Overview 

Professor Elias joined the clinic in 2014 and has directed the Clinic’s immigration practice since 2015. Professor Elias’s students represent clients in immigration proceedings and in state and federal judicial proceedings affecting immigrants' rights, and work with organizational clients engaged in advocacy related to immigration law and policy. 

Before joining the clinic, Professor Elias worked in private practice as an immigration attorney. He clerked for Judge Dorothy Nelson of the Ninth Circuit and Judge Denise Casper of the District of Massachusetts. He suffers from an affection for the Boston Red Sox.

Professor Elias is on leave for the 2026-2027 academic year. 

Teaching areas

• Professional Responsibility
• Immigration Law and Policy

Professional affiliations and memberships

• American Immigration Lawyers Association
• National Lawyers Guild
• Iowa bar
• California bar
• Maine bar
• United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
• United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa
• United States District Court for the Southern District of Iowa