Dual-degree student connects law and social work at Orleans Public Defenders
During her first year in Tulane’s on-campus Master of Social Work (MSW) program, Erica Fusté made a life-changing decision: She would apply to the School of Law’s Juris Doctor (JD) program.
Now entering her second year as a law student and her third year of the dual MSW/JD track, Fusté says her social work background has shaped her worldview, helped her keep an open mind, and given her the skills to conduct trauma-informed interviews with legal clients.
“A social work education not only makes you a better lawyer and a more zealous advocate for the client, but it also just makes the client-attorney relationship that much stronger and more sincere,” Fusté said. “It helps lawyers view criminal defendants as more than just one action and instead see the many different decisions, systems, and events working together to create the circumstances they now find themselves in.”
After she graduates, Fusté wants to be a public defender. Working towards that goal, she has completed both her social work practicum placement and her summer legal clerkship at the same location – Orleans Public Defenders. In the social work department, she designed reintegration plans to support incarcerated clients upon their release and worked with clients long-term to mitigate further legal challenges and meet immediate needs, from finding a client’s family’s contact information to providing medication support to connecting them with necessary resources.
“Incarcerated clients don't always request a social worker, so when I come in and introduce myself, they might be hesitant to talk to me. But then as I continue to show up every day and work for their best interests, our relationships really develop,” said Fusté. “For a lot of incarcerated clients, it’s the first time in a long time someone has asked them what they want and given them the autonomy to identify needs for themselves.”
As a law clerk, Fusté worked with the same kinds of criminal cases she had as a social work student, but her role looked a little different: reviewing, outlining, and organizing evidence for the attorneys defending those clients in court. She says seeing the process up-close – and helping clients succeed – from a different angle was fascinating.
As an aspiring criminal defense attorney, her passion lies in transforming the way incarcerated individuals, especially those with mental health issues, are treated throughout the corrections process.
“I want to work within and among communities to have a positive influence on individuals’ lives,” Fusté said. “No matter where I'm working or who I'm working with, I want my clients to leave their interaction with me feeling heard, seen, and empowered in whatever decisions they are making next.”
At Tulane, Fusté is already making people feel heard. She was Vice President of Communications for the School of Social Work’s Graduate Student Network during her first year of the MSW program, and she directly supports the School in her role as Marketing and Communications Assistant by regularly interviewing students and alumni about their practice, research, and accolades.
“I'm constantly in awe and inspired by my classmates and fellow Tulanians,” she said. “They embody the motto ‘Do Work That Matters’, not just as students but in their day-to-day lives.”
At the School of Law, Fusté is a junior member of Tulane's Journal of International and Comparative Law, the incoming president for the Tulane Latin American Law Student Association, a Research Assistant for Forrester Fellow April Xiaoyi Xu, and a member of both the Criminal Law Society and the Jewish Law Students Association.
She will also act as the Community Chair for the Public Interest Law Foundation, helping connect law students to organizations across the city who need pro-bono legal help – just one way, she says, to give back to the community that has poured so much into her.
“Living in New Orleans has changed my perspective on social work, law, and life in more ways than I can really articulate,” Fusté said. “There’s something so special and so lovely about this city and about Tulane. I’m so lucky and grateful for the people that I've met and the incredible opportunities I’ve been given because I am a dual-degree student at Tulane.”