news
release
October 29, 2007
CONTACT:
James Carroll
(202) 466-3686 ext. 102
www.equaljusticeworks.org
EQUAL JUSTICE WORKS APPOINTS NEW MEMBERS
TO NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
TO NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
Four of the new National Advisory Committee members are law school students, three are law school professionals or faculty, and one is a former Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney. All have a commitment to public service and experience working with diverse communities, groups and issues. Committee members serve two-year terms.
The new student NAC members are:
Sabrina Andrus, Seattle University School of Law
Sabrina Andrus is a third-year student at Seattle University School of Law. Ms. Andrus came to law school to strengthen her advocacy skills and focus her work on women's rights, immigrants' rights, family law and poverty law. She was a legal intern for two national organizations the summer after her first year: Law Students for Reproductive Justice (where she now serves as a director on the Board of Directors) and Planned Parenthood Global Partners. She is currently a law clerk for the Northwest Justice Project, a statewide civil legal services provider in Washington. Ms. Andrus is the President of Seattle University's Public Interest Law Foundation as well as the SU chapter of Law Students for Reproductive Justice. She also sits on the Washington State Access to Justice Law School Relations Committee, a group dedicated to promoting workable unity among the Washington State law schools and the larger public interest community.
Shijuade Kadree, Emory University School of Law
Shijuade Kadree is a second-year student at Emory University School of Law in Atlanta, Georgia. At Emory, she is pursuing a joint degree with an MPH program, specifically focusing on Global Environmental Health. She recently received the ABA Fellowship for Minorities in Environmental Law which allowed her to work with the Natural Resources Defense Council in their Los Angeles office this past summer. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Kadree served as a Bill Emerson National Hunger Fellow. Through this year long anti-hunger, anti-poverty advocacy program, she worked on such issues as access to financial products and services for low-income families, financial education, federal and state anti-hunger programs, and comprehensive immigration reform. Through her work with the National Conference of State Legislatures during the fellowship, she published, Bringing Legislators to the Table: Addressing Hunger and Nutrition in America, highlighting the achievements of programs across the states that effectively and creatively addressed hunger in their local communities. Ms. Kadree received her B.A. in Political Science and Sociology from Emory University in 2005.
Ruth Lopez. Chicago-Kent College of Law, Illinois Institute of Technology
Ruth Lopez is a second-year student at Chicago-Kent College of Law. During her first year at Chicago-Kent she became involved with the Hispanic Latino Law Student Association (HLLSA), Student Hurricane Network (SHN), Women in Law, Access 2 Justice and Kent Justice Foundation. During her second year, Ms. Lopez has continued her involvement with the student body by serving on various boards of the student organizations such as external vice president for HLLSA and president of SHN. She is involved in creating a new organization at Chicago-Kent, the Student Immigration Law Association. Prior to attending law school, Ms. Lopez worked as a community organizer in Chicago's northwest side. As an organizer, she helped to create community block clubs, improve police patrol and develop after-school and preschool programs. She holds a B.A. in Spanish and Latino/a Studies from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Cristen Sargent, Washington University in St. Louis School of Law
Cristen Sargent is a J.D./M.S.W. dual degree student at Washington University in St. Louis and will graduate in May 2008. At Washington University School of Law, Cristen is a member of the Public Service Advisory Board which creates volunteer opportunities for law students and spearheads efforts to establish a pro bono requirement at the school. She founded the National Lawyers Guild law student chapter and enjoys volunteering as a child advocate for kids in foster care with Voices for Children. Cristen is committed to low-wage worker justice and hopes to work as an attorney in this field. She holds a B.A. in Cultural Anthropology from Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y.
The other new NAC members are:
Susan Feathers, Stanford Law School
Susan Feathers is the Executive Director of the John and Terry Levin Center for Public Service and Public Interest Law at Stanford Law School. She has also served for nearly a decade as the Director of the University of Pennsylvania Law School's Public Service Program where she directed the pro bono, Public Interest Scholars, and student-run clinical programs. She was also the Founding Director of Public Service at both Brooklyn and Yale Law Schools as well as a Clinical Staff Attorney for Hofstra Law School's Criminal Defense, Constitutional Litigation, and Disability Clinics. She began her careers as an Associate Appellate Counsel at the Legal Aid Criminal Appeals Bureau in New York City. Ms. Feathers received her B.A. and M.A. from the University of Pennsylvania where she was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar and her J.D. from Northeastern where she was an Edward V. Sparer Fellow.
Marni Lennon, University of Miami School of Law
Marni Lennon is the Assistant Dean for Public Interest and Pro Bono at the University of Miami School of Law. She is also the Founder and Director of the HOPE Public Interest Resource Center, which features over 25 outreach and advocacy projects across South Florida. Dean Lennon has worked at the University of Miami School of Law for 12 years, where she spent nine years as an Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Disability Services. She has been involved in the creation of the Public Interest Loan Reduction Program, the Public Interest Scholarship Program and oversees the HOPE Fellows Program, which places students worldwide in public interest and NGOs. In addition, she co-directs the Miami Scholars Program, dedicated to students with a demonstrated commitment to public interest. Dean Lennon is the advisor to the Public Interest Leadership Board and works closely with student organizations engaged in community outreach and advocacy. Dean Lennon teaches Alternative Dispute Resolution and Mediation at the University of Miami School of Law. In addition to the NAC, Dean Lennon serves on the executive committee of the AALS Pro Bono Section. She holds a B.A. from the University of Southern California and a JD and an MSEd from the University of Miami.
Timothy Little, Montana Legal Services Association
Timothy Little is a Staff Attorney at Montana Legal Services Association (MLSA) in Missoula, Montana. He joined MLSA in 2006 as an Equal Justice Works AmeriCorps Attorney assigned with the task of developing a Self-Help Law Project. Mr. Little assisted in the creation of a statewide program providing legal education, advice and self-help materials to help empower low-income individuals and communities to resolve their legal problems. He sits on the Montana Supreme Court's Commission on Self-Represented Litigants and has spoken at a number of national conferences on the topic of using new technologies to enhance the delivery of legal services to low-income clients. In his current position, Mr. Little recruits and trains law student volunteers and develops pro se legal materials, as well as representing legal services clients. He received his bachelor's degree in history from the University of Montana and continued his graduate education in Missoula, earning his J.D. in 2006.
Robert Salem, University of Toledo College of Law
Rob Salem is a Clinical Professor at the University of Toledo College of Law. As a clinician, Professor Salem teaches courses that provide students with the skills necessary to successfully practice law while advancing the law school's social justice mission. Under Professor Salem's supervision, law students represent disadvantaged clients throughout Ohio in a variety of legal matters, including family law, probate, interpersonal violence, civil rights, political asylum, consumer protection, housing and non-profit law. Professor Salem also has established several policy and law reform projects at the law school that have a broad impact on the community. The projects give students the opportunity to critique the law and work for reform through education, direct representation, and advocacy before legislative bodies. Professor Salem is a graduate of the University of Toledo College of Law. He is a frequent speaker on civil rights issues and is active in several organizations. He currently serves on the Executive Board of the Ohio ACLU, the Board of Directors for the Ohio Drug Assistance Program, the Board of Directors for the Toledo Public Defender's Office, and the Flower Memorial Hospital Ethics Committee.
A full roster of National Advisory Committee members is posted on the Equal Justice Works website at www.equaljusticeworks.org/about/nacmembers.
- end -
Equal Justice Works, a nonprofit, nonpartisan 501(c)(3) organization, was founded in 1986 by law students dedicated to working for equal justice on behalf of underserved communities and causes. Today, Equal Justice Works is the national leader in creating summer and postgraduate public interest opportunities for law students and lawyers as well as in urging more public interest programming at law schools. For more information, visit www.equaljusticeworks.org.
EQUAL
JUSTICE WORKS | 2120 L Street, NW | Suite 450 | Washington, DC 20037
tel: (202) 466-3686 | fax: (202) 429-9766 | www.equaljusticeworks.org
tel: (202) 466-3686 | fax: (202) 429-9766 | www.equaljusticeworks.org