Russell Rode

Jensen (Russell) Rode (they/he) is a Staff Attorney in Legal Aid DC’s Immigration Law Unit, where they assist clients in obtaining various forms of humanitarian immigration relief. Before coming to Legal Aid DC, Russell worked as a Law Fellow in New York Legal Assistance Group’s LGBTQ Law Unit, where he represented queer- and trans-identified clients in immigration removal proceedings and in the preparation of affirmative immigration applications, including those for asylum, U visas, T visas, and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status. Russell additionally helped these clients navigate name change proceedings and discrimination issues, both within the immigration system and beyond. Russell earned their JD from Cornell Law School after leaving their career as a theater director and completing a Fulbright student research project on experimental political theater practices in Gießen, Germany.