Spring Public Interest Awards

Stanford Law School’s Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law annually honors outstanding public interest students and attorneys. At the Spring Public Service Awards reception, we invite alumni, faculty, students, and staff to join us for a reception honoring the award recipients.

From 2008 to 2023 the National Public Service Award was awarded to attorneys whose work has had national impact. Please see here for archives of past National Public Service Awards recipients. Starting in Fall of 2024, in lieu of the National Public Service Award, the Levin Center launched the Visiting Public Interest Practitioner Program to feature attorneys whose work on behalf of the public has had a national impact by offering a 3 to 5 day residency.

Along with the Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award, the Public Interest Faculty Champion Award, the Deborah L. Rhode Award, and the Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship are presented each spring at the law school’s annual spring Public Interest Celebration. These awards honor students and alumni who demonstrated a commitment to public service.

The Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award

The Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award is given annually to a Stanford Law School alum who has similarly engaged in public service and had a significant impact on the community, national, or international level. Each winter we invite nominations for the Rubin award and honor the recipient at our Spring Public Interest Awards reception.



The Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award

Deborah L. Rhode, who was the Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law and director of the Center on the Legal Profession, endowed this award, which is presented annually to a graduating student (or a team of graduating students) who has demonstrated outstanding nonacademic public service during Law School. The Rhode Public Interest Award recognizes graduating students who have made outstanding contributions to underrepresented groups or public interest causes outside the Law School and/or in public service at the Law School. Individuals and teams may be nominated by other students, faculty, staff, or self-nominated.  There is an award of up to $3,500 per person (amount to vary depending on the number of recipients). The award is given on the basis of merit; all 3L students who meet the award criteria, regardless of financial need, may be nominated.



The Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship

The family and friends of Lisa M. Schnitzer, a first-year Stanford Law School student who died in a car accident in 1987, established the Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship to be a lasting tribute to her and in recognition of her deeply-held commitment to helping others, particularly those less fortunate. Each spring, the $4,000 scholarship is awarded to a first-year student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the disadvantaged, who meets the Office of Financial Aid’s criteria of financial need, and who will work for a nonprofit organization or government agency during the summer following the first year.



2025 Spring Public Service Awards

Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award winner Stacy Villalobos, JD’15, Director, Racial Economic Justice Program at Legal Aid at Work with Professor Jayashri Srikantiah

Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award winner Stacy Villalobos, JD '15, Director, Racial Economic Justice Program at Legal Aid at Work with Professor Jayashri Srikantiah.

Joanna Grossman, winner of Public Interest Faculty Champion award, center, with Rebecca Berman, JD ‘25 (left) and Hannah Fleishmann, JD ‘25 (right), both of whom presented Joanna with the award.

Joanna Grossman, winner of Public Interest Faculty Champion award, center, with Rebecca Berman, JD ‘25 (left) and Hannah Fleischmann, JD ‘25 (right), both of whom presented Joanna with the award.

Hannah Fleischmann, JD ’25, Amanpreet Singh, JD ’25, and Rebecca Berman, JD ’25, are the 2025 recipients of the Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award.

Hannah Fleischmann, JD ’25, Amanpreet Singh, JD ’25, and Rebecca Berman, JD ’25, are the 2025 recipients of the Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award.

Rodrigo Moreno, JD '27, winner of the Lisa M Schnitzer award, with Ariel Salmon, JD '26 (2024 award winner).

Rodrigo Moreno, JD '27, winner of the Lisa M Schnitzer award, with Ariel Salmon, JD '26 (2024 award winner).

Miles L. Rubin Public Interest Award Recipients

Public Interest Faculty Champion Award Recipients

2025: Joanna Grossman, Herman Phleger Visiting Professor of Law, JD ’94

Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award Recipients

2025: Hannah Fleischmann, JD ’25, Amanpreet Singh, JD ’25, and Rebecca Berman, JD ’25

2024: Ben Clark, JD ’24, Lauren Courtney, JD ’24, and Shafeen Pittal, JD ’24

2023: Daniel Ahrens, JD ’23 and Kerry Guerin, JD ’23

2022: Anita Desai, JD ’22 and Daniela Muehleisen, JD ’22

2021: Trillium Chang, JD ’21, and Carolina Herrera, JD ’21, and A.D. Lewis, JD ’21

2020: Julia Neusner, JD ’20 and Diana Sánchez, JD ’20

2019: Cynthia Amezcua, JD ’19 and Makeba Rutahindurwa, JD ’19

2018: B. Matthew McConnell, JD ’18 and Elena Mercado Rodriguez, JD ’18

2017: Sophie Hart, JD ’17 and Annick-Marie Jordan, JD ’17

2016: Ginny Halden, JD ’16, Cindy Garcia, JD ’16, and Ruhan Nagra, JD ’16

2015: Jessica Dragonetti, JD ’15

2014: Lila Miller, JD ’14 and Sabrina Forte, JD ’14

2013: Angela McCray, JD ’13

2012: Maggie Filler, JD ’12

2011: Stephen Dekovich, JD ’11, Maureen Keffer, JD ’11, and Chessie Thacher, JD ’11

2010: Emily Galvin, JD ’10 and Zoe Palitz, JD ’10

2009: Larisa Bowman, JD ’09, Ling Lew, JD ’09, and Alexa Van Brunt, JD ’09

2008: Andrew Bruck, JD ’08

2007: Salena Copeland, JD ’07 and Craig Holt Segall, JD ’07

2006: Lauren Brady, JD ’06, Nicole Janisiewicz, JD ’06, and Matthew Liebman, JD ’06

2005: Selena Kyle, JD ’05 and Yael Zakai, JD ’05

2004: Angie Schwartz, JD ’04 and Sarah Varela, JD ’04

2003: Corene Kendrick, JD ’03

2002: Grady Jackson, JD ’02

2001: Michael Chu, JD ’01 and Jennifer Wedel, JD ’01

2000: Dan Chiplock, JD ’00

1999: Toni Broaddus, JD ’99

1998: Aaron O’Toole, JD ’98

Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship Recipients

2025: Rodrigo Moreno, JD ’27

2024: Ariel Salmon, JD ’26

2023: Mahshad Badii, JD ’25

2022: Jamie Halper, JD ’24

2021: Elóra A. Henderson, JD ’23

2020: Saraphin Dhanani, JD ’22

2019: Lauren Shepard, JD ’21

2018: Mariel Pérez-Santiago, JD ’20

2017: Rachel E. Green, JD ’19

2016: Morgan Lewis, JD ’18

2015: Amari Hammonds, JD ’17

2014: Sarracina Littlebird, JD ’16

2013: Tiffany Yang, JD ’15

2012: Sabrina Forte, JD ’14

2011: Ingrid Price, JD ’13

2010: Meredith Johnson, JD ’12

2009: Jacqueline de Armas, JD ’11

2008: Rachel Marshall, JD ’10

2007: Larisa Bowman, JD ’09

2006: Nancy Glass, JD ’08

2005: Kristina Filipovich, JD ’07

2004: Jessica Wolland, JD ’06

2003: Stephanie Beckstrom, JD ’05

2002: Angie Schwartz, JD ’04 and Sarah Varela, JD ’04

2001: Jennifer Chang, JD ’03

2000: Sharon Ruiz, JD ’02

1999: Jennifer Wedel, JD ’01