Maranzano Named Skadden Fellow

Jennifer Maranzano is among 25 graduating law students nationwide selected as this year's Skadden Fellows, an award that helps young lawyers enter public service legal careers. Maranzano will represent clients of Bread For The City in Washington, D.C., in domestic violence cases and housing disputes.

Third-year law student Jennifer Maranzano plans to work for Bread For The City in Southeast Washington D.C.

A private, nonprofit organization, Bread For The City takes a "holistic approach" to providing services to the poor in depressed areas of the Nation's Capital, Maranzano said. "They'll help you with food, clothing, getting to see a doctor, or with legal problems." Created in 1976 by a combination of Washington churches, it currently feeds about 6,500 people a month. Its legal clinic takes on about 250 cases a year.

"I think this is what I really want do," Maranzano said. "I'm really excited to get this opportunity. I expect to be going to court to prevent evictions and handling administrative claims. A lot of Bread For The City's clients are in public housing." She said she expects to be working in Southeast D.C. and is hoping to move back to Dupont Circle, where she lived when she worked on Capitol Hill before coming to the Law School.

Regarded as the most prestigious public service fellowship for young lawyers, the Skadden pays fellows $37,500 in salary for two years, plus their law school loan payments. Applicants must have a sponsoring organization and a proposal for how they will help deliver legal services to indigent and underrepresented clients in order to apply. Maranzano called the application process "tough" and competitive.

"The Skadden is the public service fellowship," said Kimberly Emery, director of the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center at the Law School. "Over the years, Skadden Fellows have become a national network of public interest lawyers sharing contacts, strategies and other useful information. We are absolutely thrilled to have Jen Marazano join this network."

The firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom created the fellowships in 1988 to mark the firm's fortieth anniversary and has extended the program since then. Fellowship choices reflect the promise of students and the proven effectiveness of their sponsoring organizations. After a culling process, semifinalists are interviewed by the firm's partners and a final group of 25 fellows is selected each December by the Fellowship Foundation's Board of Trustees. Past fellows from the Law School include Chinh Quang Le in 2001, Tim Freilich and Christine Ellertson in 1999 and Mary Bauer in 1990. The Skadden Fellowship was used as the model for the Law School's Powell Fellowship in Legal Services, which was awarded this year to Lise Adams.

Maranzano said she'll be taking the bar exam in July and hopes to travel to Nepal before starting work with Bread For The City in September.