$789,000 in Grants Awarded to 162 Students Working in Public Interest This Summer

With help from $789,000 in grants, 162 University of Virginia School of Law students will work in public service roles this summer.

The Law School’s Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center awarded $740,000 in UVA Law Public Service Summer Grants to 131 first-year and 31 second-year students. The grants are funded by gifts to the Law School Foundation from alumni and other donors. First-year students receive $4,000 and second-year students receive $7,000.

The student-run Public Interest Law Association’s PILA+ program offers additional money to grant recipients who will live in areas with high costs of living and receive little other financial assistance, other than the UVA Law grant. PILA raised $49,000 for the PILA+ program this past year, a 23% increase from last year, benefiting 31 students who received $1,000 each.

“We are thrilled to see so much continued support for public service work,” said Leah Gould, assistant dean for public service and director of the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center. “Between the Law School funding 100% of the baseline Public Service Summer Grants and the Public Interest Law Association coming together to provide additional support through PILA+ grants, UVA Law students can focus on providing much-needed hands-on legal work to further their employers’ critical missions around the country.”

Grant recipients are required to apply and qualify for the funding by volunteering their time for pro bono work — 40 hours per grant. Grantees must also have secured a public service or judicial internship position and agree to work at least 320 hours for their summer employers. This year, students volunteered over 8,842 hours, an average of 55 per student grantee.

To be eligible for PILA+ funding, a student must first receive a Public Service Center grant.

The goal of the PILA+ program is to bridge any gaps in funding to help ensure students have the financial flexibility to spend the summer pursuing a public interest opportunity, according to Sydney Hartman ’23, then-grants director for PILA.

“Thanks to the tireless fundraising efforts of this past year’s board, we were able to increase our financial support to each qualifying student over the previous year, demonstrating the Law School community’s continued dedication to supporting our public interest students,” Hartman said.

Here’s a look at four of the fellows’ summer plans. (See full list of jobs and locations)

Abigail Hauer ’24

Hometown: Baltimore

College/education: Gettysburg College, bachelor’s degree in mathematical economics and public policy

Summer job: Legal Aid DC, Domestic Violence/Family Law Unit

What she’ll be doing: I will be working with legal aid attorneys in their representation of survivors of domestic violence in family law matters and civil protection-order cases. I will also assist legal aid attorneys as they provide advice and representation on child support and paternity matters.

Goals: I hope to learn more about the pursuit of justice on both a direct client and systemic level for families, children and survivors of domestic violence.

Noa Jett ’25

Hometown: Gainesville, Florida; Pittsburgh

College/education: University of Pennsylvania, bachelor’s degree in urban studies

Summer job: Pennsylvania Institutional Law Project

What she’ll be doing: PILP is a legal aid organization dedicated to representing incarcerated and institutionalized persons in Pennsylvania with their civil rights and other civil claims through litigation and advocacy. As an intern, I will observe court appearances, conduct client interviews and depositions, review written discovery, do legal research and writing, and potentially help draft court pleadings.

Goals: Right now, I’m trying to decide between pursuing a career in either direct representation or strategic litigation, so I am looking forward to seeing which I gravitate toward this summer. I hope to become a better advocate for incarcerated individuals and to learn more about the pressing civil rights issues they face.

Ryan Moore ’25

Hometown: Columbus, Ohio

College/education: Ohio State University, bachelor’s degree in political science and economics; University of Chicago, master’s degree in international relations

Summer job: Fairfax County Public Defender’s Office

What he’ll be doing: I will be assisting lawyers in the public defender’s office with anything they might need to conduct their work. A cool thing about the Fairfax office is they run an end-of-semester mock trial where interns can use the skills they learned over the summer.

Goals: My long-term goals are to work either in criminal defense or civil rights, primarily protecting the right to vote. I see my summer internship with Fairfax as a great opportunity for real-world criminal law experience and the chance to use my skills to help people.

Shelby Singleton ’25

Hometown: Atlanta

College/education: George Washington University, bachelor’s degree in political communication

Summer job: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division

What she’ll be doing: I will assist with civil rights enforcement and policy matters. I will also conduct legal research and writing assignments; prepare for and staff meetings with members of the public and other federal, state and local government officials; and do other tasks that arise. 

Goals: My goal is to learn from Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, who has experience doing civil rights work for the DOJ as well as nonprofit organizations. I know I am called to civil rights work; however, I am not quite sure whether I would like to work for the government or for an organization. Ultimately, I am excited to learn from brilliant civil rights attorneys and hone my research and writing skills.

Next week, the Law School will report on where students who received sponsored public service fellowships and awards are headed.