Wesley is one of PLAP’s Impact Litigation Directors and is a member of the JD class of 2026.
I joined the Prison Legal Assistance Project during my 1L year, and it has been one of the most meaningful aspects of my experience at HLS. PLAP quickly became a community for me, and I am grateful to be surrounded by other students deeply committed to the same values that brought me to law school in the first place.
One of the aspects I have valued most is the mentorship built into PLAP. As a 1L, I relied heavily on older PLAPpers during my weekly office hours shifts. They offered practical advice on everything from client phone calls to picking courses that fit my interests. It was incredible to have people a few steps ahead who were so open about their experiences and made me feel welcome.
Beginning in my 2L fall, I began as an Impact Litigation Director and was introduced to the depth of PLAP’s work and its commitment to broader change. Over the past two years, I have worked on cases involving disability rights, excessive use of force claims, false disciplinary tickets, and force-feeding. The impact litigation team is designed to help coordinate and contribute to litigation efforts addressing systemic issues within the Massachusetts prison system, advocating for our clients while also supporting broader initiatives led by other organizations, including through contributions to amicus briefs. Contributing to impact litigation in an organization that prioritizes direct client representation has been an amazing experience. The cases we take on are always motivated against the systemic injustices we have seen affecting clients every single day.
Last year, I worked on the case of a client with a disability who was incarcerated for years (due to his disability) despite being granted parole. After years of PLAP’s efforts, he was finally released. An attorney at my internship, after learning I was in PLAP, said she had worked on his case years ago while at HLS and had been overjoyed when her fellow PLAP alum told her he had been released. The impact litigation team has taught me how incredible it is when student attorneys across multiple years work towards a common goal, and it seems like every internship I have worked at has a Harvard PLAPper amongst them ready to share fond memories of their time.
Direct client work remains at the heart of PLAP’s work. One of the most memorable moments of my time in PLAP came when my client was granted parole after nearly 30 years of incarceration. Myself and another student attorney had met with him weekly for months, building a relationship and helping him to prepare for his hearing. Contributing in any way to that positive outcome was truly a privilege. PLAP has fundamentally shaped my HLS experience. It has given me an incredible community and shown me the kind of advocate I would like to be.