Stanford Law Students and Alumni Receive Postgraduate Fellowships and Service Awards
–16 Stanford Law Fellowships, 14 External Fellowships, 8 Government Fellowships–
Stanford Law School (SLS) recognized 38 SLS graduates who received postgraduate fellowships in the fields of public interest, criminal justice, and others. Paid postgraduate fellowships allow law school graduates to work full time for a year (some organizations provide two years of funding) in a law-related endeavor designed to further the public interest. In addition, SLS students garnered community service awards for their pro bono and public service during their time at the law school.
Postgraduate Fellowships
Offered by the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law, the SLS fellowships are part of SLS’s broader efforts to support the pursuit of careers in public interest. Along with fellowships, SLS provides students several opportunities to learn about public interest law including a strong pro bono program, externships, mentorships, career services, speaker series and financial assistance. The Levin Center provides more than $4 million every year in direct grants to students for academic, summer and post-graduate programs.
Stanford Law School Fellowships
Margot Adams, JD ’19
“I will work in the Impact Litigation Unit, assisting with litigation that involves challenges to detention, policies that unlawfully restrict immigration benefits, and unlawful enforcement actions.”
Willa Collins, JD ’20
“I will represent severely rent-burdened East Harlem rent-stabilized tenants in rent overcharge claims under new state legislation with the goal of securing lasting neighborhood affordability and holding landlords accountable.”
Neil Damron, JD ’20
“I will work with the Fair Work Center to deploy new legal strategies to enforce and expand the rights of low-wage workers in the gig economy in Seattle and Washington.”
Armando Fernandez, JD ’20
“I will be assisting clients to enter and maintain their place in the workforce through comprehensive legal services. Those assisted will include current and former Legal Aid Chicago clients, including recently work-authorized immigrants and clients with expunged convictions or arrests.”
David Huang, JD ’19
“I will confront exploitative employment practices and working conditions for migrant agricultural workers in the South who work under contracting structures with limited accountability, providing representation, relief, and justice to this community.”
Mohit Khubchandani, LLM
“The ICJ, UN’s principal judicial organ, is thought to be the cornerstone of international justice and disputes resolution by many. As a Stanford Fellow, I will be assigned to a judge and assist in the adjudication of disputes brought to the World Court by sovereign nations or the United Nations.”
Liz Klein, JD ’19
“I will represent indigent clients charged with federal crimes as an attorney with the Federal Public Defender for the Northern District of Illinois, writing motions and briefs as well as appearing in court on behalf of low-income defendants.”
Tiffany Lieu, JD ’18
“I will defend immigrants’ rights by pursuing class action impact litigation and building the capacity of immigration attorneys to bring federal court litigation on behalf of immigrants.”
Liz Reetz, JD ’20
“I will be protecting the right to adequate medical care and freedom from criminalization for people experiencing psychiatric crisis, particularly in Oregon’s rural communities.”
Stanford Law School International Fellowships
Daniela Garcia Aguirre, LLM ’20
“As a legal advisor at AIDA’s ‘Advocating for Healthy Air’ program, I will provide technical support and develop policy and legal strategies to protect the right to a healthy environment for vulnerable groups harmed by air pollution in Latin America.”
Emily Hawley, JD ’20
“I will join the Free Yezidi Foundation in Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq, a local, Yezidi-run non-governmental organization, where I will work in an investigative and legal capacity in service of Yezidi survivors of ISIS genocide.”
Stanford Law School Civitas Fellowship
Anjuli Branz, JD ’19
“I will work as a public defender collaborating with attorneys across the criminal and civil practices to provide holistic representation to low-income residents of Upper Manhattan.”
Zach Waterman, JD ’20
“I will work as a misdemeanor attorney and second chair felony attorney to give teeth to indigent San Franciscans’ rights to reasonable expectation of privacy, effective assistance of counsel, a jury trial, and due process.”
Stanford Law School Criminal Defense Fellowship
Dennis Martin, JD/MS ’20
“I will represent indigent adults and children who are appealing trial losses or other adverse determinations. I will also work with PDS trial and appellate attorneys on cases and initiatives involving digital surveillance by district law enforcement.”
Additional Stanford Law School Funded Positions
Julia Neusner, JD ’20
“I will work with the refugee protection program at Human Rights First to expand asylum seekers’ access to counsel and develop policy solutions to improve due process in immigration proceedings.”
Rachel Waterman, JD ’20
“I plan to help clients in high-poverty inner-ring suburbs of St. Louis use legal tools to transform the abandoned properties in their neighborhoods into wealth-building community assets and to revitalize their neighborhoods according to their own vision.”
External Funded Fellowships
Deanna Rafla-Yuan, JD ’20
“I am joining the Public Counsel’s impact litigation arm, the Opportunity Under Law group, as their Sullivan & Cromwell fellow.”
Carly Hite, JD ’18
“I will provide direct representation and policy advocacy to reduce the number of Buffalo Public Schools students with disabilities who are suspended. I will advocate for an integrated suspension diversion program.”
Noah Breslau, JD ’20
“I aspire to reduce imprisonment in Illinois by ensuring that people on parole have full access to their constitutional rights—including effective procedural protections and state-funded representation—and by reducing the use of incarceration as the default response to perceived parole violations.”
Elizabeth Hannah, JD ’20
“I will be at the Catholic Legal Services in Miami where I will represent immigrants in removal proceedings.”
Mariel Perez Santiago, JD ’20
“I am thrilled to return to RAICES as an IJC Fellow, where I will represent detained families facing expedited removal.”
Makeba Rutahindurwa, JD ’19
“I will work on civil rights cases, including wrongful convictions, police misconduct, and other cases in the public interest.”
Michaela Ross, JD ’20
“As the Hunton Andrews Kurth Pro Bono Fellow I will be representing low-income people in Richmond, Virginia in civil legal matters. I will have a special focus on defending tenants from eviction and representing people in family law cases.”
Amanda McCaffrey, JD ’20
“I will be working on pro bono cases for 100% of my time via DLA Piper’s fellowship.”
External Public Interest Positions
Juan Barragan, JD ’20
“As a staff attorney, I will be traveling throughout rural Georgia assisting low-Income farmworkers in employment related matters. I’ll also provide legal assistance to survivors of human trafficking in the agricultural industry.”
Nicholas Eckenwiler, JD ’20
“I will work as a housing lawyer in Brooklyn, defending clients who face eviction.”
Danny Martinez, JD ’20
“I will be working on direct representation and legal services to individuals before immigration courts and agencies.”
External Public Defender Positions
Maddy Bullard, JD ’20
Colorado Public Defender
Ashley Brooks, JD ’20
New Jersey Office of the Public Defender
Emma Schindler, JD '19
Brooklyn Defender Services
Government Honors Positions
Elliot Higgins, JD ’18
U.S. Department of Justice’s Environment and Natural Resources Division via the Honors Attorney program
Andrew Jones, JD ’19
Representing the United States as an Assistant United States Attorney in the Southern District of New York
Yoni Pomeranz, JD ’19
Department of Justice Antitrust Division as a James F. Rill Fellow
Kevin Soter, JD ’18
U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Division, Appellate Section, via the Honors Attorney program
Kyle Grigel, JD ’19
U.S. DOJ Bristow Fellowship Program, serving as a Bristow Fellow in the U.S. Solicitor General’s Office
Katie Di Lucido, JD ’20
The Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System working in the Banking Regulation & Policy division, addressing legal issues related to the stability and regulation of the financial system
George S. Brown, JD ’20
U.S. Department of Defense Honors Program
Samson Schatz, JD’ 18
D.C. Office of the Attorney General Appellate Litigation Fellowship serving as an Appellate Litigation Fellow in the District of Columbia Office of the Solicitor General
SLS Honors Student Leaders in Service
In May, Stanford Law School (SLS) students were honored for their community service work, pro bono activities and contributions in public interest law during an online ceremony attended by faculty, staff, students and family members. At the event, Dean Jenny Martinez spoke about the importance of nurturing a strong community at the law school that supports public service, especially critical during the current issues due to the pandemic and resulting economic downturn.
Leon M. Cain Community Service Award
Named in honor of Leon Cain, a highly regarded third-year Stanford Law School student who died just before his third year of law school, the Leon M. Cain Community Award was initially created in 2018 as the Community Leadership Award but was renamed in 2019 in recognition of Leon’s leadership and impact on the SLS community. The award, voted on by the student body, was presented to a student in each class who strengthened the law school community through their leadership, support and care.
Aryn Frazier, JD’ 22
Michelle Portillo, JD ‘21
Diana Sánchez, JD ‘20
Diana Guzmán Rodríguez, JSD ‘20
Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship
The Lisa M. Schnitzer Memorial Scholarship was established by the family and friends of Lisa M. Schnitzer, a first-year student at Stanford Law School who was killed in a car accident in 1987.The scholarship recognizes a public interest student completing the first year in law school who will spend 1L summer working for a public interest/public sector employer, a charitable organization, or another nonprofit organization working in the public interest. It was designed to be a lasting tribute to Lisa, in recognition of her deeply held commitment to helping others, particularly those less fortunate. The recipient of this award is selected by a committee comprised of law students who represent Women of Stanford Law, Stanford Public Interest Law Foundation and the Stanford Law Association.
Saraphin Dhanani, JD ‘22
Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award
The Deborah L. Rhode Public Interest Award recognizes graduating students whose activities have resulted in outstanding contributions to underrepresented groups or public interest causes outside of Stanford Law School and/or outstanding public service within the law school.
The award selection committee—comprised entirely of alumni who are past Rhode Award winners—chose two recipients who were nominated by faculty, staff and fellow students.
Julia Neusner, JD ‘20
Diana Sánchez, JD ‘20