Stanford Law School students, a faculty member, and an alumna were recognized for their contributions to public interest law and pro bono work during the annual Spring Public Interest Awards Reception on May 14. The standing-room-only event, presented by the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law, also paid tribute to the recently sunsetted Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation (SPILF), a student-led organization that helped lay the foundation for today’s robust public interest programs at the law school.

Dean George Triantis, JSD ’89, Richard E. Lang Professor of Law, opened the event by welcoming attendees and applauding the honorees. He commended the remarkable work of the Levin Center, noting the synergy produced between the passion for service among Stanford Law students and the institutional commitment and culture supporting it. Triantis also noted that two new pro bono initiatives were launched this year: the Stanford Art Law Pro Bono Project, which addresses legal challenges in the arts community, and the Stanford Immigration and Human Rights Action Hub, which connects students with immigration-focused nonprofits seeking research support.

Many students engage with the Levin Center initiatives. Forty-nine students participated in the Levin Center’s Alternative Spring Break, using their growing legal expertise to assist organizations and communities across the country. During their three years at Stanford Law, 22 graduating students completed more than 300 hours of pro bono work, another 19 logged between 150 and 299 hours, and 74 contributed 50 to 149 hours. Twenty-nine members of the class of ’25 and recent graduates will start public interest jobs in the fall.

“Carrying out a passion for service can only be accomplished through an institutional commitment and within an institutional culture that values it,” Triantis said.

Honoring SPILF

Anna Wang, associate dean for public service and public interest law, offered a tribute to the Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation (SPILF), a student-led effort started in 1978 that raised funds every year to support public interest initiatives, including summer public interest funding, student initiative grants, and postgraduate fellowships. Over the years, the Levin Center assumed responsibility for these programs and took over funding and administering them, leading to the sunsetting of SPILF last year.  

“SPILF truly laid the groundwork for nearly all of today’s public interest initiatives at Stanford Law School,” Wang said. “It really brought the law school community together, inspired by a shared commitment to making a difference in the world.”

Award Winners

Stacy Villalobos, JD ’15, director of the racial economic justice program at Legal Aid at Work, was the winner of the annual Miles L. Rubin Award, which recognizes an alum who graduated in the last 10 years and whose work has advanced justice and social change in the lives of vulnerable populations on a community, national, or international level.  

Joanna Grossman, JD ’94, the Herman Phleger Visiting Professor of Law, received the inaugural Public Interest Faculty Champion award in recognition of her mentorship of Stanford Law students and advocacy for public interest career paths and public service. 

Rebecca Berman, JD ’25; Hannah Fleischmann, JD  ’25; and Amanpreet Singh, JD ’25, received the annual Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award, which 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. Deborah L. Rhode, who was the Ernest W. McFarland Professor of Law and director of the Center on the Legal Profession, endowed the award before her passing in 2021. 

Rodrigo Moreno, JD ’27, won the Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship which is awarded annually to a first-year student who has demonstrated a strong commitment to helping the disadvantaged and who will work for a nonprofit organization or government agency during the summer following the first year.

About the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law

The John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law works to make public service an integral part of every student’s legal education. Through courses, research, pro bono projects, public lectures, academic conferences, funding opportunities, and career development support, the Center helps shape the values students carry into their professional lives. It also advances programming and scholarship that strengthen the public interest legal community and promote broader access to justice.

About Stanford Law School 

Stanford Law School is one of the nation’s leading institutions for legal scholarship and education. Its alumni are among the most influential decision makers in law, politics, business, and high technology. Faculty members argue before the Supreme Court, testify before Congress, produce outstanding legal scholarship and empirical analysis, and contribute regularly to the nation’s press as legal and policy experts. Stanford Law School has established a model for legal education that provides rigorous interdisciplinary training, hands-on experience, global perspective and a focus on public service.