Class of 2025 Public Interest Fellows
Harry Bagenstos
Harry is from Ann Arbor, Michigan, and attended Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he majored in History and the College of Social Studies. His interests include labor and disability issues. During his 1L summer, Harry worked at McKnight Canzano Smith Radtke & Brault, a union-side labor law firm in Detroit. During his 2L summer, he worked at Bredhoff & Kaiser, a union-side labor law firm in Washington, DC. On campus, he has been involved in Stanford Law and Political Economy, the National Lawyers Guild, the Workers' Rights pro bono, and the Plaintiffs' Lawyers Association, and the Stanford Journal of Civil Rights and Civil Liberties. Outside of school, Harry enjoys reading history, political theory, and literary fiction, watching movies from around the world, and rooting on the St. Louis Cardinals and Detroit Pistons. Ask me about... Labor and employment law.
Becky Berman
Becky is a 3L from the Bay Area interested in gender and reproductive justice advocacy. Before law school, she worked as a paralegal advocating for people incarcerated in California prisons on issues of access to mental health care and ending correctional officer violence against people with disabilities. Becky spent her 1L summer with ACLU SoCal's LGBTQ, Gender, & Reproductive Justice Project and her 2L summer at the Center for Reproductive Rights. At SLS, she co-founded the Reproductive Justice Pro Bono Project and has been involved in the Campus Survivors Pro Bono Project, the Transgender, Gender-Variant, & Intersex Pro Bono Project, If/When/How, and the Immigrants' Rights Clinic. Ask her about... gender and reproductive justice.
Sophie Carroll
I’m from Massachusetts, worked for five years in New York before law school, and have thoroughly enjoyed my law school experience (but haven’t had time for enough TV). I’ll be moving back to New York after school to work in public interest law. Ask me about... Environmental law, human rights clinic, learning to drive as a 28-year-old 2L.
Isaac Cui
Isaac is from a mix of Texas and Oregon, and he studied physics and politics at Pomona College before doing two years of grad school in London and then coming to SLS. He spent his 1L summer at the Voting Section of the U.S. Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division and the Native American Unit of Northwest Justice Project; and his 2L summer at the Division of Indian Affairs at the Solicitor's Office of the U.S. Department of the Interior and Community Legal Services in East Palo Alto. At SLS, he's been involved in the Native Law, Election Law, and Housing Pro Bono Projects, the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, and the RegLab. Ask me about... Legal aid, native law, voting rights and election law.
Sara Evall
Sara is from Los Angeles, California. She graduated from Duke in 2019 with a degree in Refugee and Migrant Studies. After college, Sara worked as a fellow for one year at the American Constitution Society and as a legal assistant for two years at Gupta Wessler. At SLS, she has participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, the Stanford Law Review, the Stanford Environmental Law Journal, and Outlaw. She has also been a TA for a policy practicum and for Federal Litigation. Sara spent her 1L summer with the Worker Protection Team of the San Francisco City Attorney's Office and her 2L summer at Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein, LLP. After graduation, Sara will return to LCHB for a year and then clerk for Judge Judith E. Levy of the Eastern District of Michigan. In her free time, Sara enjoys cooking and baking for friends, going to farmers markets, and spending time in the sun.
Stephen Ferruolo
Stephen grew up in San Diego, California. He graduated from Wesleyan University, where he studied government and psychology. Before law school, Stephen worked on Democratic political campaigns and helped to recruit candidates to run for local offices across the country. At Stanford, Stephen has participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, served as co-president of the Stanford Law Democrats, and volunteered for the Environmental Law Pro Bono Project. Stephen spent his first summer at the California Attorney General’s Office in the Civil Rights Enforcement Section and his second summer at the appellate section of the Environment and Natural Resources Division within the Department of Justice. Ask me about... Ask me about environmental law and working for the government!
Hannah Fleischmann
Hannah is a 3L from Seattle, Washington. After graduating from Emory University, she worked as a paralegal at the New York Legal Assistance Group’s Federal Legal Clinic where she provided free legal assistance to individuals representing themselves in the Southern District of New York. Hannah spent her 1L summer at Legal Momentum working on cases brought to challenge the nonconsensual drug testing of pregnant people. During her 2L summer, she interned at Planned Parenthood Federation of America, assisting with litigation to protect and expand access to reproductive rights and healthcare nationwide. In Fall 2024, she will continue this work interning full-time in New York City at the ACLU Reproductive Freedom Project. At SLS, Hannah co-founded and co-led the Reproductive Justice Pro Bono Project, was a member of the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic, and on the boards of If/When/How and ACS. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, running, and exploring local dessert places! Ask me about... Reproductive and gender justice, immigration/asylum work.
Carly Frieders
Carly is a 3L from Tucson, Arizona interested in criminal legal reform and disability law. Ask her about... Public defense, PPI firms, disability, PI finances.
Katie Garcia
Katie is a 3L from McAllen, Texas. She attended Columbia University for undergrad, where she majored in History and Political Science. Before law school, she spent a year working at a small tech start-up in Texas, and then was a Fulbright Fellow in the Netherlands. During the summer before 2L, she worked at the Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund (MALDEF) in San Antonio, Texas, where she focused on voting rights impact litigation. During the summer before 3L, she split her summer between Jenner & Block and the Legal Aid Society Criminal Defense Practice in New York. At SLS, she has been involved in SLR, SLLSA, Project Clean Slate, and the Immigrants’ Rights Clinic. Ask me about... Civil Rights Litigation, Public Defense.
Harith Khawaja
Harith is from Lahore, Pakistan and attended Amherst College where he majored in Computer Science and Philosophy. Before law school, Harith worked as a software engineer at Lyft, Inc. for three years. At Stanford, Harith is interested in civil rights law, broadly construed. He spent his 1L summer at the Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection at Georgetown University Law Center and his 2L summer at the Constitutional Accountability Center in Washington, DC. At Stanford, Harith is involved with the Journal for Civil Rights and Liberties, the Immigration Pro Bono project, and the Sallyanne Payton fellows program. In his free time, he enjoys skiing, running, and consuming (not cooking) Pakistani food. Ask me about...non-profits, appellate work, meditation.
Sofia Kimball
Sofia is all about immigration. She worked in the immigrants' rights space before law school and plans to practice immigration law after graduating. She is an advanced student in the Immigrants' Rights Clinic and co-leads the Immigration Pro Bono Project. She spent her 1L summer at Kids in Need of Defense (KIND) working with unaccompanied minors and her 2L summer at Pangea Legal Services doing removal defense. In her free time, she likes to hang with her cats and explore new hiking trails across the Bay Area. Ask me about... Immigration law.
Shannon Lee
Shannon is from Queens, NY and is interested in pursuing a career in civil rights litigation. She spent her 1L summer at the New York Legal Assistance Group's Special Litigation Unit and her 2L summer at Emery Celli Brinckerhoff Abady Ward & Maazel LLP, a civil rights law firm in New York City. Shannon worked at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau before starting law school and went to Tufts University for undergrad. Ask me about... Ask me about impact litigation and civil rights law firms.
Cayla Lee
I'm a 3L, from Seattle. At law school, I've been involved in public defense (internship) and immigration defense (clinic). Next year, I'll be working at a plaintiff-side firm in the Bay Area. Ask me about... Law school academics, mental health as a public-interest oriented law student, plaintiff-side law, immigration law.
Emma Lurie
Emma grew up in Sharon, Massachusetts and graduated from Wellesley College in 2019 with degrees in Computer Science and Chinese Language & Culture. She is concurrently pursuing a Ph.D. at the UC Berkeley School of Information. At SLS, she served as President of the Stanford AI and Law Society, Academic Affairs Chair of the Stanford Law Association, and was the student lead for the ArchCity Defenders Alternative Spring Break. She participated in the Criminal Defense Clinic. Emma has interned at the ACLU of Northern California (Technology & Civil Liberties team), the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the Knight First Amendment Institute. She is passionate about the intersection of technology and civil rights. Ask me about...PI technology law, tech policy, academic research.
Jade Makory
Jade is a Kenya-qualified lawyer, and a dual-qualified arbitrator (Kenya and the United Kingdom). She is a technology and sustainability expert, with more than 6 years post-graduate experience. She is particularly passionate about making the most significant impact to society, including focusing on sustainability. As an existentialist and essentialist, Jade deeply cares about the people she loves; the causes that are close to her heart, including solving important socio-economic problems, and the environment; and the things she cherishes, being technology, science, art, timeless literature and travel. Ask her about... international humanitarian law, technology and sustainability. I'd be happy to discuss these areas with you, and career paths from a public interest perspective.
Hannah Motley Davis
Hannah is a 3L from Kansas City interested in education law and the civil rights of young people. As an undergrad, she studied public policy and philosophy at the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill. During her 1L summer, Hannah completed a judicial externship in the Tenth Circuit. Last summer, she had an amazing experience working in the Civil Rights Division of the US Department of Justice. In her precious little free time, she enjoys printmaking, watching Orioles baseball, and meeting new dogs on campus. Ask me about... Environmental Law Clinic, judicial externships, DOJ, civil rights practice, the MuSLSical.
Alana Murphy
Alana Murphy is interested in international law, alternative dispute resolution, and immigration law. During her 1L summer, Alana worked as a summer law clerk for the Ministry of Justice in Rwanda, and during her 2L summer, she interned with the U.S. Department of State, Office of the Legal Adviser. She also served as a student attorney with the Immigration Institute of the Bay Area during her 2L spring quarter. While at SLS, Alana has co-led the Stanford Immigration and Human Rights Law Association, the Disability and Mental Health Network at Stanford, Older Wiser Law Students, and First Person. Before law school, Alana completed a master’s in science in Global Affairs at Tsinghua University as a Schwarzman Scholar, and a bachelor’s degree in Public Policy Analysis at Pomona College. She previously worked with DAI, the International Organization for Migration, and World Relief. She also completed a Fulbright Research Grant in the Philippines and founded the Beautiful Crossing (www.beautifulcrossing.com), an organization dedicated to raising awareness about the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program. Alana is originally from Chicago and loves long-distance cycling, trail running, and Latin dance. Ask me about... Immigration or international law.
Saseen Najjar
Saseen is a third-year law student and aspiring advocate for the democracy reform, labor, and environmental movements. Before law school, he worked as a public sector consultant, science journalist, and political survey research manager. At SLS he has participated in the Environmental Law Clinic, the Supreme Court Litigation Clinic, the Santa Clara County Law and Policy Practicum, and the MuSLSical. He also co-leads the Election Law Project, and has previously co-led the Housing Law Pro Bono, Law Students for Justice in Palestine, and First Person. He has spent his law school summers at the Democracy and Civic Engagement team of the ACLU of Northern California and Altshuler Berzon LLP. He is an avid rock climber and skier. Ask me about... Election law, environmental law, plaintiff's work, private public interest firms, non-profits.
Sam Potter
Sam is from Martha's Vineyard, MA, and attended the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, CO, where she majored in Legal Studies and English Literature. Sam commissioned into the Air Force and spent her first assignment pursuing an MPhil in International Relations at the University of Oxford as a Holaday Scholar. Prior to law school, Sam served as an Acquisitions Officer in Boston, MA, where she managed the latest command and control platform for 35,000 military police as well as oversaw a $14M deployment. At Stanford, Sam has served on the boards of the Stanford National Security and the Law Society (SNSLS) and the Stanford Journal of International Law (SJIL) and is the founder and president of the Stanford Space Law Society (SSLS). Sam spent her 1L and 2L summers interning with the Air Force's Judge Advocate General Corps as well as her 2L year externing with NASA's International and Space Law Practice Group (ISLPG). After graduation, Sam will continue her commitment to service as a Judge Advocate where she aspires to influence outer space policy and law. Ask me about... National security; outer space; JAG; NASA.
Stasia Reisinger
Stasia plans to be a public defender and is dedicated to prison abolition and ending mass incarceration. Before law school, Stasia worked in immigration advocacy in Chicago and is interested in the intersectional relationships between justice issues. Stasia spent her 1L summer at the Orleans Public Defender in New Orleans, LA her 2L summer at the Alaska Public Defender Agency in Kenai, AK. Stasia is from Evansville, IN and attended undergrad at Notre Dame. Ask me about... Public defense, the Community Law Clinic, and the Immigration Policy Tracking Project.
Nikta Shahbaz
Nikta is a third-year law student interested in appellate work. She was a Finalist in the Kirkwood Moot Court competition and now serves as Co-President of the board. She also founded and leads the Appellate Advocacy Club at Stanford Law. She is the Managing Editor of the Stanford Journal of Blockchain Law & Policy and has done research work for the Cyber Policy Center. Nikta has also spent time on rule of law work at the World Justice Project in Washington, D.C. She will be clerking after law school. Ask me about... Ask me about appellate law.
Ross Snyder
Ross Snyder is a 3L from Denver, Colorado. Before coming to SLS he studied government and history at Georgetown and got a master's degree in comparative politics, with a focus on racial inequality, at Oxford. At SLS, Ross is Executive Editor of the Stanford Law Review, a Civil Justice Fellow with the Rhode Center, was a student leader of the Social Security Disability Pro Bono project (SSDP), co-president of the Law & Political Economy club, and a research assistant at the Stanford Center for Racial Justice. He partook in the Community Law Clinic his 2L Spring. Ross spent his 1L summer defending against evictions in Brooklyn Housing Court with Legal Services New York City and spent his 2L summer working in the Appellate Section of the Civil Rights Division in the Department of Justice. After graduating, Ross plans on working in appellate civil rights advocacy. Ask me about... Ask me about civil rights law, direct services, appellate work, fellowships & clerkships, and good bookstores around Palo Alto (and/or tell me about them, please).
Kiran Wattamwar
I grew up in Edison, New Jersey though I have come to call DC home. I graduated from MIT, studying computer science and architecture. After graduate school, I joined Palantir's Privacy and Civil Liberties team, focusing on defense and human rights protections. During law school, I interned at the Electronic Privacy Information Center, ACLU NorCal's Technology & Civil Liberties team, and the ACLU's Speech, Privacy and Technology team. At SLS, I've been involved with the Transgender, Gender-Variant & Intersex Pro Bono Project, STLR, and JIPIC. I'm excited to help in any way I can for folks interested in pursuing public interest work. Ask me about... Technology and Civil Liberties
Sarah Wishingrad
Sarah is originally from Los Angeles, California. Before law school, she got her B.A. in history from Stanford and her MSt in Modern British History from the University of Oxford; she also worked as a paralegal in Washington, D.C. At SLS, she has led the Prisoner Legal Services pro bono project and Older & Wiser Law Students (OWLS). Sarah spent her 1L summer with Reprieve UK and her 2L summer with the Capital Habeas Unit at the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California. Ask me about... Public defense, habeas work, capital (death penalty) defense.
About the Public Interest Mentoring Program
The Levin Center offers a formal mentoring program that matches first-year law students to student mentors based on shared practice interests. These small groups might meet for dinner off-campus, coffee on campus, or take a hike to the Dish while they chat about adjusting to law school, the 1L summer job search, or the challenges of securing entry-level public interest jobs. Registration for this program begins in the Fall quarter shortly after 1L Orientation.