Spring 2019 Educating Law Students on the Rights and Needs of Workers Mentors & Others Recruit Peggy Browning Alumni See Them As a Strong Talent Pool Over the last 22 years, many of the mentors of Peggy Browning Fellows have been so impressed with our students’ passion and dedication to workers’ rights that they’ve hired them to continue working beyond their fellowships. In fact, many employers in the labor community have hired multiple Peggy Browning Alumni because they know that these law school graduates will provide an excellent work product and are committed to furthering the employer’s goals of advocating for working families. We thought it might be interesting to see which organizations have hired multiple PBF alumni. We think you’ll be impressed with the results. The chart below shows organizations that SEIU 2018 Summer Fellows Rachel Sandalow-Ash currently employ the largest number of our alumni. This is (2nd from Left) and Carley Russell (1st on Right) just a snapshot. So many others employ multiple PBF alumni during their Summer Fellowships. that we couldn’t list them all. Nicole Berner, General Counsel for Service Employees Int’l NLRB (HQ & Field Offices) 48 Union, shared, “SEIU is fortunate to count among our legal U.S. Dept. of Labor 15 counsel 15 Peggy Browning Fund alumni, working at our SEIU (Int’l & Locals) 15 local unions and here at the International Union. More still work representing our local unions at union-side law firms AFSCME (Int’l & Locals) 7 throughout the United States. We at SEIU know first-hand O’Donoghue & O’Donoghue LLP 6 the value Peggy Browning fellows bring to our work. FLRA 5 Each year the fellows come to our legal department excited Social Security Administration 5 for the opportunity to contribute to our mission of supporting workers who are fighting to form their union, dismantling Nat’l Treasury Employee Union 4 structural racism, and creating a more just and humane Cohen, Weiss & Simon LLP 4 society for all. The fellows leave after a full summer equipped AFGE 4 with new tools and inspired to become part of our movement United Steelworkers 4 for social, economic and racial justice. The Peggy Browning Fund and its alumni have become truly integral to the Weinberg, Roger & Rosenfeld 4 pro-worker bar.” “This summer was very productive and informative in terms of doing actual legal work, being exposed to different areas of law and learning more about the labor movement. O’Donoghue attorneys are approachable and, while everyone is very busy, I had the opportunity to talk to many of the associates who provided me great tips …” - David Zhai, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law PBF’18, O’Donoghue & O’Donoghue. Our Fellows are Special In 2018 we placed 81 Each year we receive over 400 law students in paid applications from students from our Summer Fellowships nation’s law schools wanting to become and this year we have a Peggy Browning Fellow. The quality placed 88. Together, of the students is extraordinary. It’s Margaret A. you and the Peggy rare that a mentor organization is Browning Fund have dissatisfied with its choice. (Peggy) been successful in And the impact: at least 70% of our our programs because you’ve been former fellows are presently working Browning generous. We have a solid base of as lawyers for economic and social donors which has created financial A Beacon for justice. We should all be proud of what stability. Yet just as important are we have built and continue working Workers’ Rights the law students who are passionate hard to secure our future. about working for economic and social Our namesake was, by all accounts, justice. They are the foundation of our an exceptional person whose life and programs. The fellows believe they qualities left their mark upon the legal can make a difference. They know they community and on the national scene. are on the side of those who fight for Joseph Lurie Born in Tennessee and educated at humanity and justice. President and Founder Swarthmore and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, Peggy was a creative and dynamic attorney. 2019 Leadership Circle While her name could have graced the masthead of any mega law firm, she Pacesetter Defender chose to devote her energies to workers’ United Steelworkers Altshuler Berzon LLP rights. In her defense of workers’ American Federation of Teachers interests, she never lost a case in the Leader Amalgamated Transit Union AFL-CIO Third Circuit Court of Appeals. Peggy Cohen, Weiss and Simon LLP was tirelessly focused on issues such as Int’l Union of Bricklayers Champion & Allied Craftworkers union representation, fair and equal pay AFSCME NFL Players Association and decent working conditions. Int’l Brotherhood of Teamsters Sheet Metal Workers Int’l Association Joseph Lurie Her achievements strongly justified United Food & Commercial Workers President Clinton’s nomination of her Service Employees Int’l Union Patron as the first union-side lawyer in history Benefactor AFL-CIO Lawyers Coordinating Committee to be appointed to the National Labor American Income Life Michael L. Artz Relations Board. Richard J. Brean Calibre CPA Group PLLC The Peggy Browning Award is presented Bush Gottlieb, a Law Corporation Cary Kane LLP annually to social justice champions Communications Workers of America Creighton, Johnsen & Giroux who have distinguished themselves with Galfand Berger, LLP CWA District 4 passion and dedication to the rights and Gilbert and Sackman David Jury needs of workers and their families. Int’l Assoc. of Machinists James C. Kokolas, CPA and Aerospace Workers Levy Ratner, PC MISSION STATEMENT: Int’l Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Mehri & Skalet, PLLC The Peggy Browning Fund educates Int’l Union of Painters & Allied Trades National Association of Letter Carriers and inspires the next generation New York State United Teachers National Nurses United of advocates for workplace justice. Pitta LLP Pond Lehocky Stern Giordano Through fellowships, workers’ Robbins, Geller, Rudman & Dowd Rosanne & Samuel Spear Sheet Metal Workers Union Local 19 rights conferences, networking and Patrick J. Szymanski Sherman Dunn, PC other programs, the PBF provides Segal Group United Auto Workers Sugarman & Susskind, P.A. unique opportunities for law students Willig, Williams & Davidson United Mine Workers to work for economic and social justice. Gwynne A. Wilcox 2 Winebrake & Santillo, LLC Recruiting Peggy Browning Alumni (continued) Former Fellows Offer Valuable Skills At AFSCME, Judy Rivlin offered her As an AFSCME leader told me: ‘Alumnus thoughts on hiring PBF alumni, “The [ X ] was our labor representative for Peggy Browning Fund attracts highly a few years, and did wonderful work Facts About the motivated law students who receive for us. He recently relocated, but if he excellent and extremely practical is an example of the Peggy Browning Peggy Browning training during their fellowships. I have Summer Fellowship Program, I would Fund* hired PBF students as summer clerks be excited to have another alumnus for over 20 years, and they have been consider a position with our union!’” 1,044 Fellowships Awarded consistently top-performing. Now, If you would like more information on 1998 - 2019 when I need to hire a lawyer and I see hiring a PBF Summer Fellow for 2020 88 Fellowships Awarded a PBF experience on an applicant’s or have a position to fill, contact Mary in 2019 resume, that applicant will always get Anne Moffa, Executive Director, at 267- very serious consideration. 273-7992. 157 Participating Law Schools 63 Mentor Organizations Alumni Chapters Support 2,670 Students attended PBF’s National Law PBF Programming Student’s Workers Rights Conferences 1999 – 2018 PBF is fortunate to have a substantial In addition, every year PBF organizes group of active alumni who are focused teleconferences for Summer Fellows 1,534 Students attended PBF’s on developing future worker advocates to learn about different areas of labor Regional Workshops by participating in our programs and law that they may practice during 2012 – 2018 mentoring our fellows. In 2019, alumni their Summer Fellowships. This year, are planning several activities for alumni 70% Alumni working for and fellows to meet, network, learn, and at least ten PBF alumni will facilitate workers’ rights or other public interest have fun. teleconferences on various topics such as ‘How to Get the Most From Your organizations PBF alumni are also mentors to students (of PBF alumni who Summer Fellowship,’ ‘Advocating for in law school through our Alumni have graduated from Mentorship Program. Last year PBF Immigrant Workers’ Rights,’ ‘Get To law school) Know the National Labor Relations Act,’ alumni were paired with 45 students *As of press time interested in entering the labor law field. and ‘Labor Law Jobs on Capitol Hill.’ Our chapter coordinators are: NY Chapter DC Chapter Chicago Chapter Sharon Aguirre Chris Bangs Sarah Arendt Julia Dabrowski Laura Karr Josiah Groff Omer Khwaja Suzanne Summerlin Martin Klein Evelyn Haro Amanda Jaret Margot Nikitas Jake Stevens Karen Racowsky Philadelphia Chapter Philadelphia Area Alumni meet Alvina Swati Jessica Rutter Iveliz Crespo in 2018. Alexis Werth Pia Winston Steven Grubbs If you would like to get more involved with the PBF alumni association chapter near you, or to start a chapter in your area, contact Mary Anne Moffa at [email protected]. 3 Alumni Highlights Peggy Browning Fellows Reflect on Their Experience Meet Our First 3-Time Fellows The Peggy Browning Fund is proud that we have provided over 1000 Summer Fellowships to law students since 1998. Each student was awarded a fellowship because of their outstanding qualifications as well as their interest and commitment to workers’ rights. For the first time this year, two students are receiving their third PBF fellowships: Flor Garay, a 3L night student at the University of the District of Columbia David A Clarke School of Law and Patrick Foote, a rising 3L at Chicago-Kent College of Law.