Class of 2016 Public Interest Fellows
Our Public Interest Fellows program provides special support to those third-year students who have a history of public service, provide leadership within the law school, and are committed to beginning their careers as lawyers in the public service. The Fellows Program exists to create a community of support for the cohort of students seeking post-graduate public interest jobs during their third-year or post-clerkship and assist them in that endeavor. Levin Center staff provide ongoing tailored career development support to the Fellows, including trainings, panels, and workshops to prepare students for public interest legal careers; and opportunities for intensive mentorship and guidance from staff, alumni and other leading practitioners.
Fellows each drafted brief bios that were posted on-line during their year of service outlining their interests, activities, and experiences. These highlight our Fellows’ experiences and help 1Ls and incoming students see the breadth of opportunities available to public interest students.
The Public Interest Fellows from the Class of 2016 wrote these brief bios during the spring and summer before their 3L year.
Where Are They Now?
“In February 2021, I founded Upper Seven Law, a Montana-based nonprofit law firm dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. By our third anniversary, we will have filed more than 20 cases in state and federal court that enforce the federal and Montana constitutions. Our work emphasizes justice, transparency, individual civil rights and liberties, and government and media accountability. We’ve sued Fox News, the federal government, and each statewide executive office in Montana. I am so grateful to Stanford’s public interest fellowship program for helping me gather the experiences I needed to launch this work. And it won’t be over anytime soon.”
– Rylee Sommers-Flanagan, JD ’16
“After spending two years working on the US/Mexico border as a public defender in South Texas, Ashley is looking forward to beginning a position as Staff Criminal Defense Attorney with Legal Aid Society of New York’s Parole Revocation Defense Unit. Ashley’s work will in large part be on Rikers Island, as public defense attorney for individuals detained on Rikers accused of violating conditions of their parole.”
– Ashley Williams, JD ’16, Staff Criminal Defense Attorney, Legal Aid Society of New York’s Parole Revocation Defense Unit
“In the fall of 2018 I began a one-year fellowship with the Public Citizen Litigation Group in Washington, D.C., a fellowship funded through the Levin Center’s postgraduate fellowship program. I have been doing federal trial and appellate litigation in a variety of areas to promote transparency and accountability in government.”
– Micah Bluming, JD ’16, Fellow, Public Citizen Litigation Group
“I’m an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Southern District of California (San Diego). I am a trial attorney day-to-day, but I also do some appellate work. Practically speaking, that means I typically represent people arrested by Customs and Border Protection on suspicion of an offense related to the border with Mexico. Many of my clients cross the border seeking to reunite with U.S. citizen family, or in search of a job to support family abroad, or to flee violence and crime in Mexico. To the surprise of many, they often face several years in federal prison for illegally crossing the border only to be placed back into removal proceedings after serving any sentence. I think of my job as the figurative front-line against the Federal Government’s draconian immigration, border, and criminal justice policies. I came to this job after clerking in District Court in Los Angeles.”
– Marcus Bourassa, JD ’16, Assistant Federal Public Defender, U.S. District Court, Southern District of California
“I am an associate in Constantine Cannon’s San Francisco office, where I represent whistleblowers in qui tam lawsuits brought under the Federal and various state False Claims Acts. I also represent whistleblowers in claims made under the Internal Revenue Service, Securities and Exchange Commission, Commodities Futures Trading Commission, and Department of Transportation’s whistleblower programs.”
– Chris McLamb, JD ’16, Associate, Constantine Cannon
Aaron Stanton is currently working as an Environmental Law Fellow at Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP, a law firm specializing in government, land use, renewable energy, and environmental law. As a Fellow, Aaron is responsible for representing public agencies, non-profits, tribes, and community groups in an array of litigation, regulatory, counseling, and planning matters.
– Aaron Stanton, JD ’16, Environmental Law Fellow, Shute, Mihaly & Weinberger LLP