2011 Fellows

Amy Jurden

Health Law Partnership (HeLP)

“As a result of receiving a full PILA Fellowship I was able to intern with the Health Law Partnership (HeLP) over the summer. HeLP is a partnership between Georgia State, Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, and Atlanta Legal Aid that helps provide legal services to low-income children and their families who are patients at one of the many Children's Healthcare of Atlanta locations. Through this internship I gained invaluable experience in a variety of legal areas (administrative law, family law, and estate planning), and learned best practices that will help me with my legal career for the rest of my life. Perhaps more importantly, through my experience with HeLP I was able to see the difference that public interest law can make in improving the health and well-being of families with limited resources. For example, I was able to assist a client negotiate with the Atlanta Public Housing Authority to move her housing voucher away from a dangerous, high-crime area. Overall, my experience at HeLP solidified my commitment to making public interest work a part of my legal career for the rest of my life.”

Sam Crochet

Metro Conflict Defender

“Last Sumer I earned a $1000 fellowship and volunteered with the Metro Conflict Defender Office. I used the money to pay summer rent/bills that my student loans were not going to cover. Without the fellowship, it would have been extremely difficult for me to get any legal experience due to whatever regular job I may have been forced to take (waiting tables, construction, etc.). the MCDO is very similar to the state public defender program. I had one-on-one contact with criminal defendants on a weekly basis (either in person or via phone) and was in the court room several times over the course of the summer. I became very familiar with discovery, interviewing clients, court room dialogue and its general process, as well as law office dialogue/vocabulary. I believe this was great experience. Further, the judge I met during this internship offered me a clerkship the following semester. I met a lot of other lawyers as well. The fellowship opens up a lot of doors--whether you want to be in the public interest sector during your career or not. You’d be crazy not to apply for one.”

 

Jill Skinner

Georgia Innocence Project

“I spent the summer of 2011 working at the Georgia Innocence Project. It was a wonderful experience that was made possible thanks to a PILA fellowship. Each day, I read letters from prisoners in Georgia and Alabama and evaluated the claims to determine if further investigation was warranted. If so, I followed up with phone calls to the courts, defense attorneys, and various law enforcement agencies. I then drafted memos detailing the facts of the cases and the physical evidence, if any, that still existed. I then presented the viable cases to our Board of Directors to determine whether we should continue investigating. At the end of the summer, we made visits to several prisons in Alabama and Georgia to visit our potential clients. These prison visits were particularly powerful because I finally got to see the men behind the letters. I really enjoyed my entire summer with the Georgia Innocence Project, and was especially blessed to work with such a talented and knowledgeable staff and group of interns. I would highly recommend this internship experience to those interested in criminal defense, prosecution or investigation. It is a unique and rewarding opportunity.”

Elizabeth Leyda

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission

“This summer I worked as a judicial clerk to federal administrative judge Darin Tuggle in the Hearings Unit at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. There I worked with the judge to review case files, including extensive investigative records, to analyze the merits and determine the outcome in several employment discrimination cases under federal law. The claims I worked on included race and sex claims under Title VII (both disparate treatment and harassment), disability discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act, and claims for retaliation under a variety of statutes. While working at the EEOC I learned a great deal about employment discrimination and also got to "see behind the curtain" of the judicial process to understand how judges decide cases and write opinions. I wrote several full-length judicial opinions on motions for summary judgment which the judge adopted and I have been able to use as writing samples. I also got to observe the EEO hearings process first-hand and meet attorneys practicing employment law, a field of great interest to me, from both federal agencies and private practice. My PILA grant enabled me to develop my interest and experience working in civil rights law at the federal level, cultivate my writing skills and gain meaningful judicial clerkship experience. I'm grateful for the support and the opportunity to work in public interest.”

Tiffany Nichols

Hunton and Williams Pro Bono Fellow

“My summer serving the public interest through the PILA Fellowship was full of unexpected opportunities and connections, serving the youngest in need of legal guidance in juvenile court and private adoption proceedings alongside Hunton and Williams Pro Bono Fellow Aisha Collins to the oldest in need at Atlanta Legal Aid Society’s Senior Citizens Law Project. My goal was to gain exposure to a broad spectrum of issues and styles, and the collection of attorneys with whom I worked provided that. In Judge Hodges’s courtroom, I advocated for the best interest of the child charged in unruly and ungovernable petitions after interviewing parents, mentors and the children themselves. From that experience, I learned to recognize and address sexual exploitation, gang and educational advocacy issues—and even simple, hormone-charged teenagers—with the aid of several counseling and family health service organizations, including CHRIS Kids and Georgia Care Connection. With Legal Aid, my primary and most frequent responsibilities related to interviewing clients to obtain necessary information for subsequent document prep—notices to debtors and creditors, deeds, petitions for year’s support, and discharge petitions. This also included learning the process of completing and properly reporting a deed search, as well as assembling an appeals packet for DFCS. After interviewing the clients, I was often charged with completing research assignments in order to clearly align our strategy. I was able to serve as a witness for advance health care and financial directives, at Grady Hospital and at clients’ homes.

"My experience at ALAS strengthened my convictions about careers in public interest law or legal services upon graduation. I was excited to be with a unit that reached a broad range of income levels, as well as whose work encompassed so many evolving fields: public benefits, wills and estates, general property issues and consumer fraud. Whether I enter a public interest field directly or begin my legal career at a private firm, such service will be a deciding factor in accepting any offer. In the long-term, I expect to commit myself full-time to a non-profit or legal services organization. I am incredibly grateful to PILA for the financial support that enabled me to craft my own volunteer experience this summer." 

Monica Spitzer

Human Rights in Democracy Centre

“My fellowship funded my experience living in Tirana, the capital of Albania, and working for the Human Rights in Democracy Centre, a human rights NGO. HRDC mostly works with women in domestic violence situations. HRDC also advocates for Roma and monitors the single detention center for women and children in Albania. They have two staff attorneys as well as two social workers and a nurse. The staff attorneys work with clients to help them understand their legal rights and to advocate for them in divorce proceedings. While I was there, HRDC also held several training sessions at health centers to educate health workers about their legal obligations under national domestic violence laws, including proper ways to record evidence of violence. This education is really important, because HRDC has often seen the courts reject grants of protection orders when the documentation was not proper. While I was there, HRDC arranged meetings for me with police chiefs, the special liaison for domestic violence in the Tirana precinct, and several judges who work in the Tirana civil court. I attended hearings at the court and also sat in on sessions with the staff attorneys and clients. I learned some Albanian while I was there, but often my colleagues would have to translate or interpret for me. However, I was able to assist them with writing and editing project proposals in English, to be submitted to various entities that provide funding. My experience gave me insight into how a human rights NGO in a developing country functions. Additionally, I learned much about the function of and the problems in the legal system of Albania, valuable for me because I hope to one day work in this region of the world.”

Lauren Brown

Public Defender's Office in Dekalb County

"I came into law school as the kid who asked the dean during orientation, 'What if you don't want to be a lawyer?' A lot has changed since then, mostly because of PILA and various public interest attorneys around the metro area. PILA is great organization that instills in law students at all levels that one's J.D. can be used to serve a greater good than one's lifestyle. Last summer I was fortunate enough to receive a PILA Fellowship Award which allowed me to spend the entire summer working under the Third Year Practice Act alongside some great lawyers at the Public Defender's Office in Dekalb County. The experience was more than I could have asked for. Not only did I get to write and argue motions, handle jail interviews and represent clients a probable cause hearings and probation revocations, I was even able to sit second chair for a major-felony trial in August. The opportunities the Fellowship afforded me are priceless and have probably done more for my legal education than attending class. So apply, you will not regret it."

Nicole Motter

Pro Bono Partnership

"The Pro Bono Partnership is an organization that provides transactional legal services to nonprofits in the metro Atlanta area. I was fortunate enough to work with them for two summers in a row. During my internship, I drafted documents for clients, performed research based on client needs, and wrote law-related articles on nonprofit current events. It was great getting to work with experienced lawyers practicing in so many different areas of law, and even better to interact directly with such a great group of clients."

John Weitnauer

Rockdale County District Attorney's Office

"As a recipient of a PILA scholarship, I was able to intern at the Rockdale County District Attorney's Office. I was sworn in to practice under the Third Year Practice Act and began working with the assistant district attorneys on their various hearings and cases. Almost every week, I participated in probable cause hearings at the county jail, probation revocation hearings in superior court, tracked down evidence and witnesses, researched case law and drafted motions and orders. I enjoyed the opportunity to practice law in a courtroom so much that I decided to return for the fall semester. And in January, I will prosecute a shoplifting case scheduled for a bench trial. The PILA scholarship helped fund a summer of learning through practice at the district attorney's office and began professional relationships that continue today."

Ramona Condell

Fulton County Juvenile Court

"I spent my summer working at the Fulton County Juvenile Court, in the chambers of Chief Judge Belinda Edwards. Working in the judiciary system exposed me to a plethora of legal happenings, and gave me firsthand knowledge of how the substantive and procedural laws work together."

"I worked on a variety of issues in child deprivation and juvenile delinquency cases, and saw such things as the inner workings of rehabilitation programs set in place for both minors and/or their parents suffering from substance abuse. The court has allowed me to continue my internship, and in November I was able to to volunteer in the National Adoption Day program.

"The PILA Fellowship afforded me the opportunity to spend my summer working a the field of law which I have come to love, and allowed me to be active and effective in the lives of our local community's youth. The experience I gained was priceless."

2010 Fellows

Allison Layton

Georgia Innocence Project

“After volunteering for the Georgia Innocence Project as a general volunteer some before law school, I knew I wanted to come back.  I am grateful for the opportunity the PILA Scholarship had provided for me to do just that.  This summer, I worked on the Project’s usual fare of cases from Georgia.  We read letters from prisoners and evaluated them to determine if further investigation was warranted.  If so, we made phone calls to the courts, prosecutors, and potential client families.   I found all of this exciting and rewarding and very much enjoyed the investigative section of the process.  Much of my summer, however, was spent on the expansion of the Project into Alabama.  It was interesting to experience much of what any innocence project experienced when venturing into a new state.   I also worked with a great staff and group of interns.  This is a rewarding internship for those interested in investigation, criminal defense or prosecution, and helping those with some of the worst luck.”

Nicole Sykes

Latin American Association

“The Latin American Association strives to help Latino families achieve their goals for their academic, economic, and social advancement.  The immigration services department offers low-priced immigration assistance to the community.  During the summer, I was responsible for preparing applications for one family to secure legal status in the United States as well as researching and drafting legal memorandum.”

 

Rachel Ashe

Metro Conflict Defenders

“I worked with Metro Conflict Defender this summer.  I was assigned to an attorney who defended people accused of minor felonies in the non-complex division of the Superior Court of Fulton County.  MCD serves indigent clients in Fulton County who cannot be represented by the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office because of a legal conflict of interest.  I consider the work they do to be very important because I think anyone who has been accused of a crime deserves quality representation regardless of whether or not they can afford it.”

Sarah Scott

Environmental Protection Agency

“The Environmental Protection Agency's mission is to protect human health and to safeguard the natural environment - air, water, and land - upon which life depends.  There are several regional offices located throughout the country, and this past summer I had the pleasure of working in the Region 4 Office of Environmental Accountability, which covers Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee.  I was able to collaborate with a several attorneys that specialized in varying areas of environmental law including the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, Superfund, Resource and Conservation Recovery Act, and environmental crimes.  The majority of my work entailed drafting memos related to particular EPA sites, criminal enforcement proceedings for environmental crimes, and overviews of the Region 4 case law.  The summer internship also allowed several opportunities to visit EPA clean-up sites, sit in on conference calls, and a visit to the Athens, GA laboratory.”

Jennifer Whitton

Health Law Partnership (HeLP)

“HeLP is an interdisciplinary community collaboration among the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, and Georgia State University College of Law to improve the health of low-income children and their families.  Participants assist with client representation and thereby gain an understanding of the multiple determinants of children’s health, experience interdisciplinary approaches to problem-solving, and develop experience in dealing with the health issues of low-income children and their families. 

Julia Charles

Division of International Legal Cooperation, Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Kosovo

“The PILA fellowship enabled me to work in the International Legal Cooperation Division of Kosovo’s Ministry of Justice in Prishtina, Kosovo.  The majority of my casework involved writing to foreign governments regarding international arrests which Kosovo considered groundless; this provided for an exciting blend of international law and regional politics.  I also spent time working on several international criminal cases, which ranged from drug, organ, and human trafficking to terrorism and war crimes.  Perhaps most meaningful, I observed first-hand how an emerging state grapples with a conflicted past and uncertain future while at the MOJ. Recent developments suggest the obstacles Kosovo faces may be even greater than those I encountered last summer.”

2009 Fellows

Jennifer Ivey 
US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of General Counsel 
 "At HHS I assisted representing the Agency in employment discrimination claims, labor relations disputes, post-award contract disputes, and advising subsidiary agencies.  Serving the public interest by working in the federal government allowed me to see how important governmental employees are in providing seamless service delivery for our area, as well as the breadth of programs for which the federal government is responsible.  I am grateful PILA has robust faculty and community support which allows students to participate in summer fellowships." 

Eric Coffelt 
Office of the Georgia Capital Defender 
"Being at the Capital Defender's Office in both the trial and appellate divisions provided me with rich and diverse exposure to some of the most legally and emotionally complex criminal litigation there is. I worked various angles on several cases, including suppression motions and evidentiary research, mitigation investigation, expert witness qualification, and even appellate research on a brand new issue in Georgia capital cases. The attorneys were dedicated, the clients fascinating, and the cases challenging. I have no doubt that I learned more from that office in eight weeks than any school could teach in a year." 

Brenda Smeeton 
Federal Defender Program 
 "I was able to work at the Federal Defender Program this summer because I received a PILA Fellowship.  Working at the Federal Defender was an amazing opportunity to put into practice everything I've been learning in school.  Over the summer I assisted with a wide variety of cases, everything from drug cases to mortgage fraud, and I even worked on a pending federal death penalty case. I worked on cases at every stage, from suppression motions through appeals, performing research and drafting  motions and briefs. I also had the opportunity to observe many hearings and sentencings."  

Melissa K. Rice 
Bridges Across Borders Southeast Asia, Chiang Mai, Thailand 
Care International, Vientiane, Laos 
"On the recommendation of Professor Lisa Bliss, I spent the summer doing a human rights and legal studies internship in Southeast Asia.  I had the opportunity to work with 50 other law students to link human rights organizations, governments, and law schools throughout the region to forward development.  Additionally, I researched, conducted interviews, and reported on the Laos Bar Association's formation and capacity  in order to forward a sex workers rights project in Laos.  The PILA fellowship I received helped me pay my expenses while gaining priceless experience and knowledge."   

Olga Dashevskaya 

Health Law Partnership 
"The Health Law Partnership (HeLP) is a collaboration between GSU's College of Law, Atlanta Legal Aid, and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.  HeLP provides legal assistance to families with children that are treated by a Children's Healthcare of Atlanta Hospital.  As an intern, I handled a variety of cases including: SSI disability, housing conditions, guardianship, estate planning, etc.  Because of the P.I.L.A fellowship, I was able to continue expanding on my HeLP Clinic experience into the summer. I would recommend this internship to anyone that has an interest in public interest law." 

Crystal Genteman Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta
"My internship at Pro Bono Partnership of Atlanta was the perfect summer for me following my 1L year.  I was able to gain great experience while assisting a legal nonprofit and see the real-world application of many of the topics I covered in the first year of law school. Through attending client meetings with volunteer attorneys and nonprofits, webinars, and workshops, I gained exposure to many different areas of the law, learned about many of Atlanta's nonprofits and the legal issues they face, and met many attorneys."

Paul Black

Atlanta Legal Aid Society's Senior Legal Hotline

 “My post-2L summer internship with Atlanta Legal Aid Society's Senior Legal Hotline gave me exposure to a wide range of legal issues faced by aging Georgians.  Many of the cases at the Hotline involved consumer law, including  informing clients of their rights in garnishment, debt collection, or foreclosure proceedings, and investigating contractual disputes, often for home repair.  Other cases involved answering basic questions about guardianship or wills, explaining to clients how to establish a Qualifying Income Trust (QIT) to fund long-term care, preparing and filing probate documents, or resolving questions about eligibility for public benefits such as Social Security or food stamps.  My biggest long-term project was helping my supervisor prepare a grant proposal on providing greater legal assistance to Georgia veterans, an assignment which piqued my interest in veterans' benefits law.   I was continually impressed by the quality and number of organizations who partnered with the Senior Hotline to provide legal services, and would encourage any student seeking broad exposure to elder law issues to pursue a Hotline internship.”

 

Sarah Katz

Catholic Charities Legal Immigration Services

 “My internship with Catholic Charities Legal Immigration Services gave me an opportunity to represent non-citizens in removal proceedings before the Atlanta Immigration Court.   I went to Stewart Detention Center in Lumpkin, Georgia to conduct Legal Orientation Program presentations in Spanish to detainees and interview potential clients who may have a legal remedy to deportation.   After working with the Detention Project, I rotated among staff attorneys to help them with Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) family unity and humanitarian based applications.  I drafted a legal brief on case law regarding DUI convictions and good moral character discretionary determinations for adjustment of status adjudication.  I helped counsel clients in Spanish and French on a daily basis.  For anyone considering a career in immigration law, an internship with Catholic Charities provides an unparalleled opportunity to gain practical legal skills while helping low-income immigrants gain legal immigration status.”

 

2008 Fellowship Recipients:

Billy Corriher (ACLU of North Carolina)
John Bailey (HeLP Clinic)
Alisia Goree (MALDEF)
Sara Kauffman (Population Council in Egypt)
Becky Dembkowski (Gwinnett Solicitor)
Sheena Bosket (Metro Conflict Defender)
Emily Liss (Department of Health and Human Services)
Beth Kunkel (Covenant House, New York)
Heather Chambers (AVLF One Child One Lawyer)
Nathan Fitzpatrick (Dekalb Public Defender)
Jocelyn Whitfield (Georgia Innocence Project)