2009 Fellowships
Yasmin Dwedar, 2011
Legal Unit, Manhattan Borough President's Office
Yasmin's PILA Fellowship allowed her to work in the Legal Unit ofthe Manhattan Borough President's Office. There, she learned how to research andanalyze legal memoranda on a variety of legal issues related to public policyand litigation. Yasmin was also afforded the opportunity to research arguments for aCourt of Appeals amicus briefinvolving improper rent increases on rent-controlled/rent-stabilized housing. Yasmin alsoassisted in organizing and conducting outreach for community meetings andhelped with legal intake on employment cases and naturalization matters. Yasmin says, "I hadsuch a positive and meaningful experience interning at the Manhattan BoroughPresident's Office and my PILA fellowship helped make that possible."
Patrick Foster, 2011
U.S. EPA, Region III, OECEJ
While at the EPA Patrickhad a dual posting atthe Office of Regional Counsel (ORC) andthe Office of Enforcement, Compliance andEnvironmental Justice (OECEJ). Hiswork forthe ORC focused on reviewing regulatory files andassisting lead counsel on a multimedia enforcement matter.Half of Patrick's clerkship was spent in OECEJ working on environmentaljusticepolicy. Patrick learned daily of the plightof urban and rural cases of environmental justicethroughout thediverse states in Region III. The most visceral example of the need forremediationin communities came from a site visit to Chester, PA with representatives from the Region III environmental justiceteam, thePennsylvania Environmental Justice Coordinator and theDirector ofEnvironmental Justice from EPA Headquarters. In Chesterthe group met withcommunity leaders concerned with ongoingenvironmental problems. The visit was as an example of institutionalized racism andclassism in the form ofenvironmental burdening.
Bradley Parker, 2010
Defence for Children International
Brad interned at Defence for Children InternationalPalestine Section (DCI-Palestine) in Ramallah, Palestine. DCI-Palestine is a Palestinian child rights organization, affiliated with aninternational movement that represents and advocates on behalf of Palestinian children living in Gaza and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.At DCI-Palestine, Bard analyzed testimonies from eyewitnesses and victims of human rights violations and conducted legal research in order to draft various reports on Palestinian child rights violations. Brad contributed to DCI-Palestines submission to the UN Fact Finding Mission on Gaza, headed by Justice Richard Goldstone. Brad also attended and participated in both internal advocacy planning meetings and external meetings with various UN bodies, including meetings at the local UNICEF country office to discuss child protection issues and human rights violations documented by DCI-Palestine. He also supported the legal defense of Palestinian children charged in Israeli military courts. Brad thanks PILA and says, "Without the financial support from PILA this opportunity would not have been possible."
Mona Patel, 2010
ACLU of Michigan
The PILA fellowship enabled Mona to intern with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Michigan at their office in Detroit. Mona was primarily tasked with preparing memos that addressed numerous issues in preparation for filing a civil action involving a Detroit ordinance that criminalized "loitering in a place of illegal occupation." The issues Mona analyzed included whether the ordinance was an impermissible strict liability law and whether the ACLU had viable claims under the void-for-vagueness doctrine, the Fourth Amendment and the First Amendment. In addition to the legal research and writing, she investigated unlawful courtroom practices in Michigan that inherently criminalized poverty. This internship provided Mona with an extensive understanding of the institutionalized racism from which Detroit suffers and an opportunity to battle the resulting civil rights violations through litigation.
Davida Silverman, 2010
National Center for Youth Law
Over the summer, Davida interned with the National Center for Youth Law in Oakland, CA. This organization is dedicated to improving the lives of children in poverty and foster youth. Her summer was split between working on a class-action lawsuit to improve the Las Vegas foster care system and working on policy to improve institutional provisions for adolescent health. The work was challenging and interesting and the attorneys were inspiring. Davida is greatly appreciative to PILA for the opportunity to work at such a wonderful organization and says, "I could not have had this experience without the fellowship."
Kendall Stagg, 2011
Clark County Public Defenders Office
Kendall spent the summer working for thePublic Defender in Las Vegas one of the busiest public defendersoffices in the nation. Kendall's internshipinvolved extensive contact withclients, trial preparation, and regular courtroom attendance.The legal proceedings Kendall observed includedarraignments, preliminary hearings in justice court, misdemeanortrials in justice court, felony trials indistrict court, andsentencing in district court. Primarily he performed legal research and legal writing supporting the work of public defenders handling a variety of matters. Kendall alsoengaged in client interviews andcounseling with defendants who were facing misdemeanor charges.
Jennifer Wallner, 2010
Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society
Jenny interned at the Kathryn A. McDonald Education Advocacy Project at the Legal Aid Society. This projects aims to ensure that children in the child welfare system receive the appropriate special education services. Jenny worked closely with law guardians (lawyers representing children in family court proceedings) to make sure that those children were receiving the appropriate special education services in school. She went to schools throughout New York City and Westchester to assess whether clients were receiving the services they were entitled to by law, and if not, find ways to make sure their rights were not being violated. This internship was a wonderful experience for Jenny. It solidified her interest in education law, an area I hope to practice once completing law school.
2008 Fellowships
Suzanne Adely
Arabic Network for Human Rights Information
I was employed with a Egyptian organization called the Arabic Network for Human Rights Information (ANHRI). Its main area of work is Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Opinion. My work this summer consisted of working with the translation team to disseminate information about human rights abuses in the Arab World for their English website and reports.
Alana Chazan
Human Rights Commission of the City and County of San Francisco
This summer I interned at the Human Rights Commission of the City and County of San Francisco, in their LGBT and HIV division. I worked diligently in my internship to enforce the City's Equal Protection and Equal Benefits ordinances. I would never have been able to spend my summer doing the invaluable public interest work that I did this summer if it had not been for my PILA award. I thank the PILA Board of 2007-2008 for giving me the opportunity to do such invaluable work enforcing the equal protections, benefits and rights of the LGBT and HIV/AIDS communities.
Leon Jacobson
Interned at the U.S. Justice Department
In the Summer of 2008, I applied my PILA Fellowship Award towards a summer law internship at the U.S. Justice Department, Civil Rights Division. I worked halfway between the Capitol and the White House at the Special Litigation Section at a time when Congressional studies revealed a pervasive culture of cronyism and partisan hiring practices, particularly in the Civil Rights Division. I am grateful to the PILA Fellowship Committee for enabling me to have to pursue this internship.
Madhuri Kumar
National Litigation Project at the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School
My experience at the National Litigation Project at the Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic at Yale Law School provided me the opportunity to work closely with human rights-related litigation, particularly on claims arising out of the Bush administration's so-called war on terror. My work was especially rewarding after the Supreme Court decided in Boumediene that Guantanamo detainees, who are non-citizens, had habeas corpus rights. It would not have been possible for me to increase my lawyering skills without the financial grant from PILA.
Rebeka Penberg
Children's Rights Inc.
Children's Rights is a national advocacy group working to reform the child welfare system through civil rights class action lawsuits that are brought on behalf of children who have suffered constitutional violations while in state custody. There was no shortage of work. The entire office was full of energy and excitement. The experience at Children's Rights reminded me why I had come to CUNY, why I had pursued a legal career, and most importantly, it afforded me the opportunity to see how the legal system could effect so much change.
Christina Tenuta
New York Legal Assistance Group
I am grateful to the CUNY Public Interest Law Association for providing the financial means necessary to pursue a summer internship in public interest law. Without the funding support I would not have been able to dedicate my first summer of law school to working at the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), a small non-profit law firm. I was drawn to NYLAG because of their work in the area of family law with an emphasis on serving low-income clients involved in domestic violence situations.
Jenny Turpin
Interned at the Brooklyn Family Defense Project
I am thankful for a 2008 PILA scholarship which allowed me to be a summer intern at Brooklyn Family Defense Project (BFDP). BFDP is one of three organizations granted money by New York City in 2007 to improve the quality of defense given to indigent parents who are facing neglect and abuse charges from the New York City Administration of Children Services (ACS). After my interview with BFDP, I was sold on the incredible value of their work.
