The SLS Plaintiffs’ Law Association (PLA) endeavors to build a community of SLS students and alumni dedicated to working on behalf of plaintiffs across an array of practice areas, and showing students that there are more options in their legal career than just big law or nonprofits.

To accomplish this goal, SLS PLA will:

1. Conduct on-campus programming to support student interest in the world of plaintiffs’ lawyering.
2. Host prominent practitioners from diverse practice areas and backgrounds to engage with students and answer questions about their practice.
3. Hold events where SLS faculty can advise students on courses of study, clerkships, and broader developments in the field.
4. Organize student panels and mixers on various topics, including summer experiences, future plans, and recommendations for success.
5. Build an active and robust alumni network of SLS plaintiffs’ lawyers, so that SLS students and alumni in the field can build and sustain invaluable connections throughout their professional practice.
6. Partner with the Office of Career Services and the Levin Center to increase institutional support for students interested in pursuing plaintiffs’-side work.

Ultimately, students interested in plaintiffs’ law will be able to turn to SLS PLA first for any resource related to the profession—information, community support, and guidance, etc.—throughout their time at SLS and beyond!

The Stanford PLA is also incredibly lucky to have so many amazing supporters in the Stanford Law community, including Shanin Specter (faculty advisor) and Nora Freeman Engstrom.

Plaintiffs’ Attorney Alumni

The Stanford PLA loves to connect with alumni who are practicing as plaintiffs’ attorneys, and considers itself incredibly lucky to have so many outstanding alumni willing to devote time and resources to supporting the PLA.

There are two email lists that the Stanford PLA has created for plaintiffs’ law alumni:

• The Stanford PLA Alumni Mailing List: this is how current students in the Stanford PLA keep in touch with alumni via quarterly newsletters. Join the mailing list here.
• The Stanford Plaintiffs’ Attorney email group: this is how Stanford Law alums practicing as plaintiffs’ attorneys can contact each other to share jobs, refer cases, seek local counsel etc. Join the email group here.

Alumni who would like to share a job posting for students or get involved with the PLA group by mentoring students or speaking on campus should email slsplaintiffs@gmail.com.

History of the Stanford Plaintiffs’ Law Association

The Stanford PLA was founded in 2017 by Nathan Werksman ’18 and Zachary Glubiak ’18, and was the first law school PLA in the country, starting a movement that has now spread to dozens of law schools nationwide. After a hiatus during the Covid years, the Stanford PLA was revived by Jessica Seigel, Lena Nelson and Julia Gokhberg for the Class of 2024. In 2025, the Stanford PLA expanded by creating the PLA Workshop, which Lisa Qian ’26 founded to bring students skills training that was missing from law school curriculum, including skills like taking depositions. Open to all Bay Area law students, the PLA Workshop has grown into a full-fledged class at Stanford Law that brings together alumni practicing as plaintiffs’ attorneys and the student community for two days of fun and learning. Today, the Stanford PLA is one of the most active student groups on campus and puts on dozens of events, including keynote speakers, job workshops, socials and conferences.

Past leadership:

• Nathan Werksman ’18
• Zachary Glubiak ’18
• Hannah Matsunaga ’19
• Jessica Seigel ’24
• Lena Nelson ’24
• Julia Gokhberg ’24
• Marit Vike ’25
• Kenny Chang ’25
• Lisa Qian ’26
• Gabby Smith ’27
• Isabella Jackson-Saitz ’27
• Danielle Harris ’27