PATRICIA FIRST is a Principal at The Raben Group where she advises clients on issues pertaining to civil rights, constitutional law and immigration. Prior to joining The Raben Group, Ms. First held senior level positions in both the legislative and executive branches of government, developing legislation and implementing regulations in the areas of civil rights, immigration, welfare reform and women's rights.
Ms. First is a five-year veteran of the United States Department of Justice (DoJ) where she served as Deputy Assistant Attorney General in the Office of Legislative Affairs. In this role, Ms. First was DoJ's point person with Capitol Hill on immigration and women's rights, and liaison between DoJ and the White House, as well as independent federal agencies responsible for immigration and issues affecting women. Among other campaigns, Ms. First helped build bipartisan support on Capitol Hill for passage of the Reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act and the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, and was involved in efforts to reform the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS).
Ms. First handled complex litigation during her service as a trial attorney at DoJ in the Civil Rights Division. While working in the Voting Section, Ms. First analyzed redistricting plans to determine if the plans unlawfully disenfranchised minority voters and conducted outreach and assistance to localities on providing election materials in accessible languages. Additionally, Ms. First investigated charges of voting rights violations against minorities and monitored elections to ensure that minorities were not disenfranchised at the polls.
After obtaining her law degree, Ms. First joined the office of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, where for three years she served as counsel on the United States Senate Subcommittee on Immigration. During that time, Ms. First assisted in drafting and obtaining passage of landmark pieces of legislation including the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996, the Personal Work Opportunity and Welfare Reform Act of 1996 and the Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act of 1996.
Ms. First earned her law degree at the William Mitchell College of Law in St. Paul, Minnesota and received her undergraduate degree in political science at the University of Wisconsin. She is a member of the Maryland State Bar Association and the Bar Association of the District of Columbia.
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