Neilson came to CLINIC from the Immigrant Justice Corps, where she served as the legal director from 2014 to February 2018. Prior to this Neilson worked in the Office of Chief Counsel of USCIS Refugee and Asylum Division, as the legal director of Immigration Equality, and as the legal director of the HIV Law Project. She chairs the Immigration Committee of the New York City Bar Association, is a member of AILA’s National Asylum Committee, and prior co-chair of New York AILA’s Ethics Committee. She is a contributing author to AILA's Guide to U.S. Citizenship & Naturalization Law. Neilson has also taught as an adjunct professor at CUNY School of Law and New York University School of Law. She is a graduate of CUNY School of Law and Harvard University and is a member of the New York state bar.