Clinical Law Prof Blog

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: UConn's Benjamin Kline, Stefanie McArdle, Rachel Sandor, and Olivia Kappel

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

 

From the University of Connecticut School of Law:

 

Outstanding Clinical Team: 

 

Benjamin Kline '24, Stefanie McArdle '24, and Rachel Sandor '24 were UConn Law School's recipients of the CLEA Outstanding Team Award. When our Asylum and Human Rights Clinic unexpectedly took on an extremely challenging case in a difficult posture—filing to reopen a Connecticut family’s in-absentia removal orders issued by an immigration court in Arizona—we assembled this team of students, who had already distinguished themselves in prior cases.  Their work together was guided by a collaborative spirit, thoughtful planning, and an intuitive ability to pivot and respond to unexpected developments. They produced a brilliantly argued brief and masterfully marshaled evidence package arguing for reopening due to exceptional circumstances. To prevail, they needed to demonstrate both satisfaction of the stringent standard for reopening and the underlying merits of the family's asylum claim. Between September and December 2024, they sprinted a marathon, conducting legal and empirical research, conceptualizing and refining case theory, engaging in client rapport-building and fact investigation, cultivating expert witness testimony, and drafting and redrafting their brief to achieve eloquent impact. Their work culminated in an order reopening the case and restoring the family’s ability to seek asylum.

 

Outstanding Externship Student: 

 

The UConn Law recipient of this year’s Outstanding Externship Student Award is Olivia Kappel (’25).  Olivia spent the full ’23-’24 academic year as an extern with the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General, Special Litigation Unit, Reproductive Rights.  Olivia’s site supervisor described her as “hard-working, self-motivated, and extremely pleasant to work with.”  She is a student who “went above and beyond,” and produced “extremely helpful” and “excellent work product” that will assist the office going forward.  As a seminar student, Olivia was engaged, well-prepared, and distinguished herself as a thoughtful contributor to class discussions, and as a reflective learner and law student.  Olivia’s excellence in both fieldwork and coursework makes her an ideal candidate for this award.

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Campbell's Madelyn Fogleman and Sarah Varela

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Campbell University Norman Adrian Wiggins School of Law:

Outstanding Clinical Student: Madelyn Fogleman

 

Madelyn Fogleman served as a leader in the inaugural semester of operation for Campbell Law's Richardson Family Education Equity Clinic and set a high standard of exceptional service.  She billed a whopping 174.84 hours to clinic client matters.  This went well above and beyond what was required for the course.  She successfully mediated a particularly challenging case to an amicable resolution, fully restoring her client's educational rights and accomplishing for him even more than the law technically required!  She picked up the phone each time it rang and provided sound, strategic advice (after approval by a supervising attorney) to multiple callers in crisis.  And she offered mentorship to other clinic students when they needed guidance.  She was a true stand-out clinical student.  I am grateful she chose to participate in the service we offer.

 

Outstanding Externship Student: Sarah Varela

 

During her time with the Federal Public Defender’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Sarah made outstanding contributions to the representation of indigent clients charged with federal crimes. Sarah’s supervisor rated her lawyering skills, professionalism, and work habits as “excellent” in every applicable category and praised her attitude, her care for clients, and the quality of her performance. Sarah used this opportunity to hone her legal analysis skills and judgment, as she learned how to better identify and argue meritorious issues (even in the absence of precedent precisely on point). Her writing skills also improved, drafting an appellate brief described as “fantastic” and which left her supervisor “impress[ed.]” Sarah demonstrated excellence in the externship classroom too. In her reflective journals, Sarah was candid and thoughtful in connecting her experiences with her professional identity and understanding of what it means to be an attorney in this space. She described learning the importance of collaboration with others to confront tough questions, particularly as a new attorney. Sarah also bravely engaged with fundamental issues like well-being as a criminal attorney, bias in the legal system, and how to navigate relationships with attorneys, clients, and clients’ families. As Sarah aptly stated, through this externship, she not only learned what she wants her career to look like, but she also learned more about “how to make that happen,” the skills she “needs to succeed,” and her “identity as an attorney.” In her own words, “I really feel ready to call myself an attorney.”

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Miami's Ariana Kravetz and Jenna De Stefano

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From the University of Miami School of Law:

Outstanding Clinic Team: Ariana Kravetz and Jenna De Stefano

The faculty of the University of Miami School of Law Clinics are proud to recognize Ariana Kravetz and Jenna De Stefano with the 2024 CLEA Outstanding Clinical Team Award for their exceptional work in the Children and Youth Law Clinic. Approaching their cases with care, commitment, and enthusiasm, Kravetz and De Stefano successfully handled an administrative appeal of a denial of Medicaid Waiver benefits for a child with disabilities. They fully immersed themselves in all aspects of the case, producing solid initial drafts of work product, including legal research memos, witness scripts, discovery requests, and a proposed order. What truly distinguished them was their thoughtful integration of feedback, significantly improving each subsequent version. Eager to learn and demonstrate strong strategic thinking, they made sound decisions during the hearing regarding deviations from the planned script. They ultimately won the APD hearing, securing lifelong access to disability-related services for the client, a rare outcome despite the merits of such cases.

Among their other major accomplishments for the year were securing court-ordered visitation for a client with her sibling and another client with her parents. In both situations, visits had been stalled for various reasons, and Kravetz and De Stefano employed creative out-of-court advocacy to lay the groundwork for court approval. They also conducted excellent legal analysis in preparation for a termination of parental rights trial likely to occur in the Fall. Fostering strong relationships with all their clients, they were able to provide sound advice and legal counseling throughout the year. They also brought a high level of thoughtful reflection and intellectual curiosity to the seminar component of the class.

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: William and Mary's Madison Albrecht

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From William & Mary Law School:

Outstanding Externship Student: Madison Albrecht 

Ms. Albrecht externed with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. She served as third chair for two trials and second chair for another. Ms. Albrecht's supervisor praised her work which, among other matters, involved high-profile gang prosecution: "Madison Albrecht's work is exemplary. She has been interning/externing with this office since her first summer. Her work effort is outstanding. She maintains the highest ethics and adds value to any team she joins. I've been supervising interns for 27 years now. Madison Albrecht is the best. I'm not certain with the six years I have left anyone will ever be better. She is a credit to your academic institution, and she will be a valued public servant for her legal career. It has been an honor and a privilege to work with her."

After graduating in May 2024, Ms. Albrecht will join the USDOJ's Honors Program in the Criminal Division, Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section.

 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Buffalo's Kelly Tripi and Amy Crosier

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From the University at Buffalo School of Law:

Outstanding Clinic Student: Kelly Tripi

At the University at Buffalo School of Law (UB Law), Kelly Tripi, Class of 2024, served as a student attorney in the Family Violence and Women’s Rights Clinic from Spring 2023 through Spring of 2024, including the winter bridge. Ms. Tripi began law school as a non-traditional student with three school-age children at home and five years of experience as a paralegal.
Despite her busy schedule, she logged nearly 500 hours with the clinic on a variety of family and domestic violence cases. Ms. Tripi represented nine clinic clients and assisted clinical faculty in the delivery of community legal education and the development of innovative projects, such as a new program with campus police to scan cars for tracking devices on behalf of
domestic violence survivors. Several cases stand out as examples which illustrate Ms. Tripi’s superior work, including drafting two emergency family offense petitions and arguing successfully to secure temporary restraining orders for both clients. Among other cases, Ms. Tripi also was successful in: (1) securing a divorce within five months for her client despite a
business subject to equitable distribution and a spouse suffering from substance abuse; (2) representing a young working mother whose former partner engaged in abuse and strangulation and obtaining an extension of an order of protection (not a given with this particular judge) and an order requiring the abusive partner to receive needed assessments before he could exercise non-supervised visitation; and (3) after preparing for a trial in a highly contentious case with cross-allegations of domestic abuse, reaching a settlement on the morning of trial which fast-tracked the final divorce and provided the client with much need finality. In nominating Ms. Tripi for the CLEA award, Professor Judith Olin stated that, “Ms. Tripi is one of a handful of student attorneys whose work reaches the highest levels given her conscientiousness, case analysis, organization, and preparation; [h]er representation of clients is better than that of many practicing attorneys in our community.”

Outstanding Externship Student: Amy Crosier

Amy Crosier, University at Buffalo School of Law Class of 2024, came to law school after having served with the New York State Police force for more than 25 years. During her time at the School of Law, Ms. Crosier distinguished herself through her hard work, common sense and wise counsel to her classmates (and sometimes, faculty). Her ability to solve problems and
communicate directly and honestly became an invaluable asset to the externship team. The University rolled out a new a course management software package just as Ms. Crosier started her first externship. Almost immediately, Ms. Crosier stepped up to offer helpful and constructive feedback on how the new online format was working, and how to optimize it. She
became a crucial part of the team crafting the future of the externship course. In the field, Ms. Crosier completed two externships with distinction. Her first was with the New York State Unified Court System, 7 th Judicial District, where her judges praised her willingness to learn, ask astute questions and display effective communication skills. Ms. Crosier proceeded to complete a second externship with the Monroe County, NY District Attorney’s Office. The supervising attorneys remarked of her, “Amy came in every day with a positive attitude and excitement to learn…she helped us out tremendously and we can't wait to see her succeed in her legal career!” Unsurprisingly, Ms. Crosier is currently employed as an Assistant District Attorney in Monroe County.

AALS Clinical Section Newsletter for Spring 2024

The AALS Section on Clinical Legal Education has published its Spring 2024 newsletter with news from the annual conference, program updates, honors, and committee announcements. 

Download and read the Newsletter here.

It's good! 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Harvard's Gabrielle Grossman and Alexandra Kersley

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Harvard Law School: 

Outstanding Clinic Student: Alexandra Kersley 

Alexandra Kersley ’24 is the recipient of the 2024 CLEA Outstanding Clinical Student Award in recognition of her significant contributions to the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program (HIRCP). Over the course of four semesters in the clinics, Kersley has represented clients on a diverse array of humanitarian protections and procedures, while displaying “remarkable legal instincts.”

“My clinical experience has been the most meaningful part of my time at HLS, and I am incredibly grateful to the amazing instructors in the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic and the Crimmigration Clinic,” says Kersley. “When I came to law school, I knew that I wanted to use my legal education for something that mattered. I can’t think of anything that could matter more than fighting alongside clients for the right to live their lives free from detention, and here in the United States.”

In the fall of 2022, Kersley hit the ground running in the Immigration and Refugee Advocacy Clinic, working on client representation, district court FOIA litigation, appellate litigation, and pre-litigation work to build community partnerships. “With all of these cases, she had to contend with learning complicated new areas of law, while at the same time balancing client crises and needs, and she did so flawlessly,” says Sabi Ardalan, clinical professor of law and director of HIRCP.

Her work continued in the spring when Kersley joined the Crimmigration Clinic, for which she would earn the Dean’s Scholar Prize. Kersley worked on an affirmative litigation project concerning access to counsel and detention conditions at a local immigration detention facility, helping to secure the release of several individuals and taking care to ease their transitions back home. In her second semester in the clinic, she represented a client with significant mental and physical disabilities, constructing a thorough bond packet, drafting an affidavit, and orally advocating for the client’s release. “The work was incredibly challenging, but Aly was undeterred and passionate about zealously and ethically representing our client,” says assistant clinical professor law and clinic director Phil Torrey.

“When I think back on the most memorable moments in the clinic, it’s tempting to focus on the wins,” Kersley reflects. “And I am very grateful for the wins we’ve had — nothing will beat getting to pick up a client from immigration detention after he won asylum! But the immigration system is profoundly harmful, and this work is full of losses. One of the biggest things I’ve learned, or begun to learn, from instructors, clients, and students over the past two years is how to keep fighting through those losses. The clinical community has been an incredible support system for me, and I can only hope that wherever I land in the future I will find a community that is as passionate, kind, and brilliant as this one.”

This spring, Kersley served as a teaching fellow for both clinics, pursuing new initiatives including developing “clinical student families” — a space for advanced students to meet with new students during the semester to talk about their clinic experience, course selection, and summer work. She also successfully helped two detained clients secure humanitarian protection in the United States.

Kersley participated in the student practice organizations HLS Immigration Project and Harvard Defenders, and she was a member of the Harvard Law Review. She spent her 1L summer working at Al Otro Lado, a legal and humanitarian support organization for refugees, deportees, and other migrants in the U.S. and Tijuana, Mexico, and her 2L summer working at the public interest firm Miner, Barnhill & Galland in Chicago, IL. This January, she completed an independent clinical project at the Committee on the Administration of Justice in Belfast, Northern Ireland. After graduation, Kersley looks forward to clerking on the New York Court of Appeals for Chief Judge Rowan Wilson.

 

 

Outstanding Externship Student: Gabrielle Grossman

Gabrielle Grossman ’24 is honored with the 2024 CLEA Outstanding Clinical Externship Student Award in recognition of her extraordinary commitment to the Child Advocacy Clinic, where she has completed four semesters of externship placements across three organizations. As a Fellow of the Youth Advocacy & Policy Lab (Y-Lab), Grossman leveraged each externship and Fellow experience into a comprehensive education and developed a sophisticated understanding of the youth advocacy landscape.

“My experiences with the Child Advocacy Clinic have far and away been the highlight of my time at Harvard Law,” says Grossman. “It changed my life and helped me discover my passion for working with kids and centering the autonomy of young people. This award is a testament to the hard work that Crisanne Hazen and Mike Gregory put into making youth advocacy clinical opportunities at Harvard such a wonderful experience.”

The Child Advocacy Clinic offers students the opportunity to work with external organizations on substantive topics related to youth advocacy including child welfare, education, and juvenile justice. Grossman has taken full advantage of these opportunities, completing externships with Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Children’s Rights, and the Juvenile Law Center. Each opportunity was a new educational experience: in client representation, impact litigation, and juvenile legal system reform, respectively.

“Each of the three agencies at which Gabby has externed has a substantive focus on one of three different child-facing systems, and each agency employs a different primary advocacy strategy,” says Crisanne Hazen, lecturer on law and director of the clinic. “The result of this constellation of placements is that Gabby has embraced the spirit of the Y-Lab mission: to understand in a deep and holistic way the complexities of working in the youth advocacy field.”

“I’ve learned so much from my peers within Y-Lab, from Crisanne and Mike’s wonderful guidance, and from all my supervisors at my clinical placements at Pine Tree, Children’s Rights and the Juvenile Law Center,” Grossman reflects. “With each internship or even individual young person I worked with, I learned that the obstacles my clients faced were multi-faceted, and therefore required a holistic response. I always wanted to gain more experience, to look for more perspectives from which I could approach my advocacy for young people. I’ve been lucky enough to do direct services, policy work, and impact litigation involving the three major child-facing systems: education law, foster care, and the juvenile legal system. I’m so grateful to the clinic for helping me find my passion and getting to work with young people who teach me so much about how to be a better and more creative advocate every day.”

Hazen commends Grossman’s determined spirit and positive attitude as integral to her talent as a student attorney: “She is a compassionate and empathetic advocate, earning the trust of her clients and her supervisors to handle the great weight of the work before her.”

As a Y-Lab Fellow, Grossman has made a mark on the child advocacy field at HLS: She has mentored students interested in youth rights, completed a capstone writing project, and served as a teaching fellow for the Art of Social Change course. Grossman also spent a summer interning with the Legal Aid Society’s Juvenile Rights Practice. After graduation, she will be clerking in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, and she hopes to do litigation in pursuit of youth education rights in the future. 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Boston College's Andres Solis

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Boston College Law School: 

Outstanding Externship Student: Andres Solis 

Andres Solis externed during the Fall 2023 semester with the 1st Circuit Court of Appeals in Judge O. Rogeriee Thompson’s chambers.  Andres externship supervisors report that he was a true joy to work with. He had a great attitude; took on some very tough assignments; showed a clear understanding of the cases he was assigned; and consistently delivered timely, thorough analysis. Andres had an impressive ability to make complicated matters digestible; he always went above and beyond; was a great team player; and was always willing to raise his hand for additional work.  Andres was a thoughtful contributor to weekly chambers meetings, chiming in with great questions and unique insights that showcased his curiosity about the law and our profession.  Andres was also an active participant in the companion Judicial Process Externship Seminar. He contributed highly thoughtful remarks and consistently displayed a positive attitude and enthusiasm.

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Ohio Northern's Haley Tandy

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

 

From Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law

 

Outstanding Clinical Student: Haley Tandy

 

Ohio Northern University Pettit College of Law was pleased to give the CLEA award to Haley Tandy. Haley is from the Columbus, Ohio, area. She graduated from Ohio State University in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in History and a Minor in English. Prior to joining us at the ONU Legal Clinic, Haley gained a ton of practical legal experience by working at the Legal Aid Society of Columbus Tenacy Advocacy Project, and at the law firm of Barkan, Meizlish, and DeRose. Haley was at the Clinic for two semesters. Since her first day at clinic she demonstrated an eagerness to learn and immerse herself in the clinic experience. Haley genuinely wants to assist clients in achieving their goals and thus, always interacts with her clients from a place of empathy and genuine concern. She was always willing to take on a new case, new client, or a new situation and she put in the time and effort needed for a client. Haley faced challenges quite admirably during her time at clinic. Whether negotiating with opposing counsel or dealing with a difficult client situation, she approached those situations with confidence, care, and tact, all the while advocating for her client’s objectives. We were very lucky to have her with us. She was a wonderful advocate for her clients and demonstrated the flexibility and professionalism necessary for law practice. We have no doubt that she will be a great addition to the profession, and we wish her all the best in her endeavors.

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Case Western Reserve's Brooke White and Olivia Cobb

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Case Western Reserve University School of Law: 

Outstanding Clinic Student: Brooke White

Brooke White’s work representing clients in the First Amendment Clinic in the Fall 2023 Semester exemplifies the ideals this award honors: excellence in client service, thoughtfulness, and self-reflection in the various legal, ethical, and strategic issues raised by our matters. Brooke was one of a remarkable team of students involved in a Civil Rights lawsuit against a local government body alleging unconstitutional censorship of our clients and challenging the constitutionality of the body’s public comment policy. Brooke excelled in researching the issues, drafting court filings, and negotiating with opposing counsel—all in a high-profile case involving timely First Amendment issues surrounding the First Amendment standards that apply in certain types of government forums. Brooke’s curiosity and zeal for our client’s position, along with her superb legal research, shaped the team’s views of how to best pursue our client’s claims. Brooke was also put on the spot with very little notice, preparing for and handling a call with a team of government lawyers asserting our client’s position and attempting to negotiate a potential resolution of our client’s claims. Brooke also took a role in our Clinic's efforts to engage with community partners, and presented to student journalists in Athens, Ohio about defamation and the First Amendment. Brooke is a skilled advocate, a collaborative and thoughtful colleague, and a curious student of the law. Her dedication to our clients’ matters made significant positive impacts on our clients, the community, and the state of free speech in Ohio.

 

Outstanding Externship Student: Olivia Cobb

Oliva Cobb took advantage of the myriad of experiential opportunities available to her at CWRU Law, and she handled fieldwork in particular with an impressive amount of diligence, cultural sensitivity, and client empathy. For her capstone this past fall - a graduation requirement satisfiable through a clinic or intensive capstone externship - Olivia worked full time at DNA People’s Legal Services in Window Rock, Arizona. Located on a Navajo reservation, DNA People’s Legal Services assists underserved and/or indigenous American clientele on criminal and civil matters. Interested in criminal defense work, Olivia could have selected a Cleveland-based externship or clinic placement to meet her mandatory capstone requirement. Instead, she tapped into a budding professional network to create a bold and innovative capstone experience and moved halfway across the country to complete it. This was an opportunity guaranteed to challenge her personally, intellectually, and professionally. In Window Rock, Olivia handled criminal as well as civil cases. She worked with tribal law and tribal advocates. She drafted criminal motions under pressure and time constraints. And she went to court - a lot. Olivia’s mentor, Daniela Dwyer, was “surprised to learn that [the externship] course was pass/fail” when all was said and done because “the level of effort (A+) which Olivia put into her work with [DNA] was very detailed and thorough.”

 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Brooklyn's Shaun Lederman

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Brooklyn Law School: 

Outstanding Externship Student: Shaun Lederman

This year’s recipient of the BLS Outstanding Externship Student Award is Shaun Lederman ‘24. While at BLS, Shaun completed three semesters of externship work on behalf of three different field placements—Merson Law, PLLC, the New Jersey Division on Civil Rights, and the chambers of the Honorable Marcia M. Henry, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of New York.  The diversity of these placements exemplifies the value of externships in training law students across the many dimensions of practice, and Shaun excelled in all: representing injury victims, investigating civil rights violations, and supporting the work of a judicial chambers.  Delivering work of “consistently high quality,” Shaun impressed his supervisors as “diligent,” “eager to learn,” and “an absolute pleasure to work with.”  Supervisors also uniformly remarked on Shaun’s “excellent” research and writing skills. One noted how he “is great at taking a complex legal issue, digesting it, and translating the facts to answer the legal question in a succinct way.”  One supervisor summed it up: “Shaun has the skills and intangible qualities to make a great lawyer.”  Shaun also excelled in the externship program’s corequisite seminars, taking seriously the goal of reflective practice and thoughtful critique of the legal profession and legal institutions. As an emissary to the legal profession, he represented the best of Brooklyn Law School, and we are proud to honor him with this award.

 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Seattle's Agnes Bresee, Christine Choong, and Davis Ka’imipono Haas

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Seattle University School of Law:  

Outstanding Clinic Team: Agnes Bresee and Christine Choong

Agnes and Christine represented a young mother who is a recent arrival to the United States and is caring for her two small children. Their work spanned three different tribunals: state court, Immigration Court, and the USCIS bureaucracy. The team prepared thoroughly and thoughtfully, albeit at speed because the client was at risk of aging out of a valuable form of relief. They prepared a comprehensive and clear set of the necessary pleadings and forms, presented the case effectively to the state court judge, and wrapped everything up in plenty of time for the client to maximize her opportunity. They established a strong connection with the client, which facilitated the necessary and difficult conversations they had, and they thought to bring her professional attire to wear to the hearing, cloaking the event with an additional jolt of accomplishment for her.

Outstanding Externship Student: Davis Ka’imipono Haas

Entering his third year in Seattle University School of Law’s Flex JD (part-time) program, Davis Ka’imipono Haas has already completed two successful externships, the first in-house at the Ho’okele Title and Escrow Company and then a second with the Hawaii Legislature. These follow an internship at the Hawaii Supreme Court.

During the legislative externship, Davis’s supervisor provided him the opportunity to draft, introduce, and shepherd a resolution for an issue he believed in. Working with charter school advocates, he developed and successfully advanced House Concurrent Resolution 166 through both houses. The resolution urges the Hawaii State Charter School Commission to work with advocates and charter schools to create rules to govern charter renewal processes, making negotiations fairer for charter schools in Hawaii by limiting the discretion retained by the commission. The Hawaii Charter School Network told Davis this was the most significant piece of legislation to benefit them in more than a decade.

Davis’s work reflects his well-defined sense of purpose:

“As a Native Hawaiian, the furtherance of Native Hawaiian rights and dignities is one of the issues close to my heart. During my legal journey, I want to influence the Department of Hawaiian Homelands to carry out its mission of developing housing projects on areas of land reserved for Hawaiians because they have improperly carried this constitutional trust obligation. Additionally, I want to volunteer at Hawaiian charter schools to introduce the field of law to the next generation of Hawaiians, encouraging them to advocate for a better Hawaii.“

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Maryland's Nicholas Gallo and Carolyn Wetzel

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law: 

Outstanding Clinical Team: Nicholas Gallo and Carolyn Wetzel

I would like to nominate Nicholas Gallo and Carolyn Wetzel for the CLEA outstanding student team award.  Nick and Carolyn were students (and partners) in the Clinic in the fall of 2023, and returned as Clinic II students in the spring of 2024.  Nick and Carolyn excelled in the seminar and classroom component of the clinic, and provided excellent representation to multiple clients in the fall.  In one case, they were assigned a case with a little over a week before trial.  They immediately began reviewing the case and meeting with the client.  Nick and Carolyn’s analysis determined that the landlord, who was trying to evict their client, was not entitled to use the statute under which the action had been filed.  Their research involved extensive review of land records, leases, and rent payment history.  Nick and Carolyn drafted a Motion to Dismiss with Prejudice, arguing that because the landlord could never be entitled to the relief sought, he should be barred from ever bringing this kind of action.  At trial, the Court thoroughly reviewed their Motion, and Nick and Carolyn explained their argument in detail.  After deliberation, the Court granted the Motion, and dismissed the action with prejudice.  Throughout their representation, and after the Court date, Nick and Carolyn were in constant communication with the client so that they could assess her goals and plans, and craft their representation to what the client wanted.  They also took extensive time to explain the law, and what the client could do going forward. 

As Clinic II students, Nick and Carolyn provided same-day representation in Baltimore City Rent Court every Friday.  Working both individually and as a team, they provided same-day representation to 15 tenants in rent court.  In some of their cases, Nick and Carolyn determined that the client had been withholding rent due to hazardous conditions in their residence.  In those cases, Nick and Carolyn would represent the client in a collateral Rent Escrow action.  Through their diligent representation, the malfeasant landlords would be ordered by the Court to make the necessary repairs.  In some cases, due to Nick and Carolyn’s persuasive argumentation, the Court would order that the Tenant was entitled to either a reduction in rent owed, or that the tenant was awarded a significant chunk of the money held in the Court’s escrow account.  Their advocacy did not change based on occasional interactions with hostile or disinterested Judges, and they firmly held their ground when pressured by either the Court or the landlord’s representative to dismiss their case or reduce their demands. 

Beyond their courtroom advocacy, Nick and Carolyn also served as mentors and instructors to the current Clinic students.  Clinic students are required to take shifts acting as same-day paralegals for the Clinic IIs.  In their role as Clinic IIs, Nick and Carolyn would effectively delegate tasks, supervise their peers, and provide active guidance for best practices, all while preparing for cases before the District Court.  They saved Matilda and I a lot of time and work in their enthusiastic and thorough work with their student peers.  Nick and Carolyn displayed excellent leadership and professionalism, and were an asset to our pedagogical program.  They also prepared and presented a Know Your Rights presentation for the UMB partnership with Lexington Market, and are currently preparing a presentation for health care providers at Kennedy Krieger in order for those providers to help notice and effectively refer patients and families that may be facing housing issues. 

Despite working with Matilda and I for an entire academic year, and representing (between both semesters) 18 clients across 20 different cases, I never once heard Nick or Carolyn complain about the workload or what we required of them.  They brought a professional, client-centered, and enthusiastic attitude to every case and every case meeting.  They treated each new client like that person was their first client, which is something unusual in legal services work.  There was a lovely moment midway through this semester when I was observing a same-day representation day, and I saw Carolyn discussing her case with the landlord’s representation, and Nick reviewing the court filing with a student paralegal.  In that moment, I realized that they were wholly comfortable in Court, that they had total command of the material and their advocacy options, and that they knew how to provide client-centered, professional representation.  All of their hard work had paid off not so much in some big case or final crescendo, but in the realization that despite being 2Ls, who 8 months ago had not so much as spoken to a client, they belonged and were attorneys.  I could go on with the various compliments and positive observations that I received from members of the bench or other tenant advocates, but I think this is long enough already. 

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Lewis & Clark's Ilona Hyatt

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Lewis & Clark Law School:

Outstanding Clinic Student: Ilona Hyatt

Lewis & Clark Law School has awarded Ilona Hyatt the CLEA Outstanding Clinic Student Award in recognition of her exceptional work over three semesters at the Small Business Legal Clinic. Logging over 224 hours at the clinic, Ilona assisted numerous clients in reaching their goals. She helped form businesses and drafted service agreements for their use with clients. Additionally, she has been an indispensable mentor to other clinic students. Congratulations to Ilona on her graduation, and thank you for your hard work and dedication to the Small Business Legal Clinic and its clients!

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: UDC's Andrew Martell, Julian Hunter Pendarvis, Neena Qureshi and Tanner Carlson

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From UDC David A. Clarke School:

Outstanding Clinic Student and Team: Julian Hunter Pendarvis and Neena Qureshi and Tanner Carlson

The Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Clinic Student Award for exceptional clinic fieldwork and thoughtful, self-reflection in the Clinical Program is presented to Julian Hunter Pendarvis for his unparalleled work in the Tax Clinic. Hunter represented low-income clients with tax controversy matters before the Internal Revenue Service, District of Columbia, and the Comptroller of Maryland. Hunter and his clinic partner worked tirelessly to ensure that their incarcerated client received his economic impact payment. The District of Columbia Public Defender's office also worked onwith the client's criminal case and was pleased with Hunter and his clinic partner's success on the tax matter. In addition, Hunter has demonstrated the ability to handle complex tax issues and has a deep understanding of tax law. Professor Sakinah Tillman nominated Hunter describing him as “an excellent leader, highly conscientious, and deserving of this award!” Hunter says, “During my time in Tax Clinic, under the supervision of Professor Tillman, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of our tax code, and how to use it to advocate for low-income clients seeking to lower their tax liability. Clinic gave me my first real chance to practice real world advocacy skills and helped prepare me to become a zealous advocate in the future.”

The UDC David A. Clarke School of Law also presented its own UDC Outstanding Clinic Team Award to a clinical team who displayed excellence and thoughtful reflection while working collaboratively in contributing to the clinical community at the law school, legal community, and broader community. This year’s winners are Neena Qureshi and Tanner Carlson for their exceptional collaboration, client-centered lawyering, and zealous advocacy representing a detained client in a complex crimmigration and asylum case while in the Immigration and Human Rights Clinic. As a team, they represented a detained client in removal proceedings. They successfully challenged the criminal grounds of their client’s removability, and valiantly fought their client’s asylum case, which is now on appeal. They exhibited client-centered lawyering and dedication to their work. They have both accepted 2-year post-graduate fellowships with the prestigious Immigrant Justice Corps, which places new graduates with organizations across the country to serve immigrants in need, particularly children.

Outstanding Externship Student: Andrew Martell

Andrew Martell received the Clinical Legal Education Association Outstanding Extern Award for his distinction in fieldwork and thoughtful self-reflection in his externship. He received highest honors serving at the Department of Labor, Office of the Solicitor whose mission is to provide legal advice, rulemaking, and litigation to the Employment and Training Administration. A sample of his work included drafting: a response to the IRS concerning the Inflation Reduction Act; a Touhy subpoena response; and a memo addressing the use of TikTok in Federal Government programs and contracts. Andrew is dedicated to public service, completing summer internships at DC Superior Court and U.S. Congress. His academic accolades include: associate editor of Law Review, SBA Parliamentarian (he rewrote the Constitution), and student attorney in the Community Development and Whistleblower Protection Clinic; his work is acknowledged in an article on the BP Oil spill. Andrew says, “My externship at the Office of the Solicitor provided me with invaluable insight into the administrative process. Dedicated to public service, I aspire to use my experience to fight the arduous process of turning policy into law to protect and advance rights for American workers, particularly those from immigrant backgrounds.”

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: WashULaw's Margaret Min and Hillary Ping

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Washington University School of Law:

Outstanding Clinic Student: Margaret Min

Margaret Min exemplifies the value of a strong clinical legal education and is the winner of the 2024 WashULaw CLEA Award for Outstanding Clinic Student. Margaret came to WashULaw to gain the hands-on lawyering experience necessary to become a public interest attorney. In the Immigration Law Clinic, she deftly represented three asylum seeking families, utilizing trauma-informed interviewing, affidavit writing, oral advocacy, and persuasive writing skills. After completing the clinic, she carried those skills into her other classes and externships. During her final year, she conducted supervised research that produced a 65-page guidebook on asylum law in the Eighth Circuit, which will be immensely beneficial to future clinic students representing asylum seekers. Margaret plans to continue this work into her public interest career.

Outstanding Externship Student: Hillary Ping

Hillary Ping, J.D. 2024, was honored with WashULaw's Extern of the Year Award for her exceptional work at the St. Louis trial office of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). Committed to pursuing a career in the public sector, Hillary has dedicated her legal studies and experiential learning to advocating for workers' rights. She began her legal education at WashULaw after studying geological engineering at the South Dakota School of Mines. While in law school, she first gained valuable experience through internships with a fair housing organization and a holistic legal advocacy organization. Then, in her second summer of law school, she was awarded a Peggy Browning Fellowship and worked with Solidarity Law in Portland, Maine, focusing on employment discrimination claims. After graduation, she will continue to serve the public interest through her work with the Migrant and Immigrant Community Action Project in St. Louis.

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Duke's Hannah IsraelMarie and Lauryn Khaw

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Duke School of Law: 

Outstanding Clinic Student: Hannah IsraelMarie  

Hannah IsraelMarie excelled in the Immigrant Rights Clinic and Advanced Immigrant Rights Clinic as well as leading the largest pro bono project at Duke Law. Hannah secured the lawful status of clients who had been wrongfully ordered deported, partnered with the N.C. Justice Center to submit public records requests and FOIA requests for documents on cooperation between local law enforcement agencies and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and oversaw pro bono projects involving more than 100 law student volunteers providing over 1,000 hours of free legal services to immigrants and refugees.  Hannah created a new partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center to assist migrants detained at the Stewart Detention Center, and volunteered over spring break in 2023 and 2024 to help secure the release of people jailed there.  In her final semester of the clinic, Hannah successfully represented her transgender Honduran client in securing a grant of asylum before an Immigration Judge with a 91.2% denial rate. Within the span of just four weeks, she finalized nearly 800 pages of pre-trial filings, which included specific and detailed individualized corroboration, multiple witness statements, medical and psychological evidence, detailed human rights and media reports, and a legal brief.  She then swiftly shifted gears to prepare her client for the final merits hearing.  Her work in every project demonstrated gold-standard representation.  Hannah has dedicated herself to public interest work through her pro bono leadership, her externships at leading immigrant rights organizations, her partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center, and her outstanding representation of clients in Duke’s clinics.  Hannah will continue serving migrant children after graduation through a two-year fellowship with the Immigrant Justice Corps.

Outstanding Externship Student: Lauryn Khaw

Lauryn has been an exemplary externship student, showing commitment not only to her work with her placement this semester, but also to the hard work of self-improvement and critical reflection that is so essential to a high-quality externship experience. This semester, Lauryn was an extern with Earthjustice, on their Sustainable Food and Farming Team. Lauryn found this placement on her own, and has been diligent and self-directed throughout the experience. Although the placement was remote, Lauren worked hard to integrate herself with the team, coming to check-ins with prepared agendas and discussion questions not only about the work, but about her colleagues as well. Her site supervisor Ashley said that she contributed immensely to the work of the team, making presentations that were accessible and informative, doing legal research that was thorough and precise, and creating work product that was helpful and professional. Lauryn was not afraid to ask questions or ask proactively for feedback, and always responded well to suggestions on how to improve her work. Lauryn was also an excellent externship seminar student, always adding thoughtful commentary to the class and showing support and encouragement for her classmates. Her reflective work showed a deep commitment to thinking about the material, and honest evaluation of how she plans to integrate her personal and professional identity as she enters the legal profession. She is going to be an excellent lawyer!

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Utah's Ashley DelBalzo, Caitlin Imhoff, and Olivia McQuarrie

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law:

 

Outstanding Clinic Team: Ashley DelBalzo, Caitlin Imhoff, and Olivia McQuarrie

Ashley, Cait, and Olivia collaborated closely with the Environmental Justice Clinic’s community partners in Navajo Nation this academic year. As Clinic students in the fall semester, they excelled in all aspects of the course: they immersed themselves in simulations and role-play exercises; reflected deeply on the challenges and rewards of community-based advocacy work; and engaged in fieldwork with compassion, integrity, and keen attention to detail. As Advanced Clinic students in the spring, they worked with indigenous community partners who are fighting a major energy development project on their lands. Ashley, Cait, and Olivia presented their research at community meetings, drafted advocacy materials, and worked alongside our community partners to help organize and mobilize affected residents. Their work empowered community members, equipping people with key tools to advocate for justice vis-à-vis their elected officials as well as polluting companies. Ashley, Cait, and Olivia worked as a team extremely effectively, developing sophisticated skills in coordination, communication, and collaborative problem-solving. Over the course of the academic year, they learned to embrace the uncertainty that is often part and parcel of community-driven work. As the shape and goals of their project shifted over time, they consistently rose to the challenge of shifting their approach accordingly, even when it was frustrating to do so. The Clinic as well as its community partners will greatly miss Ashley, Cait, and Olivia as they embark on their careers. We know they’ll continue to shine!

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: Berkeley's Grace Erger and Kat Harlow

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From Berkeley Law:

Outstanding Clinic Student: Grace Erger

Grace Erger shined in Berkeley Law’s Death Penalty Clinic, spending the year working on a case where a client could soon face execution. She developed a full-scale operation to identify, speak to, and get support from people such as correctional officers advocating for the client, resulting in 30 new witnesses willing to provide statements under penalty of perjury in a capital case. She demonstrated excellence across many projects, including organizing major investigation trips and helping write a U.S. Supreme Court cert petition in four days. Her supervisors say she has the “maturity, thoughtfulness, effectiveness, legal skill, and nuanced judgment of a seasoned lawyer — and she tops it off with endless passion and commitment to her work.”

Erger says, “I learned what it means to provide zealous, caring, and creative representation, and I learned that being in community with a group of generous, supportive, kind, and very funny people can make even the heaviest tasks a bit lighter.”

Outstanding Externship Student: Kat Harlow

While at Berkeley Law, Kat Harlow did three field placements with the Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund, TGI Justice Project, and Transgender Law Center. She also did summer internships at EBCLC and Lambda Legal, and co-led the student-led Queer Justice Project. Harlow helped transgender youth and adults appeal disability benefits denials and legally change their name and gender, and worked on impact litigation issues affecting the LGBTQ+ community, including challenges to Florida’s Don’t Say Gay censorship law and laws targeting transgender youth. Her supervisors praise her professionalism, commitment, and curiosity, and her “smart advocacy on behalf of transgender and gender-variant communities.”

Harlow says, "Pro bono work has provided me the opportunity to give back to my community while collaborating with clients, fellow students, and supervisors that have lent me so much inspiration and support, and kept me grounded in the values that brought me to law school in the first place."

2024 CLEA Awards for Outstanding Clinical and Externship Students: St. John's Marianna Sheedy

Each year, the Clinical Legal Education Association invites law schools to nominate students as their Outstanding Clinic Student or Team and Outstanding Externship student. This series includes submissions from law schools celebrating their outstanding students. 

From St. John's University School of Law: 

Outstanding Clinic Student: Marianna Sheedy

Marianna Sheedy, Class of 2024, was an amazing asset to the Tenants’ Rights Unit at New York Legal Assistance Group during her externship. At NYLAG, Marianna helped to draft HP Actions on behalf of tenants seeking repairs to their apartments, drafted motions, researched legal issues, and assisted attorneys in preparing for trials. She put a lot of effort into her research and writing which is a vital part of being an excellent attorney. Marianna was hardworking, consistently sought feedback, and always had her assignments in on time. She proved to be a dedicated advocate who will be a wonderful attorney. Marianna also excelled during the seminar portion of her externship, offering insightful and sincere reflections that were significant and contributed to fostering vibrant classroom discussion. Furthermore, Marianna's written assignments were exceptionally well-executed, and her time sheets consistently indicated her ability to handle substantive legal tasks throughout her placement. Marianna's insights and contributions were beneficial to other students in the class. She was truly an exceptional student!