With the help of a historically high $750,000 in grants, 162 University of Virginia School of Law students will work in public service roles this summer.
The grants, which will benefit 128 first-year students and 34 second-year students, are awarded through a partnership between the Law School’s Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center and the student-run Public Interest Law Association.
Gifts by alumni and donors are the primary sources of funding. PILA also holds a series of fundraising events each year, including an auction and book sale, to help raise money for grants. First-years receive $4,000 and second-years $7,000.
“Grants for both 1Ls and 2Ls were increased this year, thanks to the generosity of our alumni, donors and the Law School Foundation,” said Annie Kim ’99, assistant dean for public service and director of the Mortimer Caplin Public Service Center. “I’m so pleased that this increased funding and the launch of our new Democracy Summer Fellowship are giving more financial support than ever to our public service students.”
Grant recipients are required to apply and qualify for the funding by volunteering their time for pro bono work — 40 hours for first-year students and 80 hours for second-year students. Grantees must also have secured a public service or judicial internship position and agree to volunteer their services for fundraising and other public service projects through PILA. This year, students volunteered over 5,000 hours, an average of 31 per student grantee.
“This tumultuous year of social isolation has been tough,” PILA President Elizabeth Harris ’22 said. “It is even more of an honor than usual this summer to see our students working diligently toward effectuating change for the better, and advocating for critically important societal causes.”
Here’s a look at what four of the fellows have planned. (See full list of jobs and locations)
Montell Brown ’23
Hometown: Cincinnati
College/education: University of Pennsylvania, B.A. in criminology, M.S.Ed in urban education
Summer job: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia
What he’ll be doing: I will be helping the assistant U.S. attorneys with legal research and writing, aiding trial preparation, developing trial advocacy skills and observing court proceedings. I will be working in both the Criminal Division and the Civil Division to receive a wide breadth of experience inside the U.S. Attorney’s Office. I will work on a variety of issues with a special emphasis on violations of civil rights, crimes against children and public corruption. Finally, I will gain an in-depth exposure to the role of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in protecting the community while ensuring justice.
Goals: Throughout this experience, it is my goal to gain a deeper understanding of how the criminal justice system operates. I have had experience on the state and local level. Now, I will learn the intricacies of the federal criminal justice system in order to observe the disparities that exist on this level, while remaining steadfast in my commitment to ensuring equitable and just outcomes for all who are involved in the criminal justice system. Lastly, I want to learn how federal prosecutors use their legal skills and the full force of the federal government to seek justice in the United States.
Madeleine Hart ’23
Hometown: Long Beach, California
College/education: University of California, Irvine, B.A. in psychology
Summer job: Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office
What she’ll be doing: I’ll be participating in the summer law clerk program at Los Angeles County Public Defenders. The summer will be split in half at two different offices in the county. At each, I will be assisting deputy public defenders on a wide range of tasks, including writing briefs and motions, and assisting with investigations. If COVID-19 cases in the L.A. area stay low, I will also be able to participate in client interviews.
Goals: My goals for the summer are mainly to gain a deeper understanding of the day-to-day work of a public defender. Working directly with clients is a part of the job of being a public defender that particularly appeals to me, so I am really hoping that I will be able to help out with client interviews. Furthermore, I am looking forward to sharpening some of the practical legal skills I acquired during 1L year and getting to apply them in actual cases. I am also just very excited to get to return home and help provide an important service to people in my community.
Sujaya Rajguru ’22
Hometown: Lakeland, Florida
College/education: University of Florida, B.A. in history
Summer job: NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Washington, D.C.
What she’ll be doing: I will be assisting LDF’s litigation and advocacy efforts through legal research and writing, factual investigations, discovery review, and developing educational and outreach materials.
Goals: I am excited to have the opportunity to contribute to LDF’s work fighting racial injustice and to meet individuals who are also committed to this mission. I look forward to learning more about working at a nonprofit and about the intricacies of LDF’s advocacy efforts.
Tim Shriver ’22
Hometown: Chevy Chase, Maryland
Education: Yale University, B.A. in ethics, politics and economics
Summer job: U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section, Washington, D.C.
What he’ll be doing: I am working for the Special Litigation Section within the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. The Special Litigation Section is probably best known for its patterns and practices investigations of police departments. But it also works to protect the civil rights of individuals in correctional facilities and the juvenile justice system and individuals with disabilities in state institutions, as well as individuals with religious liberty claims in correctional facilities (under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act) and individuals seeking to access reproductive health (under the FACE Act). I hope to focus on police work but would be excited to work in any of the areas.
Goals: My goals are to learn as much as I can about the expansive work of the section and get to know the incredible lawyers there. I’m seriously considering applying to the DOJ Honors Program after school, and I hope my time this summer will clarify for me whether that is the right path.
Federal Government |
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Administrative Conference of the United States | Washington, D.C. |
Federal Election Commission | Washington, D.C. |
Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission, Office of Administrative Law Judges |
Washington, D.C. |
Federal Trade Commission, Bureau of Competition | Washington, D.C. |
General Services Administration, Office of Inspector General | Washington, D.C. |
National Labor Relations Board, Division of Judges | Washington, D.C. |
Securities and Exchange Commission | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Army JAG Corps (2) | Fort Knox, Ky. |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Nevada | Las Vegas |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey | Newark, N.J. |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Pennsylvania | Philadelphia |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Virginia (2) | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of California | San Diego |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of Florida | Miami |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Southern District of New York | New York |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Virginia | Charlottesville |
U.S. Attorney’s Office, Western District of Washington | Seattle |
U.S. Commission on Civil Rights | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Departmental Appeals Board |
Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Housing and Civil Enforcement Section |
Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Special Litigation Section | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Appellate Section | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section (2) | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Office of Enforcement Operations |
Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, National Courts Section | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Justice, Tax Division | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Labor, Regional Office of the Solicitor | Arlington, Va. |
U.S. Department of State | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel, CAVC Litigation Group |
Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of General Counsel, Court of Appeals Litigation Group |
Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (2) | San Francisco |
U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, Division of Enforcement | New York |
U.S. Senate, Office of Senator Marsha Blackburn | Washington, D.C. |
Judicial |
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California Supreme Court | San Francisco |
Florida Supreme Court | Tallahassee, Fla. |
Georgia Court of Appeals | Atlanta |
Michigan 30th Circuit Court, Ingham County | Lansing, Mich. |
New York Supreme Court | New York |
Supreme Court of Wyoming | Cheyenne, Wyo. |
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas | Austin, Texas |
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit | Columbus, Ohio |
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit | Pittsburgh |
U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (6) | Washington, D.C. |
U.S. District Court for the District of Connecticut | Bridgeport, Conn. |
U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland (2) | Greenbelt, Md. |
U.S. District Court for the District of Montana | Missoula, Mont. |
U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts | Boston |
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida (2) | Orlando, Fla. |
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois | Chicago |
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York | Albany, N.Y. |
U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas (2) | Waco, Texas |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of California (2) | San Diego |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida | Fort Pierce, Fla. |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Indiana | Indianapolis |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York (3) | New York |
U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio | Dayton, Ohio |
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Missouri | Kansas City, Kan. |
U.S. District Court for the Western District of North Carolina (2) | Charlotte, N.C. |
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Texas | Midland, Texas |
U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia (2) | Lynchburg, Va. |
Legal Services/Nonprofits |
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ACLU, National Prison Project | Washington, D.C. |
American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law | Washington, D.C. |
American Oversight | Washington, D.C. |
Animal Equality | Los Angeles |
Asian Pacific Islander Legal Outreach | San Francisco |
Ayuda Legal | San Juan, Puerto Rico |
Center for Justice and Accountability | San Francisco |
Central Virginia Legal Aid Society (2) | Charlottesville |
Columbia University, Knight First Amendment Institute | New York |
Communities Resist | New York |
Conservation Law Foundation | Boston |
disAbility Law Center | Richmond, Va. |
Earth Rights International | Washington, D.C. |
East Bay Sanctuary Covenant | Berkeley, Calif. |
Environmental Integrity Project | Washington, D.C. |
Environmental Law Institute | Washington, D.C. |
Equality California | Los Angeles |
First Liberty Institute | Plano, Texas |
Florida Justice Institute | Miami |
Georgia Justice Project | Atlanta |
Government Accountability Institute | Tallahassee, Fla. |
Home for Good | Panama City, Fla. |
Human Rights Now | Tokyo |
Institute for Justice | Austin, Texas |
Just Neighbors (2) | Annandale, Va. |
Juvenile Law Center | Philadelphia |
Legal Aid Justice Center (7) | Charlottesville |
Los Angeles Center for Law and Justice | Los Angeles |
MacArthur Justice Center | New Orleans |
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund | Washington, D.C. |
National Council for Incarcerate and Formerly Incarcerated Women & Girls | Washington, D.C. |
National Treasury Employees Union | Washington, D.C. |
New York University Law School, Brennan Center for Justice | Washington, D.C. |
New York University, Office of General Counsel | New York |
Northeast Justice Center | Lawrence, Mass. |
Political Economy Research Institute | Murfreesboro, Tenn. |
Promise of Justice Initiative | New Orleans |
Sanctuary for Families (2) | New York |
Southern Environmental Law Center (2) | Charlottesville |
Sugar Law Center | Detroit |
The Capital Appeals Project | New Orleans |
The Illinois Prison Project | Chicago |
The Legal Aid Society of D.C. | Washington, D.C. |
The Rutherford Institute | Charlottesville |
Vermont Prisoners’ Rights Office | Montpelier, Vt. |
Yale Center for Educational Law & Policy | New Haven, Conn. |
Prosecution |
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Albemarle County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office (2) | Charlottesville |
Charlottesville Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office | Charlottesville |
Maricopa County Attorney’s Office | Phoenix |
Public Defense |
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Alexandria Public Defender’s Office | Alexandria, Va. |
Charlottesville-Albemarle Public Defender’s Office | Charlottesville |
Chittenden Public Defender’s Office | Burlington, Vt. |
Dallas County Public Defender’s Office | Dallas, Texas |
Federal Defender Program, Inc. | Atlanta |
Federal Public Defender, Eastern District of Virginia (2) | Norfolk, Va. |
Federal Public Defender, Middle District of Florida | Fort Myers, Fla. |
Federal Public Defender, Western District of Pennsylvania | Pittsburgh |
Federal Public Defender, Western District of Virginia (2) | Charlottesville |
Georgia Public Defender Council, Office of the Appellate Defender | Atlanta |
Law Offices of the Shelby County Public Defender | Memphis, Tenn. |
Legal Aid Society of New York | New York |
Legal Aid Society of New York City, Juvenile Rights Division | New York |
Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office | Los Angeles |
Lynchburg Public Defender’s Office | Lynchburg, Va. |
Marin County Public Defender | San Rafael, Calif. |
Mecklenburg County Public Defender’s Office | Charlotte, N.C. |
New Jersey Office of the Public Defender, Morris Region | Morristown, N.J. |
Orleans Public Defenders | New Orleans |
Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia | Washington, D.C. |
Richmond Public Defender’s Office (2) | Richmond, Va. |
State and Local Government |
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Alaska Department of Law (2) | Anchorage, Alaska |
Albemarle County Attorney’s Office | Charlottesville |
California Attorney General’s Office, Appeals, Writs, and Trials Division | San Francisco |
Madison County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office | Madison, Va. |
NYC Department of Information Technology and Telecommunications | New York |
Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office | Providence, R.I. |
Founded in 1819, the University of Virginia School of Law is the second-oldest continuously operating law school in the nation. Consistently ranked among the top law schools, Virginia is a world-renowned training ground for distinguished lawyers and public servants, instilling in them a commitment to leadership, integrity and community service.