Boston College Law School, on May 24, announced the recipients of its 2022 Public Service Legal Fellowships, Drinan Award, and Clinical Legal Education Association (CLEA) Awards. The honors variously provide post-graduate work opportunities, a $10,000 grant to encourage a public service career, and acknowledgement of outstanding work in a clinical or externship course.
The Public Service Awards Committee selected 3Ls Elizabeth Gooen, Meghan Murphy, and Marija Tesla as the recipients of the 2022 Public Service Legal Fellowships. These yearlong, post-graduate positions allow BC Law graduates to work full-time at a public interest organization, public defender organization, prosecutor’s office, or government agency. The program aligns with the Law School’s commitment to social and economic justice and dedication to improving access to legal services.
Gooen will be working at the Center for Reproductive Rights in Washington, DC. Murphy will be at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, US Protection and Solutions Unit in Washington, DC. And Tesla will spend the year at the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Division of International Protection, Protection Policy and Advice Section in Geneva, Switzerland.
Vannessa Lawrence is the recipient of the 2022 Drinan Award, which is possible thanks to the generous contributions of anonymous donors to the Drinan Family Fund in Support of Public Interest Law. The fund awards $10,000 to a graduating student who will pursue a public sector career, and is renewable for a second year for a maximum award of $20,000 over the two years if the recipient remains in public interest employment. Lawrence will serve as a fellow with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.
The CLEA Awards are given for overall excellence in the seminar and field work portions of a clinic or externship course, the ability of the students to engage in effective collaboration, and a student’s or team’s contribution to the clinical community at the law school, legal community, or broader community.
The CLEA Outstanding Clinic Team Award goes to the MCI Cedar Junction team from the Civil Rights Clinic: Dhairya Bhatia, Sarah Cortinez, Kiranjot Kaur, Steven Levy, Daniel McLaughlin, and Simone Washington. The CLEA Award for Outstanding Extern goes to Roma Gujarathi.