Law School Announces Public Interest Fellowship Recipients

May 10, 2012

The Law School has named 24 rising 2Ls and 3Ls Public Interest Fellows for summer 2012. Building on St. John’s Vincentian mission of serving those in need, and the ethical obligation of lawyers to promote social justice, the Public Interest Fellowship Program aims to encourage and facilitate participation by St. John’s law students in the delivery of legal services and legal advocacy to traditionally underrepresented clients, groups or interests.

"This year's summer fellowship class reflects our growing student commitment to honor and advance the Law School's proud tradition of helping people access legal advice and representation that might otherwise be beyond their reach, ” said Rachel D. Andron, Director of the Law School’s Public Interest Center. “This year, through the efforts of our Public Interest Committee, the generosity of alumni donors and the support of Dean Michael A. Simons, we are able to offer our students Fellowship stipends totaling $102,000.”

To apply for the Public Interest Fellowships, students must demonstrate that they are working for a “public interest employer,” defined as an entity ― public (i.e. government) or private ― that provides legal assistance, legal advocacy, or both, for low-income, underserved or disenfranchised people and communities. Applicants must also demonstrate:

  • How their summer position serves the public interest
  • Their current level of commitment to public interest
  • Commitment to the Public Interest Committee and other public interest initiatives at the Law School
  • Their historical commitment to public interest, pro bono and social justice

A Selection Committee comprised of students, faculty and administrators reviews the applications, chooses the Fellows and sets the stipends. This year’s Summer Public Interest Fellowship recipients and placements are:

  • Connor Brown ’14, New York State Courts Access to Justice Programs, Consumer Credit and Uncontested Divorce Programs; Queens Volunteer Lawyers Project
  • Emily Corcione ’14, Queen’s County District Attorney’s Office, Appeals Bureau
  • Enisa Dervisevic ’13, JASA, Legal Services for the Elderly
  • Elizabeth Fitzgerald ’13 UNICEF Mozambique Africa
  • Zinovy (“Zack”) Gluzman ’14, Nassau/Suffolk Law Service Committee, Senior Citizen’s Law Project
  • Alison Goldsmith ’14, NYC Administration for Children’s Services
  • Catherine Jahn ’13, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office
  • Miles Linefsky ’13, Kings County District Attorney’s Office
  • Hector Maquiera ’13, Legal Outreach
  • Srabone Monir ’13, South Texas Civil Rights Project
  • Adriana Mora ’13, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office
  • Courtney Morgan ’13, NYC Department of Education, Teacher Performance Unit
  • Chris Newton ’13 MFY Legal Services, Consumer Rights Project
  • Micah Pischnotte ’13, Queens Law Associates (public defense)
  • Ana Rojas ’14, City Bar Justice Center Neighborhood Entrepreneur Law Project
  • Bradley Smith ’12, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office
  • Carla Taveras ‘13, Brooklyn Defender Services-Immigration Unit
  • Joseph Torda ’13, Queens County District Attorney’s Office, Special Victims Bureau
  • Eugene Toussaint ‘14, New York State Courts Access to Justice Programs, Consumer Credit Program
  • Eileen Ward ’13, International Senior Lawyers Project
  • Tatiana Vargas ’13, UNICEF Mozambique Africa
  • Lena Martinez-Watts ’13, Native Hawaiian Legal Corporation
  • Stephanie Zambrano ’13, Nassau County District Attorney’s Office
  • Andrew Zapata ’13, International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia-Prosecutor’s Office

“At the heart of a St. John’s legal education is a range of opportunities to experience first-hand the lawyer’s calling to better the lives of people in need,” said Larry Cunningham, Associate Dean for Student Services. These opportunities come through student participation in courses, clinics, externships, internships and programs administered by the Law School’s Public Interest Center, including the Public Interest Fellowship Program and the Pro Bono Service Project. With this vital experience, our students graduate with the insight and skills they need to work in the public interest throughout their career, regardless of the professional path they take.”

To learn more about the Law School’s Public Interest Fellowship Program, please contact the Public Interest Center.