Dmitry Portnoy (JD '13) Featured in "Immigration Law Gets the Spotlight Treatment in 'Saint Judy"' - Los Angeles Times

February 27, 2019 | Pepperdine Law alumnus Dmitry Portnoy (JD '13) is featured in the Los Angeles Times article, "Immigration law gets the spotlight treatment in 'Saint Judy.'" Portnoy wrote the screenplay for "Saint Judy," the true story of immigration attorney and Pepperdine Law alumna Judy Wood (JD '81), who won a precedent-setting appeal that establishes political activity by women as grounds for granting asylum in the United States. The film, which was recently screened at Pepperdine Law, is opening in theaters on March 1.

Excerpt from "Immigration law gets the spotlight treatment in 'Saint Judy'"

During Portnoy's first year at Pepperdine School of Law, Wood, an alum, brought him on as an intern. "I instantly felt comfortable with Judy," Portnoy recalls. "She told me later she was looking for a storyteller because a good lawyer has to make the life of her client vivid and compelling for the judge. As Judy says, a lawyer must plead — plead! — to overcome a judge's natural resistance. I felt honored that she saw a little bit of that in me."