Jayesh  Rathod is Professor of Law and Director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at  American University Washington College of Law. His areas of expertise and  scholarly interests include immigration law, labor and employment law, and  clinical legal education.

Professor Rathod has published empirical, applied, and theoretical work in a variety of prominent journals, including the Columbia Law Review, Yale Law Journal Forum, U.C. Irvine Law Review, Arizona Law Review, and the Michigan Journal of Law Reform. In 2018, he received the Pauline Ruyle Moore Award for outstanding scholarship in the area of public law. Professor Rathod has also been recognized for his impactful and innovative teaching, including the use of technology and the promotion of bilingual legal education. In 2023, the Society of American Law Teachers awarded him its Great Teacher Award for his contributions to the legal academy.

Professor Rathod has worked on cutting-edge cases and projects relating to immigration detention, removal defense (including criminal-immigration intersections), humanitarian relief, immigrant workers’ rights, language access, and more. He has been invited to speak on immigration and workplace law topics at institutions across the United States, and has served as a commentator in local, national, and international media (including CNN, NBC News, and National Public Radio). 

Professor Rathod was a Fulbright Scholar at two universities in Brazil, where he taught courses on U.S. immigration law and comparative migration policy, and conducted research relating to the Brazilian immigration system. He is fluent in Spanish and proficient in Portuguese.

Prior to joining the AUWCL faculty, Professor Rathod was a Staff Attorney at CASA, where he represented immigrant day laborers, domestic workers, and union members on immigration and employment law matters. Following his graduation from law school, he practice at Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering (now WilmerHale) and clerked for the late Honorable Louis F. Oberdorfer on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.