Summer Experience: Malia Devencenzi ’26L
This summer, Malia Devencenzi interned with the Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation in Honolulu, Hawai’i.
public interest
$236,800 in Grants Awarded to Students and Alumni Working in Public Interest Positions
83 students and recent graduates received grants this summer to support their work in public interest positions.
Career Paths: Tara Blackwell ’24L
After graduation, Tara Blackwell will be working at the Greater Chicago Legal Clinic (GCLC) as a Donoghue Fellow with the Homelessness Advice and Representation Program.
Summer Experience: Alexis Smith ’24L
Alexis Smith spent her summer working in the litigation department of the AARP Foundation.
Summer Experience: Barbara Merryman ’24L
Barbara Merryman spent her summer clerking with the Juvenile Litigation Division of the Maryland Office of the Public Defender in Baltimore.
In Case You Missed It
Summer Experience: Yardley Borten ’25L
Yardley Borten spent the summer as a legal intern at the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project (MAIP) in Washington, D.C.
Alumni Spotlight: Negin Farahmand Wood ’12L
Negin Farahmand Wood is Senior Assistant Public Defender at Office of the Public Defender for Fairfax County.
$323,000 in Grants Awarded to Students and Alumni Working in Public Interest
105 students and recent graduates received grants to support their work in public interest positions.
W&L Law Releases 2022 Graduate Employment Report
According to the report, 96.6 percent of the class of 2022 secured a job that either requires bar passage or for which a J.D. degree is an advantage.
W&L Law Commits $330,000 Annually to Public Interest Students and Alumni
W&L Law has announced the creation of a program to guarantee financial support for current students and graduates interested or serving in public interest and government careers.
Career Paths: Alicia Ochsner Utt ’23L
After graduation, Alicia Ochsner Utt will be working at the King County Department of Public Defense in Seattle, Washington.
Career Paths: Marshall Branch ’23L
After graduation, Marshall Branch will join the U.S. Army JAG Corps.
Career Paths: Chris Chino ’21L
As a public defender, Chris Chino enjoys fighting for his clients in the "theatre of trial."
Summer Experience: Ella Bishop ’24L
Ella Bishop spent her summer as a judicial intern for Judge Lucy Inman at the North Carolina Court of Appeals and Justice Samuel Ervin IV at the North Carolina Supreme Court.
Summer Experience: Maeve Harris ’24L
Maeve Harris spent her summer working for Judge Richard G. Latin of the Supreme Court of New York.
Jonathan Thomas ’24L Selected for Equal Justice Works Fellowship
Jonathan Thomas, a member of the Law Class of 2024, has been chosen for a 2022 Disaster Resilience Program Fellowship through Equal Justice Works.
Tara Blackwell ’24L Selected for Legal Corps Fellowship
Tara Blackwell, a member of the Law Class of 2024, has been chosen for a 2022 Rural Summer Legal Corps Fellowship.
Summer Experience: Alex Castro ’22L
This summer, Alex Castro '22L was a legal intern for El Centro de los Derechos del Migrante, a nonprofit that specializes in labor rights violations committed against migrant workers.
Erin Hayes ’21L Works for Racial Justice in Texas
Third year law student Erin Hayes works pro bono as legislative director for the Racial Justice Coalition of Texas.
Career Paths: Karen Vallejos-Corrales ’20L
After graduation, Karen Vallejos-Corrales will work for Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, an organization that provides free legal services to low-income people facing legal problems.
Career Paths: Amanda Triplett ’20L
After graduation, Amanda Triplett will practice antitrust law as a trial attorney in the Health Care Division of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Competition in Washington, D.C.
Focusing on the Facts
During her internship in Alaska with the Office of the Attorney General, 2L Brooke Wilson learned how the right facts can make or break a case.
First-Year Law Students Attend Equal Justice Works Job Fair
On Friday, October 27, twenty 1Ls joined 2Ls and 3Ls interviewing in Washington, D.C. at Equal Justice Works (EJW), the largest legal public sector career fair in the country.
Career Paths: Kit Thomas ’18L
Kit Thomas '18L spent her summer at the Louisiana Capital Assistance Center, a non-profit trial level death penalty organization located in New Orleans, Louisiana. She is a graduate of Centre College and is interested in a career in capital defense and criminal justice.
Career Paths: Jessica Winn ’17L
Jessica Winn is originally from Newberg, Oregon and studied Political Science at Carnegie Mellon University. At Washington and Lee, she is involved in Law Review, German Law Journal, Law Ambassadors, WLSO, ACS, and PILSA.
Summer Experience: Emily Tichenor ’16L
Law Changes Lives at Compassion International.
Career Paths: Ember Eyster ’15L
Ember Eyster '15L, from Bonita Springs, FL, is a graduate of the University of Florida. She is a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic.
Career Paths: Anjelica Hendricks ’15L
Anjelica Hendricks '15L, from Richmond, VA,is a graduate of James Madison University. She is a student attorney in the Criminal Justice Clinic.
Career Paths: Brandon Hicks ’15L
Brandon Hicks '15L, from Charlotte, NC, is a graduate of North Carolina Central University. He is a student attorney in the Immigrant Rights Clinic.
Career Paths: Imani Hutty ’15L
Imani Hutty '15L, from Philadelphia, PA, is a graduate of Temple University. He was a member of the Black Law Students Association Mock Trial team that won a national championship at the Thurgood Marshall Mock Trial competition.
Career Paths: Laura Iheanachor ’15L
Laura Iheanachor '15L, from Wake Forest, NC, is a graduate of East Carolina University. She is a member of the Black Law Student's Association Mock Trial team.
W&L Law Students Receive Summer Funding for Public Interest Work
A number of Washington and Lee Law students have received external awards aimed at helping support students working at law-related public service jobs during the summer.
