you think language fluency and cultural sensitivity can help bridge the gap between legal practitioners and clients in vulnerable immigration situations?
Language fluency and cultural sensitivity are essential when working with clients in immigration, particularly those in vulnerable situations, but also more broadly across all areas of practice. Being able to communicate clearly and without barriers helps build trust and allows clients to present their circumstances more fully and accurately.
As someone fluent in Portuguese, I’ve used my language skills in both asylum and business immigration contexts. I supported a Portuguese-speaking client in preparing their asylum application to the Home Office, and I’ve also worked with high-profile sports clients in securing their visas. In both cases, being able to speak the client’s language removed a major barrier to communication and helped build rapport and understanding early on in the process.
Language skills provide flexibility in how we gather and present information, which is particularly important when constructing strong representations. But equally important is cultural sensitivity and understanding that each client’s background shapes their experiences and may affect how they interact with legal systems. Assumptions cannot be made, especially in complex or emotionally charged cases. Clients need to feel that they are being heard without judgment, and that their experiences are being approached with respect and empathy. This is not only crucial to client care but also essential to presenting the strongest possible case to the Home Office.
In practice, cultural sensitivity often comes into play when clients do not meet certain immigration requirements for reasons rooted in cultural norms or expectations. In these situations, it’s vital to approach their cases with an open mind and to explore creative, legally sound ways to move forward.
My language skills have allowed clients to share information that may otherwise have been lost or miscommunicated, and I believe this has been key in ensuring that their applications were as complete and accurate as possible. Unfortunately, we have also seen how a lack of cultural understanding or patience from practitioners can lead to weaker applications and poorer outcomes for clients. As legal professionals, we have a responsibility to bridge that gap, not only through language but through empathy and cultural awareness. For this reason, I believe DE&I training for law firms, both for internal and external interactions, is so important as it leads to better outcomes for our clients.
Debora Mossi – https://www.linkedin.com/in/debora-mosso-0600b1208
Immigration Paralegal & Future trainee solicitor at Lewis Silkin
I hope Debora’s story has encouraged you — especially if you’re navigating your legal journey with purpose but without a rigid roadmap, balancing personal identity, policy interests, and a desire to make a meaningful difference.
Her journey is a powerful reminder that empathy, cultural awareness, and clarity of purpose are just as vital as technical skill — whether you’re drafting immigration policy, supporting asylum applicants, or helping businesses navigate complex legal frameworks with care and strategy.
From her early exposure to migration, to volunteering with Phoenix Law and contributing to legislation through the Northern Ireland Civil Service, Debora shows us that a meaningful legal career is shaped by lived experience, thoughtful action, and the ability to connect law to real lives. Success in law isn’t just found in big moments — it’s often built quietly, through consistent reflection, resilience, and service.
🎧 Stay tuned — our podcast episode with Debora is coming soon on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music & Audible (The Lawyer Files), where we explore her lived perspective on immigration law, how language and empathy create access, and what it means to grow as a solicitor who leads with both intellect and heart.
We’ll also talk about the power of storytelling in legal practice, learning through policy work, and why diversity in experience is just as important as diversity in background.
Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.
Until next time — stay curious, stay thoughtful, and keep showing up with purpose. 🎙️🌍⚖️
— Denice Obeng 🙂
