The Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics Fordham

The Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics

Fordham Law | New York City A Community of Public Interest–Minded Lawyers

Fordham Law Stein Scholars, January 2013 LEADERSHIP STEIN SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Our nationally recognized award-winning program provides students with a comprehensive three-year educational curriculum and abundant extracurricular opportunities that combine academic training with practical experience in public interest law in a supportive and well-networked student/faculty/alumni community. All admitted students are eligible to apply, and 20 are selected before fall classes begin.

e broadly define public interest law Some Stein Scholars have entered private to include both nonprofit and govern- practice, where they perform pro bono ment legal work. Through funded work, participate in bar association activi- Wsummer internships, specialized ties, and work with nonprofit organizations. coursework, and interaction with practitio- Stein Scholars have also received many ners, academics, and diverse students with a nationally prestigious awards to support shared commitment to service, the Program postgraduate work in public interest law. prepares students to be lawyers who practice Fellowships and honors have been awarded law as a public calling. by the Skadden Fellowship Foundation, Equal Justice Works, the Fulbright Beginning with the first graduating class in Association, the American Civil Liberties 1995, Stein Scholars have gone on to work Union, and many other prominent in a variety of public interest settings, in- organizations. cluding poverty law, family law, and criminal prosecution and defense. Other graduates have gone on to represent government agencies or have taken positions as policy analysts for advocacy groups, government agencies, and research institutes.

1 GOVERNMENT OFFICES LEGAL AID/LEGAL SERVICES Paid Summer C-Plan, The Office of the Public Bronx Legal Services Advocate (New York, NY) Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation “A” Equal Employment Opportunity Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation Commission (New York, NY) “B,” Government Benefits Unit Kings County District Attorney Brooklyn Legal Services Corporation INTERNSHIPS (Brooklyn, NY) “B,” HIV Unit New York City Department of Housing Brooklyn Legal Services, Corporation Preservation and Development “B” Catholic Legal Immigration Spending a summer working full time in public interest law (New York, NY) Network (CLINIC) (Brooklyn, NY) New York City Housing Authority Community Legal Services after the first year of law school is an integral part of the Stein (New York, NY) (Philadelphia, PA) Scholars experience. Stein Scholars receive funding for this New York City Law Department, Farmworker Legal Services public interest work, which allows them to pursue opportunities Corporation Counsel (New York, NY) (New Paltz, NY) New York County District Attorney’s Gay Men’s Health Crisis (New York, NY) in New York, across the country, and around the world. Office Witness Program (New York, NY) Harlem Legal Services (New York, NY) The breadth of placements reflects both the diverse interests of New York County District Attorney’s Kentucky Farmworkers Legal Services Office (New York, NY) (Lexington, KY) the Stein Scholars and the Program’s ability to assist students New York Governor Pataki’s General Legal Aid Society, Civil Appeals and Law in securing a broad range of opportunities. Counsel Office (Albany, NY) Reform Unit (New York, NY) New York State Attorney General’s Office Legal Aid Society, Harlem Neighborhood

FIRST SUMMER INTERNSHIP (New York, NY) Office (New York, NY) The Office of White House Counsel Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights $4,000 stipend to support work in approved public interest legal settings and (Washington, DC) Division (Bronx, NY) up to 3 academic credits for participation in an externship seminar in which Pro Se Office, U.S. District Court, Legal Aid Society, Lower Manhattan professors and students discuss issues that arise in the area of the students’ Southern District of New York Neighborhood Office (New York, NY) public interest employment. (New York, NY) Legal Aid Society, Prisoners Rights San Francisco District Attorney Project (New York, NY) (San Francisco, CA) Legal Aid Society, Staten Island SECOND SUMMER INTERNSHIP Senator Murray’s Office (D-WA) Neighborhood Office $5,000 stipend to support work in approved public interest legal settings. (Washington, DC) (Staten Island, NY) U.S. Attorneys’ Office, EDNY Legal Services of the Hudson Valley (Brooklyn, NY) (White Plains, NY) Student Internships U.S. Attorneys’ Office, EDNY, Mental Hygiene Legal Services Organized Crime Unit (Brooklyn, NY) (New York, NY) Following are some places, arranged by topic, where Stein U.S. Attorneys’ Office, SDNY Nassau-Suffolk Legal Services Scholars have worked during the summer in New York City, (New York, NY) (Long Island, NY) nationally, and around the world. U.S. Attorneys’ Office (Newark, NJ) Northern Manhattan Improvement U.S. Department of Justice, Special Corporation (New York, NY) Investigations Unit (Washington, DC) Northwest Justice Workers Project CHILDREN Puerto Rican Legal Defense and (Vancouver, WA) Advocates for Children (New York, NY) Education Fund (New York, NY) INTERNATIONAL Queens Legal Services for the Elderly The Family Court Mediation Project Association of Civil Rights (Queens, NY) (New York, NY) CRIMINAL DEFENSE (Jerusalem, Israel) Children’s Rights, Inc. (New York, NY) Bronx Defenders Office (Bronx, NY) Center for the Study of Violence & POVERTY LAW Lawyers for Children (New York, NY) Federal Defender Program, Northern Reconciliation, Criminal Justice Policy Center for Social Policy and Welfare Law New York Society for the Prevention of District of Illinois (Chicago, IL) Unit (Johannesburg, South Africa) (New York, NY) Cruelty to Children (New York, NY) Georgia Capital Defenders Office Committee for the Administration of Southern Poverty Law Center, (Atlanta, GA) Justice (Belfast, Northern Ireland) (Montgomery, AL) CIVIL AND CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Human Rights Watch (New York, NY) Welfare Law Center (New York, NY) American Indian Law Alliance Division, Kings County (Brooklyn, NY) International Human Rights Rescue (New York, NY) Legal Aid Society, Criminal Defense Committee (New York, NY) REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Amnesty International, Stop Violence Division, New York County Lawyers Committee for Human Rights The Center for Reproductive Law Against Women (New York, NY) (New York, NY) (Rome, Italy) and Policy, International Office American Civil Liberties Union, Louisiana Capital Assistance Unit Palestine Peace Project (New York, NY) National Legal Dept. (New York, NY) (New Orleans, LA) Penal Reform Project of Lawyers for The Center for Reproductive Law and Center for Constitutional Rights Office of the Appellate Defender Human Rights (Pretoria, South Africa) Policy (New York, NY) (New York, NY) (New York, NY) Special Court for Sierra Leone United Texas Capital Defender’s (Houston, TX) Equal Justice Initiative of Alabama Nations High Commissioner on WOMEN’S RIGHTS (Alabama) Refugees (UNHCR) (Monrovia, Liberia; ENVIRONMENTAL LAW West Africa; New York, NY) Sanctuary For Families (New York, NY) Georgia Justice Project (Atlanta, GA) Safe Horizon (New York, NY) LAMBDA Legal Defense and Natural Resources Defense Counsel United Nations (New York, NY) United Nations, The Conference of Victim Services, Domestic Violence Law Education Fund (New York, NY) (Washington, DC) Project (New York, NY) Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights New York City Environmental Defense NGOs (New York, NY) Under Law (Washington, DC) Fund (New York, NY) Witness Program, Lawyers Committee New York Civil Liberties Union, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for Human Rights (West Bank, Bill of Rights Defense Campaign (Washington, DC) Palestine and Jerusalem, Israel) (New York, NY) World Organization Against Torture (Geneva, Switzerland) 2 2L SPRING A Focus on Advanced Seminar in Public Interest Lawyering—The seminar examines issues of law, practice, and theory relating to the work of lawyers in public interest settings. Students work in small groups on projects in conjunction with public interest organizations, with supervision from the seminar faculty and from attorneys at those organizations. Course requirements include ongo- ETHICS and PRACTICE ing presentations regarding the project and a final product for the organization that may take any of various forms, such as a training manual, report, or know-your-rights guide. In working on their projects, students build on their To promote critical thinking about difficult issues, Stein earlier training to address real-world problems. Scholars produce events on Wednesday afternoons during the academic year that focus on important and timely issues in Student-Initiated and Sponsored Discussions public interest law and ethics. In these discussions, practic- On Wednesday afternoons, Stein Scholars gather with ing lawyers and academics present divergent opinions on the practicing lawyers and academics to focus on important and issues at hand. Throughout the process, students grapple with timely issues of public policy, public interest law, and ethics. difficult and controversial issues of ethics and public policy. Stein Scholars choose the topics, recruit the panelists, and moderate the discussions. Here are some recent topics: As a result of the Program’s emphasis on promoting the ethical dimensions of public interest lawyering, Stein Scholars 90 Miles from Cuba—A World Apart: Making Schools Safer for LGBTQ have been widely recognized for their integrity and leader- A Critical Look at the Bush Youth through Gay-Straight Alliances ship in the legal community. Stein Scholars alumni have won Administration’s Restrictions on Family-Related Travel Screening of 7th Street, a numerous awards from the New York State Bar Association, documentary by Josh Pais including the NYSBA President’s Pro Bono Service Award Can We Craft A Death Penalty Statute and the NYSBA’s Student Legal Ethics Award. With A Tolerably Low Rate Of Error? The War on Terror – Is This a Religious War? Civil Rights, The Election, and How to Use Your Law Degree to The West Side Stadium: Urban Specialized Make a Difference Renewal Or Community Destruction? Hidden in Plain Sight: Where Will Our Youth Go? Human Trafficking in NYC New Directions after the Closure of New York’s Alternative to How Can You Do What You Do? Detention Centers CURRICULUM New York City Assistant District Attorneys and Public Defenders Workfare: Is It Working? All Stein Scholars are required to participate in a special- Speak Out including scenes from A Day’s Work, A Day’s Pay ized curriculum, which is tailored to public interest law. Immigrant Workers Rights, During their first summer, all Stein Scholars enroll in the including clips from the documentary Farmingville Stein Section (or the Out of Town Section) of the Summer Externship Seminar, earning academic credits related to Alternatives To Incarceration their summer externship. In this course, Steins get to know Standards For Police Conduct each other better and learn about each other’s public interest work and organizations. During their second year, The Prison Industrial Complex all Stein Scholars enroll in specially designed seminars that Legalize Marijuana? challenge them to think critically about the role of lawyers in society. Attitudes Toward Crime

2L FALL Ethics in Criminal Advocacy—students focus on the ethical responsibilities of prosecutors and criminal defense attorneys. or Lawyers and Justice—students focus on the ethical responsibilities of public interest lawyers, primarily in the civil context.

3 Alumni At Work Being a Stein Scholar helps open doors to opportunities in COMMUNITY every kind of employment and every location. Following are just a few of the places, arranged by topic, where our That Stein Scholars work together and with others in alumni have worked after graduation: the Fordham community to serve the public is a given. Working on group and individual projects that are GOVERNMENT CRIMINAL PROSECUTION both law specific and more general volunteer service, Massachusetts State Attorney Bergen County Prosecutor’s Office (NJ) General’s Office (Boston, MA) Bronx County District Stein Scholars contribute to the wider community Miami-Dade County State Attorney Attorney’s Office beyond Fordham’s walls. General’s Office (Miami, FL) Kings County District Attorney’s New Jersey Attorney General’s Office Office (Brooklyn, NY) (Trenton, NJ) Manhattan District Attorney’s Office Stein Scholars are also committed to creating a sense of New York City Administration for Nassau County District Attorney’s community within the Program itself through a variety of Children’s Services Office (Mineola, NY) New York City Campaign New York State Attorney General’s social and academic-support activities that encourage Finance Board Office informal interaction among students, faculty, and alumni. New York City Department Queens County District Attorney’s of Buildings Office The opportunities for networking, advice, and, perhaps New York City Department of Finance US Attorney’s Office, SDNY most importantly, friendship, that result from these New York City Department of Washington Attorney General’s Office gatherings are invaluable. Homeless Services (Olympia, WA) New York City Department of Mental Hygiene IMPACT LITIGATION SOCIAL EVENTS New York City Department of Gay & Lesbian Advocates and Small Businesses Defenders (Boston, MA) Welcome 1st Year Stein Scholars New York City Health and New York Civil Liberties Union Welcome Back All Stein Scholars Hospitals Corporation Stein Scholars Bar Night Social (one per semester) New York City Human Resources LEGISLATIVE The Stein Scholars Potluck Dinner Administration Stein Scholars Alumni and Student Reception New York City Law Department, New York City Council Member Bill de End-of-Semester Town Hall Meeting Corporation Counsel Blasio’s Office—Chief of Staff New York City Police Department— New York City Council Public Legal Bureau Advocate’s Office To keep Stein Scholars informed about the Program and Texas Department of Agriculture New York State Executive Chamber, the activities of their fellow Stein Scholars, we publish (Austin, TX) First Lady’s Office—Chief of Staff a weekly e-mail during the academic year and an alumni US Attorney’s Office (Miami, FL) US Department of Defense, LEGAL AID/LEGAL SERVICES newsletter four times per year. The Program also organizes The Pentagon (Washington, DC) Brooklyn Legal Services, workshops to assist Stein Scholars as they progress through US Department of Housing Corporation A and Urban Development Brooklyn Legal Services, law school. Visit law.fordham.edu/steinscholars/nonacad (Washington, DC) Corporation B for more information. US Department of Justice Contra Costa Legal Services (Washington, DC) Foundation (Richmond, VA) US Department of Transportation Legal Aid Society WORKSHOPS (REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE) (Washington, DC) (various locations, NY) Legal Services of Northern California Government Career Opportunities (Sacramento, CA) Non-Profit Organizations/Non-Governmental Organizations CRIMINAL DEFENSE MFY Legal Services (New York, NY) Careers in Environmental Law Bronx Defenders New York Legal Assistance Group Legal Brief Writing City Court of Atlanta Public South Brooklyn Legal Services What I Did Last Summer Defender’s Office (Atlanta, GA) Making Course Selections Los Angeles County Public Defender’s LABOR Writing Competitions and Moot Court Office (Los Angeles, CA) National Legal Aid and Defender DC37 Municipal Employees Legal Association (Washington, DC) Services Plan (New York, NY) Upper-class Stein Scholars are expected to assume a more Public Defender of Philadelphia Union 1199 (New York, NY) active role in the coordination of the Program’s activities. (Philadelphia, PA) Evening students are accorded greater flexibility in fulfilling Public Defender’s Office JUDICIARY (Nashville, TN) Annually up to 25% of the these responsibilities. San Diego Federal Defenders graduating Stein Scholars obtain (San Diego, CA) judicial clerkships. Stein Scholars have made successful applications locally and across the nation in federal, state, county, and city courts.

4 FELLOWSHIPS Lawyers for Children (New York, NY) Four full-time Fordham professors oversee the Program. Legal Information for Families Today Equal Justice Works Fellowship They serve as mentors, teach the second-year seminars, and Georgetown Law Center Fellowship (various locations, NY) (Washington, DC) My Sisters’ Place (White Plains, NY) work closely with the Council of student representatives New Voices Fellowship New York Society for Prevention of elected by Stein Scholars. They also make themselves Presidential Management Intern Cruelty to Children Fellowship Permanent Judicial Commission on available to provide informal advice about internships, Skadden Fellowships Justice for Children (New York) academic projects, career opportunities, and other mat- Sanctuary for Families (New York) Soros Community Justice Fellow ters of concern. Additionally, another 30+ Fordham Law University of Miami Law School Urban Women’s Safe Haven Fellowship (Miami, FL) (Brooklyn, NY) faculty members make themselves available to provide individual mentoring to Stein Scholars. HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY & ENVIRONMENT Columbia University Teachers College Community Reinvestment Law Center Director of Pro Bono, School of Law, (Washington, DC) Stein Scholars also benefit from direct contact with BP Professional Education (London) Environmental Integrity Project, administrators in the Law School’s Public Interest Resource The Rockefeller Family Fund Crowley Human Rights Program, Center who play vital roles in guiding students. PIRC’s Fordham Law School (Washington, DC) Friends of Hudson River Park Director of Counseling and Public Interest Scholars, WOMEN, CHILDREN, FAMILIES, (New York, NY) Andrew Chapin, advises first-year students about available HEALTH Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation internships for the first-year summer. He works to identify Bread for the City (Washington, DC) Pollution Enforcement Attorney with opportunities for students and helps to secure placements. Children’s Defense Fund the Hudson Riverkeeper (Washington, DC) (New York, NY) Additionally, Director Chapin works with Assistant Dean Citizens’ Committee for Children Sierra Club (Columbus, OH) Tom Schoenherr to help students find post-graduate of NYC Urban Justice Center (New York, NY) HIV Services Unit, Legal Project, WestSide SRO Law Project public-interest positions. Dean Schoenherr also provides Osborne Association (New York, NY) (New York, NY) extensive counsel to students regarding fellowships, judicial Housing Works (New York) InMotion, Inc. (Bronx, NY) clerkships, and other public interest jobs. Interdisciplinary Center for Family and Child Advocacy, Fordham University Stein Faculty Co-Directors MENTORING

Throughout their time at the Law School, Stein Scholars are encouraged to seek guidance, counsel, and assistance from fellow Stein Scholars as well as from faculty and Bruce Green Jennifer Gordon administrators who work with the Program.

Stein Scholars receive substantial support and guidance from one another. Upper-class students share their experiences as summer interns, encourage first-year students to become active in law school service activities, and provide advice about how to successfully balance academic work with an extracurricular interest in public service. A committee of upper-class Stein Scholars, called the First Year Committee, takes the lead in mentoring new students. This Kimani Paul-Emile Russell Pearce Committee holds several lunchtime programs (audiotaped for the benefit of evening students) to help students with issues that arise during the first year of law school.

5 “My favorite part of the Stein Program has been getting to meet faculty who come from a similar perspective. They know what you’re about and what you care about.”

MARCELLA JAYNE ’18

tireless advocate for people facing Birth Project, where she successfully Marcella is the most recent recipient of eviction and foreclosure, Marcella lobbied for legislation that outlawed the the Bellet Scholarship, an honor that hopes to spend her time in the Stein practice of shackling women to hospital pairs her with Fordham Law Professor AScholars Program gaining the skills beds during childbirth. Russell Pearce, who will act as her men- needed to make a large-scale structural tor throughout the Program. Pearce has impact on housing issues. She is already As a Stein Scholar, Marcella is happy to years of experience with housing law, making a name for herself at Fordham find faculty who understand her devo- and Marcella plans to use his guidance Law due to her passion, experience, and tion to public service. and connections in the field to make a leadership ability. difference when she graduates. “My favorite part of the Stein Program Marcella studied politics with a minor has been getting to meet faculty who “I want to do something more than just in gender studies at Mount Holyoke come from a similar perspective,” she putting Band-Aids on or cleaning up College as an undergraduate while says. “They know what you’re about and messes,” she says. “I have four years of simultaneously working with various what you care about.” support from the Stein community to advocacy organizations. She served learn the best way to make an impact.” for two years as Coordinator for the Marcella has also found community Mass Defense of Post-Foreclosure among her fellow part-time eve- Homeowners and Tenants Facing ning program peers. She was elected Eviction at Springfield No One Leaves, a Evening Division Representative of grassroots organization in Massachusetts the Stein Council and counts as her that helps organize residents most closest Fordham friends the four other directly impacted by the housing crisis. Stein Scholars women in the evening Before moving to New York City, program. Marcella also worked with the Prison

6 “The greatest strength of the Stein Scholars Program is the diversity of experience, passion, and long term aspiration of each of the Scholars.”

ADAM BRODY ’12

hree years after the Stein Scholars According to Adam, the beauty of the In his duties leading the Stein Council, Program was established in 1992, Program’s events and activities is they Adam helped to strengthen an already the Stein Council was created to allow the Scholars to build relation- robust alumni network. He encour- Tcoordinate the duties and activities ships with each other. These relation- aged recent Stein Scholar graduates to of the Program. When Adam served ships will be important after graduation continue to play a role in the program as President of the Stein Council, he as the Scholars will hopefully collabo- in order to maintain the distinctive ensured that the Program continue rate with each other throughout feeling of community. to adapt to the changing needs of the their careers. Scholars as well as the exigencies of the “It’s important for Stein alumni to con- public interest landscape. During his 1L summer, Adam worked sider themselves Steins for life. I think on terrorism and international nar- the Program inspires us to feel ‘Once a “The Council makes sure the Stein cotics trafficking cases for the U.S. Stein, always a Stein.’” experience is not stagnant from the Attorney’s Office in the Southern 1L year to the 3L year. The Program District of New York. The following evolves and changes to reflect the summer, he served as a legal intern needs of the Scholars as they progress in the New York County District through law school.” Attorney’s Office. Since graduation, he has continued his involvement in government work. He currently serves as Assistant District Attorney in the Queen’s District Attorney’s Office. He began in the office’s Domestic Violence Bureau and is now posted in the Appeals Bureau.

7 “The Stein Scholars Program really shines as a meeting place of like- minded people who want to work in public service, where individuals can share ideas and debate.”

PETER TORRE ’14

native New Yorker and Jesuit high These experiences paved the way for his school graduate, Peter has public study of law, morality, and politics at “It allows me to participate in a mission service in his blood. The Stein New York University’s Gallatin School I believe in—defending the city of New A Scholars Program gave him the of Individualized Study. York—and to do what I came to law opportunity to share his interest in school to do: to become a litigator in a public service, create a support system He began his work in government public service context,” he explains. to guide him through the rigors of law after college, when he spent two school, and engage with intellectually years serving in the Business Integrity Peter says the Stein Scholars Program curious peers in discussions about what Commission, a New York City agency has had a profound impact on his it means to be a public service lawyer. that provides oversight for the commer- career. He is grateful to the Program for He is now a lawyer for the New York cial waste, public wholesale market, and providing professional support to its City Law Department, fulfilling a long- shipboard gambling industries. Today students and for creating a lively forum time personal ambition and serving his he is Assistant Corporation Counsel in for academic conversation. hometown in the process. the New York City Law Department. He works in the torts division, defend- “The mentorship I received from As a teenager, Peter participated in ing the city in civil lawsuits. The job people like Andrew Chapin and Bruce Christian service projects around gives him an opportunity to fulfill his Green was really useful to me profes- Manhattan through Regis High professional passions. sionally,” he says. “The Stein Scholars School. Teaching literacy to adult Program really shines as a meeting English learners and working to transi- place of like-minded people who want tion former prisoners into post-incar- to work in public service, where indi- ceration life was rewarding for him. viduals can share ideas and debate.”

8 “The Stein community is made up of an extraordinary group of people committed to social justice across a diverse range of issue areas.”

ELIZABETH JOYNES ’10

uring her 1L summer, Elizabeth Elizabeth was awarded a prestigious “I work with a population that is vul- traveled to Mexico City to work two-year Skadden Fellowship to nerable to labor exploitation. Many of for ProDESC—Proyecto de continue her public interest work after my clients work in low-wage industries Derechos Económicos, Sociales y graduation. She joined LatinoJustice and are often unaware that they have DCulturales (the Project for Economic, PRLDEF—where she interned as the right to earn the minimum wage Social, and Cultural Rights), a Mexican a 2L—to help develop the Latinas and overtime pay in a safe workplace. human rights organization. She con- at Work Project. She continued as There is a tremendous need for legal as- ducted research for and wrote sections Associate Counsel at LatinoJustice sistance to hold unscrupulous employ- of a migrant workers’ rights manual following her fellowship until October ers accountable.” for ProDESC’s Bi-National Justice 2014 and continued the work she Initiative. She also worked on a report began as a Fellow: handling cases for that detailed human rights and labor low-wage Latina immigrant workers violations committed by Wal- on Long Island and throughout New Mart Mexico. York City and collaborating with local community organizations where the The following summer Elizabeth served workers go for help. Elizabeth joined as a law clerk for the National Legal the Workplace Justice Team at Make Department at the American Civil the Road New York in November 2014 Liberties Union (ACLU) in New and continues to advocate on behalf of York. She worked on cases and projects immigrant workers. within the ACLU’s Human Rights Program, National Security Project, and First Amendment Working Group.

9 “My desire to practice law for the benefit of the public motivated me to attend law school, and the Stein Scholars program was a natural fit. The program allowed me to connect with other public interest-minded law students, which created a great support network from day one of law school.”

MICHAEL LANDIS ’11

ichael decided to attend law school Michael also decided after starting law Michael remains grateful for the com- while serving as a Peace Corps school to enhance his legal education munity that the Stein Scholars program volunteer in Honduras. The ex- training by completing a joint J.D./M.A. provided: “Being a part of the program Mperiences he had there working in degree in the International Political allowed me to pursue my goal of becom- community development translated very Economy and Development (IPED) ing a lawyer working for the benefit of well to the public interest projects he’s program of Fordham’s Graduate School the public, and I am sure that this sup- undertook as a Stein Scholar. of Arts and Sciences. port will continue throughout my career as an attorney.” “I worked as an intern with the Bronx Now as an Associate at Gibbons P.C., Defenders, which provides representation Michael represents clients in commer- to indigent clients in both criminal and cial disputes in state and federal courts. civil court. As a summer intern, I regu- He also maintains an active pro bono larly attended court with my supervising practice. He was part of a team that suc- attorney and saw firsthand the work of cessfully obtained asylum for a mentally a public defender. I regularly met with ill victim of violence from West Africa. clients to discuss their cases and worked He has also provided advice on a variety on several research assignments.” of legal issues to low-income individuals and small business owners affected by Hurricane Sandy.

10 “If you are part of Stein you will get to know a lot of people at the School who are doing social justice work.”

RAZEEN ZAMAN ’16

or Razeen, the Stein Scholars spent three years working in immigra- Until she realizes her dream job, Razeen Program is an ideal combination tion advocacy before entering Fordham will continue engaging with the diverse of practical support and engaging Law. She was a campaign organizer for community of peers, alumni, and fac- Feducational and service opportuni- the New York State Youth Leadership ulty that comprises the Stein Scholars ties. She values the stipends that allow Council, an organization that works Program. Working with the program di- Stein Scholars the financial stability to with undocumented immigrant chil- rectors and with Stein alumni has been pursue summer public interest intern- dren. During her time at the council, an invaluable experience for her. ships—just one example, she says, of the she lobbied for the New York State Program’s generosity. She also admires DREAM Act, a bill that wouldallow “If you are part of Stein you will get to its capacity to inspire dedication to undocumented immigrants in New know a lot of people at the School who social justice. Last year, she attended York access to state financial aid for are doing social justice work,” Zaman a Stein programming event where a education. explains. “For people who are interested formerly incarcerated death row in pursuing social justice careers, that’s inmate spoke; she was unreservedly Razeen hopes to continue working as an something we actively seek. In the Stein impressed by such an edifying out-of- advocate after graduation, as she believes Program, it’s readily available.” class experience. that kind of frontline legal work has the greatest potential to change society’s Razeen graduated from Sarah Lawrence status quo. “Advocacy is the avenue for College in 2010 with a concentration in true community empowerment and true post-colonial theory. After college, she change,” she says.

11 “The Stein Scholars go out of their way to help each other, whether it’s with academics, public service projects, or issues outside of school.”

DAVID UREÑA ’12

n explaining his motivations for For David, one of the more important David currently works as Staff Attorney public service work, David cites a benefits of the Stein Scholar community at MFY Legal Services, an organization New York Times editorial that states is the exposure he received to public that provides free legal assistance to resi- an estimated four-fifths of low- service topics outside his own field of dents of New York City on a wide range Iincome individuals have no access to a interest. The program regularly orga- of civil legal issues, prioritizing services lawyer when they need one. David wants nizes panels where guest speakers discuss to vulnerable and underserved popula- to help fill this gap in justice. a range of public interest and social tions. David believes that the opportuni- justice issues. ties of the Stein Scholars Program have “I feel a duty that I should be contribut- been instrumental to his growth as a ing to helping those people that other- “Attending the panels and listening to public service agent. wise would not have access to the viewpoints of the speakers broad- legal services.” ened my understanding of timely public “As part of a Fordham Law education, interest issues. It was very helpful to hear the Stein Scholars program allowed me Being a Stein Scholar allowed David to the viewpoints of advocates working to interact with and provide help to fulfill his sense of civic responsibility. directly in the field.” people who otherwise would not have During his 1L summer, he worked for been able to get help. That kind of assis- the Urban Justice Center’s Community tance is very important to me and those Development Project, where he engaged with whom I have worked.” in a variety of issues, including worker’s rights, housing, consumer debt, and healthcare. His 2L summer, he served in the Employment Law Unit of The Legal Aid Society in New York City.

12 The Stein Scholars Program is Fordham Law’s premier public interest law program. The comprehensive program develops a select group of highly motivated Fordham Law students into leaders in public interest law and public service. The mission of the program is to promote the ideal of law as a public calling. This mission inspires the Stein Scholars to apply the Law School’s motto, “In the service of others,” throughout their legal careers. The Stein Scholars Program in Public Interest Law and Ethics

Fordham Law School 150 West 62nd Street New York, NY 10023

More information: Andrew Chapin [email protected] 212-636-7849 law.fordham.edu/steinscholars/apply