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Class of 2022

CLINICAL AND PRO BONO PROGRAMS
COMMENCEMENT NEWSLETTER

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Every year, the Office of Clinical and Pro Bono Programs' Commencement Newsletter celebrates the achievements of graduating students and their clinical and pro bono experiences with a collection of student reflections, stories, and awards.

Learning the Law, Serving the World

Introduction

“The Harvard Law School Clinical and Pro Bono Programs provide an exceptional educational experience for our students while also providing superb legal representation to clients in need. Our clinicians and our students work together to solve complex problems, address issues of profound social and legal import, and serve individuals and communities. Learning from excellent lawyers and teachers, our students gain deep expertise in practice and procedure and in substantive law across many areas. They also acquire, through their clinical experience, an invaluable sense of professionalism and team work and what we hope will be a life-long commitment to public service. I am very proud of the faculty and staff who lead and support our clinics, of the work our clinics and student practice organizations do, and of the great lawyers they help launch into the world.”

John Manning

Morgan and Helen Chu Dean of Harvard Law School

    “The twin pillars of the Clinical Program at Harvard Law School are to provide exemplary legal services to local, national, and international communities and to ensure the continuous education, learning, and growth of the clinical community. Our remarkable students are at the heart of both of these goals. As student attorneys, they engage boldly and bravely. They bring their own diverse backgrounds and expertise, coupled with the knowledge they have garnered at Harvard, to advance savvy legal strategy and zealous representation. Our partners trust our students to develop sound policy and legal reasoning. Our clients feel seen, valued, and empowered. Our legal service is better, broader, and more joyful because of our students.
     
    In the classroom and Clinics, our students teach as much as they learn. As we advise and mentor students on their path to becoming ethical lawyers, the students, in turn, challenge us to look at legal problems with a fresh set of eyes and creative new perspectives. They teach us. They enhance our community partnerships. They build teams and friendship among their peers that will continue to strengthen their own learning and bolster the legal profession for years to come. Our students teach and change us. And our students change the world: one classroom at a time, one case at a time, one client at a time. As our clinical students join the broader legal profession, we know their impact and contributions will only grow.“

    Meredith Boak
    Assistant Dean for Clinical and Experiential Education and Pro Bono Programs


      Clinical Awards | In-House Clinics |
      Externship Clinics/Independent Clinicals | SPO/Pro Bono Programs


      Class of 2022: By the Numbers



      Clinical & Pro Bono Awards

      2022 Stuntz Memorial award
      Brianna Banks
      2022 David Grossman Exemplary Clinical Student Award
      Gina Starfield
      2022 Andrew L. Kaufman Pro Bono Award
      Anoush Baghdassarian
      2022 Gants Access to Justice AWard
      Liz BUtterworth
      Clinical Legal Education Association Awards
      Stacey Menjivar, Henry Beshar
      2022 Kristin P. Muniz Memorial Award
      Cara Mund

      In-House Clinics

      There are 23 in-house clinics with on-campus offices, where students gain hands-on legal experience under the supervision of 112 clinical faculty and teachers. Each clinic is tied to a classroom component where students learn the substantive law in their area of practice. Their clinical experiences supplement and enrich classroom discussion.

      CJI
      Criminal Justice Institute
      Matthew Goldkind, Victoria Kalumbi, Nicholle Knapp, Stanislaw Krawiecki, Jared Lin, Cara Mund
      Omeed Alerasool
      Election Law Clinic
      Omeed Alerasool
      Sondra Anton
      International Human Rights Clinic
      Sondra Anton
      Patrick Cremin
      Education Law Clinic
      Patrick Cremin
      Dana Horowitz
      Animal Law and Policy Clinic
      Dana Horowitz
      Tori Oto
      Food Law and Policy Clinic
      Tori Oto
      Emily Chazen
      Religious Freedom Clinic
      Emily Chazen
      Regina Paparo
      Food Law and Policy Clinic
      Regina Paparo
      Kaixin Fan
      Health Law and Policy Clinic
      Kaixin Fan
      Tyler Hobbs
      Religious Freedom Clinic
      Tyler Dobbs
      Ava Cilia
      Institute to End Mass Incarceration Clinic
      Ava Cilia
      Stephanie Keleman
      Family Law and Domestic Violence Clinic
      Stephanie Keleman
      Lauren Deutsch
      Federal Tax Clinic
      Lauren Deutsch
      Christopher Cruz
      Housing Law Clinic
      Christopher Cruz
      Jeffrey Jiang
      Safety Net Project
      Jeffrey Jiang
      Sarah Atkinson
      Consumer Protection Clinic
      Sarah Atkinson
      LGBTQ
      LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic
      Molly O'Keefe, Clay Hackney
      Michelle Bao
      Cyberlaw Clinic
      Michelle Bao, Mayze Teitler
      Veterans
      Veterans Law and Disability Benefits Clinic
      HIRC
      Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic
      Gina Starfield, George Biashvili, Jack Beard
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      In-House Clinics

      Animal Law & Policy Clinic
      Center for Health Law & Policy Innovation
      >>> Food Law & Policy Clinic
      >>> Health Law & Policy Clinic
      Criminal Justice Institute
      Cyberlaw Clinic
      Education Law Clinic
      Election Law Clinic
      Emmett Environmental Law & Policy Clinic
      Harvard Immigration & Refugee Clinical Program
      >>> Immigration & Refugee Advocacy Clinic
      >>> Crimmigration Clinic
      Harvard Legal Aid Bureau
      Harvard Negotiation and Mediation Clinical Program
      >>>Harvard Dispute Systems Design Clinic
      >>>Mediation Clinic
      Institute to End Mass Incarceration Clinic
      International Human Rights Clinic
      Religious Freedom Clinic
      Transactional Law Clinics
      WilmerHale Legal Services Center
      >>> Domestic Violence & Family Law Clinic
      >>> Federal Tax Clinic
      >>> Housing Law Clinic
      >>> LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic
      >>> Predatory Lending & Consumer Protection Clinic
      >>> Veterans Law & Disability Benefits Clinic


      Externship & Independent Clinical Program

      Through our 15 externship clinics, students are placed at government agencies and other legal organizations across the U.S. and supplement that experience through a required course component taught by faculty and experienced licensed attorneys who are experts in their field. The Independent Clinical Program is designed to provide students an opportunity to be entrepreneurial and design a custom placement – in the U.S. or abroad – that will meet their individualized learning goals.

      Suley Wellings-Longmore
      Independent Clinical
      Suleyman Wellings-Longmore
      Madelyn Chen
      Child Advocacy Clinic
      Madelyn Chen
      Aleena Ijaz
      Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic
      Aleena Ijaz
      Maggie Hagen
      Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic
      Maggie Hagen
      Hugh Verrier
      Judicial Process in the Trial Courts Clinic
      Hugh Verrier
      Jeewon Lee
      Employment Law Clinic
      Jeewon Lee
      Laurel Zigerelli
      Government Lawyer: U.S. Attorney Clinic
      Laurel Zigerelli
      Joan Steffen
      Judicial Process in the Trial Courts Clinic
      Joan Steffen
      Eli Nachmany
      Supreme Court Litigation Clinic
      Eli Nachmany
      Nancy Fairbank
      Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic
      Nancy Fairbank
      September McCarthy
      Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic
      September McCarthy
      Eli Nachmany
      Sports Law Clinic
      Eli Nachmany
      Anoush Baghdassarian
      Criminal Prosecution Clinic
      Anoush Baghdassarian
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      Externship Clinics

      Capital Punishment Clinic
      Child Advocacy Clinic
      Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic
      Criminal Prosecution Clinic
      Delivery of Legal Services Clinic
      Democracy and the Rule of Law Clinic
      Employment Law Clinic
      Federal Courts Clinic
      Government Lawyer: Attorney General Clinic
      Government Lawyer: U.S. Attorney Clinic
      Government Lawyer: Semester in Washington
      Judicial Process in Trial Courts Clinic
      Sports Law Clinic
      Supreme Court Litigation Clinic


      Student Practice Organizations & Pro Bono Program

      The HLS Pro Bono program allows students to gain practical legal experience under the supervision of licensed attorneys starting their 1L year. J.D. students are required to complete 50 hours of pro bono work before graduation. Through opportunities to volunteer in our 11 student-run Student Practice Organizations (SPOs) and through yearly spring break projects, amongst other individual projects, students have the ability to make a positive impact in their communities and contribute to the greater good.


       I became involved with Defenders as a way of doing healing, liberating work. Being criminalized for my Blackness, my queerness, I really recognize this as personal labor. I see myself in the other students who are part of Defenders, who care about justice – real justice for Black and brown kids, for older adults, and for everyone in between.” 

      Jonathan Roberts, J.D. ’22
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      Jonathan Roberts headshot

      Alison Roberts headshot

      When I told my client that we had won her case, I could just hear the weight being lifted off her shoulders. It’s a beautiful moment when you’re able to give your client that win. It’s a moment when you can really feel the impact of the work we do at the Tenant Advocacy Project.”

      Alison Roberts, J.D. ’22
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      Harvard Defenders prides itself on client-focused advocacy and putting them at the center of everything that we do. I have been so fortunate to meet and work with people who go above and beyond for the people that we represent and for the organization. 

      Paula Kelly, LL.M. ’22
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      Paula Kelly headshot

      Student Practice Organizations

      Harvard Defenders
      Harvard Law Entrepreneurship Project
      Harvard Mediation Program
      Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project
      HLS Advocates for Human Rights
      HLS Immigration Project
      HLS Mississippi Delta Project
      HLS Negotiators
      Project No One Leaves
      Recording Artists Project
      Tenant Advocacy Project

      View All

      Student Achievements


      Ava Cilia and Kaitlynn Milvert stand next to each other in Wasserstein Hall

      Paving the Way for Public Interest – 2022 Skadden Fellows

      Read More

      Students honored with Dean’s Awards for Community Leadership

      Read More

      Anoush Baghdassarian
      Elizabeth Butterworth
      Isaiah Feldman-Schwartz
      Laura Antonieta Garcia
      Samuel Abraham Gilman
      Ali Hassan

      Jack Lubin
      Carly Margolis
      Caitlin Rooney
      Antoinette Victoria Zoè Russell
      Abbie Starker
      Lowry Yankwich
      Gabriel Zimmerman

      Omeed Alerasool
      Jason Altabet
      Sondra Anton
      Christopher Arce
      Daniel Vincent Banks
      Allison Beeman
      Henry Frederick Bedros Beshar
      Michael Bliss
      Daniel Brown
      Courtney Janine Brunson
      Toni-Shania Bunbury
      Emily Chazen
      Harry Chiu
      Ava Cilia
      Aycan Merve Ciplak
      Kara Cobb
      Katharine Coghlan
      Lily Cohen
      Rachel Cohen
      Patrick Cremin
      Christopher Brian Cruz
      Libby Yakira Feingold Dimenstein
      Anna Rose Doda
      Courtney Dougherty
      Abbey Doyno
      Mazelle Etessami
      Kimberley Everett
      Grant Fergusson
      Seran Gee
      Zoe Michael Ginsberg
      Gwendolyn Gissendanner
      Matthew Goldkind
      Sankalp Gowda
      Isaac Green


      Melanie Hagerman
      Diana Haigney
      Samantha Harris
      Caitlin Hird
      David Lawrence Hogan
      Mohammed Mustapha Jagana
      Hannah James
      Anna Jessurun
      Lavran Johnson
      Daniel Kim
      Nicholle Knapp
      Stanislaw Pawel Krawiecki
      Haley Kulakowski
      Bernice Kwan
      Sean Lau
      Jeongha Lee
      Jonathan Levitan
      Stacy Livingston
      Nathan Lobel
      Eileen Macron
      Hannah Makowske
      Chad Mata
      Catherine McAnulty
      September McCarthy
      William McConnell
      Fenella McLuskie
      Lena Rose Melillo
      Stacey Menjivar
      Loren Miller
      Marcus Miller
      Kaitlynn Milvert
      Marcus Mitchell
      Genevieve Molyneaux
      Patrick Montgomery
      Vincent Montoya-Armanios
      Cara Mund

      Zarinah Mustafa
      Mira Naseer
      Sherin Nassar
      Austin Nielsen-Reagan
      Victoria Joan Oto
      Juan Manuel Palacio Moreno
      Nicholas Papazyan
      Tyler Cole Patrick
      Alexis Picard
      Matthew Pick
      Stephanie Powers
      Ruofei Qu
      Kimberly Quick
      J. Aaron Regunberg
      Alison Curran Roberts
      Jonathan Roberts
      Nicole Mariel Rubin
      Michael Shang
      Staci Chyrene Shelby
      Anna Sherman-Weiss
      Emma Claire Shirey
      Marisa Skillings
      Gina Starfield
      Joan Steffen
      Anna May Teitler
      Tsering van der Kujip
      Velo-Vincent van Houden
      Chloe Warnberg
      Catherine Glen Willett
      Lindsey Shannon Christine Wright
      Eric Wriston
      Samuel C. Yang
      Emma Zariello
      Kathy Zhang


      Visit the OCP Blog for more student stories like these:

      • ‘A natural fit’ in the Criminal Justice Appellate Clinic
      • Clinical placements across the globe
      • Helping minority-owned businesses
      • ‘Like summer camp for law nerds’
      • A new world of work in the Sports Law Clinic

      Congratulations to the Class of 2022!