 Lawand Anderson
King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office - Criminal Division
Seattle, WA
Lawand Anderson will be interning in the Criminal Division of the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office this summer. The Criminal Division is responsible for prosecuting all felonies in King County and all misdemeanors in unincorporated areas of King County. As an intern, Lawand will investigate allegations of a crime, assist prosecutors with filing decisions, and court documents, interview witnesses, prepare briefs and motions, and other tasks associated with trial preparation. The work done in the KCPAO is important to Lawand because she is passionate about criminal law. Being a part of the criminal justice system in this capacity is her primary reason for attending law school. Lawand is committed to healthy communities and how best to use the law as a tool to promote public safety. A native of Seattle, Lawand has over ten years of City government experience and is a Seattle University Alum, class of 2007, where she earned a Master's degree in Public Administration.
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 Shantrice Anderson
Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality
Seattle,WA
Shantrice Anderson is an intern at the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality. The Center is named after Fred Korematsu, a man who fought for justice by refusing to follow orders to enter an internment camp. Its mission is to advance justice through research, advocacy, and education, and it works to accomplish this goal through two projects: the Amicus Brief program, and the Ad Hoc Task Force on Race and the Criminal Justice System. This summer, Shantrice will be working to ensure that civil detainees are not subject to punitive conditions of confinement. She will also be working on Arce v. Huppenthal, a landmark case from Arizona, concerning the State's ban on Mexican American Studies in school. She is excited to join this coalition of attorneys and professors and hopes to gain as much experience as possible.
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 Alexandra Barker
Washington State Attorney General's Office - Consumer Protection Division
Seattle, WA
Alexandra Barker is passionate about food and agricultural law and policy, from genetically engineered seed to food aid to property rights to regulation to access. She has worked previously at a small law firm helping with personal injury cases, and as a result is also an advocate of plaintiff's rights. During the summer of 2012, Lexi is interning in the Consumer Protection Division of the Washington state Attorney General's Office. CPD seeks to eliminate unfair and deceptive acts and practices in the marketplace. She performs research and investigations on legal issues applicable to current cases and writes comprehensive memos for the attorneys. CPD has the only High-Tech Unit in the Attorney General's Office so she has gotten to work on some cutting-edge technology issues, in addition to doing lengthy research and writing on a medical device case. She has also been able to sit in on multi-state calls between Attorney General's Offices across the nation, attend team meetings with many attorneys and participate in case brain-storming and discussion, and go to press conferences after case settlements and major Supreme Court decisions. Lexi plans to take the skills and knowledge she has gained in the area of consumer protection to advocate on behalf of consumers and farmers who are injured by the injustice present in our food system; learning about the strategies and avenues available to address consumer issues aligns perfectly with her passion for food law.
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 Katherine Beeler
Northwest Justice Project - Family Law Department
Seattle, WA
Katherine Beeler is interning with the Family Law department at Northwest Justice Project. Her work is focused on domestic violence issues, spousal maintenance, and child visitation. Her first motion hearing went great, and she was able to get their client temporary maintenance to support her and her daughter pending her dissolution. She's currently representing a client in a protection order case with a serious history of domestic violence. She's working hard to get the client and the children involved the needed protection. The family law department at NJP is dedicated to confronting domestic violence issues and income power disparities to achieve a just result.
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 Brian Cadousteau
Northwest Justice Project - Public Benefits Unit
Seattle, WA
Brian Cadousteau is working in the Public Benefits unit of the Northwest Justice Project in Seattle, Washington. NJP provides free civil legal assistance and representation to low-income people and communities throughout Washington. Its mission is to secure justice through high quality legal advocacy that promotes the well being of low-income individuals, families, and communities. Brian is directly representing clients in public benefits cases, which include denials, terminations, and reductions of TANF (Temporary Assistance for Needy Families), Basic Food, Medicaid, and DDD (Division of Developmental Disabilities) benefits. Brian has the opportunity to participate in client interviews, provide legal advice, conduct discovery, participate in negotiations, draft legal briefs, and participate in administrative fair hearings. He works with diverse client populations, such as domestic violence victims, individuals with limited English proficiency, the elderly, children, and the disabled. Currently, Brian is focused on developing legal arguments and strategies in regards to the DDD eligibility guidelines for disabled children transitioning out of the foster care system. Last summer, Brian interned in the Department of Social and Health Services Litigation Division at the Attorney General's Office in Seattle. He hopes that his experience there will give him a unique and valuable perspective as he now takes on the challenge of litigating claims against his former employer.
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 Ryan Castle
Municipality of Anchorage - Civil Legal Division
Anchorage, AK
Ryan Castle is interning with the Municipality of Anchorage in its Civil Legal Division. Like most government entities, the Municipality represents taxpayers. It often finds itself on the defense side of the courtroom against those claiming to be harmed by the Municipality and its employees. It serves around 350,000 people; half of the State of Alaska. While Ryan's passion lies on the plaintiff's side, to pursue social justice he hopes to understand the perspective and decision making process of government agency defendants through this internship.
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 Daniel Cheng
Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality
Seattle, WA
Daniel Cheng is interning at the Fred T. Korematsu Center for Law and Equality. The Center files amicus and merits briefs in civil liberties cases with issues varying from racial profiling and bias to conditions of civil confinement and national voting rights. As an intern, Daniel will be conducting intake interviews, developing legal theories, and drafting motions and briefs. Daniel will gain insight into the adversarial legal system and better understand the politics and strategy of civil procedure.
Daniel grew up in Portland, Oregon and graduated from University of California, San Diego (UCSD) with a degree in International Relations.
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 Ernie Collette
Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA
Ernie Collette is interning this summer at Disability Rights Washington. DRW is a private non-profit organization that advocates for and protects the rights of individuals with disabilities through information and referral services, self-advocacy strategies, rights publications, policy analysis, coalition building, community education, direct advocacy, and legal representation. Ernie will spend some time during his internship responding to calls throughout Washington State from individuals seeking legal assistance, and providing information and referral services on issues relating to abuse and neglect at community residential programs and state institutions, discrimination in housing, employment, access to health care and support services, assistive technology, and special education. In addition, Ernie will prepare a literature review, research case law, and interview inmates for a report to be disseminated to the Washington State Legislature regarding the effect of jail delays on individual offenders with disabilities. Ernie is from Los Angeles, California, and graduated from Gonzaga University with degrees in Biology and History. After graduation, Ernie worked at two non-profit organizations in New York City before enrolling at Seattle University to obtain his Juris Doctor. Ernie hopes that after law school he can continue to work in the non-profit community, and hopes to use the experiences he gains over the summer to advocate for the importance of access to legal resources to no-or-low-income individuals.
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 Abra Conitz
Disability Rights Washington
Seattle, WA
Abra Conitz is spending the summer interning with Disability Rights Washington. DRW is a non-profit organization that serves as the protection and advocacy agency for the state of Washington. Part of the mission of DRW is to provide resources and tools to people with disabilities with the hope that they are able to become successful self-advocates.
While at DRW, Abra will be spending part of her time answering calls from individuals seeking assistance from DRW. In working with each individual, Abra will identify issues and provide relevant information and referral services to each individual.
Additionally, Abra will assist students aged 16 and older with the transition portion of the Individualized Education Plans (IEP). Abra likely will also help with the enforcement of a class action settlement through legal research, client interviews, and discovery.
Before coming to law school, Abra taught elementary school for five years at schools in Tacoma, Washington, and Tempe, Arizona. Abra decided to become an attorney in hopes of finding meaningful ways to advocate for children.
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 Margeaux Davitte
Polaris Project Policy Team
Washington, D.C.
Margeaux Davitte joined the Polaris Project Policy Team as a Policy Fellow. Polaris Project is a non-profit based in Washington, D.C. that is dedicated to eradicating human trafficking in the United States. Human Trafficking is the equivalent to modern day slavery, and is a 32 billion dollar business. Although little attention is brought to the issue of human trafficking in the United States, and much of the focus is on the international level, thousands of people are trafficked into sex and labor industries in the United States every year. The United States continues to be a popular destination for human trafficking. In an effort to put an end to modern day slavery Polaris Project operates the National Human Trafficking Resource Center Hotline (NHTRC), provides client services, coordinates trainings for law enforcement, and crafts federal and state laws designed to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators. As a Policy Fellow for Polaris Project, I am responsible for tracking, drafting, and analyzing anti-trafficking legislation at the state and federal level, assisting in legislative advocacy, and writing memos that help the policy team analyze issues within the Human Trafficking field. Polaris Project gives its Policy Fellows the valuable experience of what it is like to use your law degree for human rights advocacy. Polaris has been an incredible experience and has helped me figured out how, and for what purposes, she will use her degree from Seattle University School of Law.
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 Alexis DeLaCruz
Disabilities Law Project
Seattle, WA
Alexis DeLaCruz is working as a Rule 9 intern at the Disabilities Law Project. The DLP is housed under the non-profit Alliance of People with disAbilities, and is located in Seattle. The Alliance of People with disAbilities mission statement is "people with disAbilities advocating for equality and choice."
The DLP provides direct representation and legal advocacy to Washington state residents with disabilities who experience discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act, the Rehabilitation Act of 1974, the Fair Housing Act, or the Washington Law Against Discrimination. The DLP is committed to ensuring people with disabilities' civil rights are being protected.
This is the second summer Alexis has been able to work in disability law, her passion. The DLP is a one-of-a-kind legal project, and she is happy to be a part of this project.
Alexis is from Denver, Colo., and graduated in 2005 from the University of Colorado-Boulder with degrees in Journalism and Spanish Language and Literature.
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 Arthur Delong
Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project
Beirut, Lebanon
Arthur Delong is working for the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project (IRAP) in Beirut, Lebanon. IRAP works with Iraqis displaced by violence, and is the only organization that provides complex legal assistance to individual refugees abroad during the resettlement process. IRAP clients are stateless people who are completely outside any system that would defend them. For them, resettlement in a country that recognizes the human rights of refugees is the only hope. This summer, Arthur will work with one other intern in Lebanon on resettlement for members of the extremely vulnerable Iraqi LGBT population. Additionally, he will conduct intake interviews of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, prepare them for the UNHCR and USCIS refugee determination processes, work on requests for reconsideration and expedite requests, as well as coordinate with local NGOs to increase awareness of IRAP within the Iraqi Refugee community in Lebanon.
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 Cody Fenton-Robertson
Solid Ground
Seattle, WA
Cody Fenton-Robertson is interning at Solid Ground in its Family Assistance Program. Solid Ground is a non-profit with the mission of ending poverty in all its forms. Cody is one of two interns who work alongside attorneys in order to provide free legal assistance to people regarding public benefits. The interns at Solid Ground do much of the same work that the attorneys do; they conduct intake interviews, research issues, request and comb through discovery, and represent clients in administrative hearings. Cody is extremely excited to have the opportunity to intern at Solid Ground because of his larger desire to work in public interest and provide legal assistance to groups of people who have been marginalized by our society. The internship at Solid Ground will also allow Cody to gain experience in working with and communicating with clients, a skill that Cody believes to be invaluable to his future career goals.
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 Sergio A. Garcidueñas-Sease
Columbia Legal Services
Seattle, WA
Sergio A. Garcidueñas-Sease will be working with Columbia Legal Services (CLS) in the Working Families Project as the Laurel Rubin Farmworker Justice intern.
CLS is a nonprofit legal firm that protects and defends the legal and human rights of low-income people. CLS represents people and organizations throughout Washington State with critical legal needs who have no other legal assistance available to them. Sergio's work will focus on farmworker advocacy cases and projects, and participating in efforts to educate farmworkers about their basic employment rights and other relevant topics through visits to farmworker housing, presentations and meetings with community groups, and radio advocacy. Sergio will also conduct legal research, prepare written memos, and assist in case planning for litigation on behalf of low-wage workers. Working in the Olympia office, Sergio's work will include visits to the underserved area of southwest Washington berry farms.
As the son of a UN diplomat, Sergio grew up throughout Latin America and Africa. He is very passionate about human rights, and is committed to serving those who are marginalized by society. He is excited about the opportunity of going to farms throughout Washington State and working directly with farmworkers, and doing what he can to make a difference in their lives.
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 Kayleigh Hartwig
American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada
Las Vegas, Nevada
Kayleigh Hartwig is interning at the American Civil Liberties Union of Nevada (ACLU of Nevada) in Las Vegas. The ACLU of Nevada is the Nevada affiliate of the national American Civil Liberties Union. The ACLU specializes in defending Civil Liberties and making sure that the constitution is being upheld. The legal environment is unique in that the office receives complaints daily, and time sensitive issues arise frequently. Kayleigh will primarily be working on issues surrounding the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, and another issue to be left confidential at this time. Although she is assigned certain topics to concentrate on, each intern for the ACLU of Nevada does their part in assisting with the most current and pressing research, education, legislation, and litigation. Her responsibilities include background research and issue analysis of incoming complaints, meeting with clients, and helping develop the documentation for cases. This internship has been a fulfilling experience for Kayleigh so far because she is able to reach out and help the community she called home before moving to Seattle to attend Seattle University School of Law.
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 Tamara Howie
TeamChild
Seattle, WA
Tamara Howie will intern at TeamChild, located in Seattle. TeamChild provides free representation to young persons ages 12-18 regarding civil legal issues such as rights to education, housing, and mental health. This summer Tamara will be working with another law school intern, and two youth interns. The youth interns are high school students who have demonstrated a desire to learn more about this area of law. Together they will work with TeamChild attorneys on a project to eliminate exclusionary school discipline practices. Among other things, this project includes building awareness with decision makers, organizing a stakeholder "think tank," and possibly developing model school policy. As a native of Seattle, from a disadvantaged area, Tamara feels it is imperative for relatable advocates to be involved. The issues they are working on tend to affect youth of color at a disproportionate rate. As a person of color, from a disadvantaged community, it is important to her to raise awareness of these problems, and be a part of contributing to the solutions.
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 Nissa Iversen
Northwest Health Law Advocates
Seattle, WA
Nissa Iversen will spend the summer interning at Northwest Health Law Advocates (NoHLA), a nonprofit organization that works towards securing accessible and affordable health care for low-income individuals and families throughout Washington State. Through legal research and writing projects, Nissa will have an opportunity to participate in NoHLA's work in health law and policy analysis, legislative and administrative advocacy, community education, and impact litigation. Nissa is excited to have the opportunity to learn more about health care reform and Medicaid, and to contribute to an organization that is working hard to promote health care justice.
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 Kwan Law
Unemployment Law Project
Seattle, WA
Kwan Law is an intern with the Unemployment Law Project, an organization that helps individuals who have trouble securing unemployment benefits. As an intern, Kwan will have the opportunity to interview clients, to represent clients in court hearings, and to write petitions for review. He will also be able to direct- and cross-examine parties, as well as provide closing statements in front of a judge.
Kwan was born and raised in Hong Kong, went to high school in Ireland, and came to the U.S. for college. He went to school at Washington University in St. Louis to study Architecture, and Purdue University to study photography. Then, after working for the University of Texas, he started law school at Seattle University.
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 Beth Leonard
Snohomish County Legal Services
Everett, WA
Beth Leonard is working for the Snohomish County Legal Services in Everett, Washington. As a Rule 9 Legal Intern for SCLS, Elizabeth will have the opportunity to support the office in its assistance and representation of low-income Snohomish County residents in their family law and housing cases. Beth will be primarily working on dissolution, parenting, and eviction issues.
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 Constance Locklear
Legal Action Center
Seattle, WA
Constance Locklear is interning with the Legal Action Center (LAC) in the Neighborhood clinic this summer. The LAC offers free legal assistance to low income persons in King County who are facing evictions and subsidy terminations, landlord/tenant issues and debtor/creditor issues related to past tenancy. As part of the Neighborhood clinic team, Constance works exclusively on landlord/tenant and creditor/debtor issues including repairs and habitability, deposits, retaliation, leases and subleases, and debtor/creditor issues related to past tenancies. For these cases, Constance works with a volunteer attorney to evaluate the client's legal problem, and provides follow-up representation to resolve the matter out of court. For Constance, the appeal of pro bono legal assistance generally and landlord/tenant law specifically is its potential to empower people in a system that tends to be extremely one-sided.
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 Antonia Macias
Columbia Legal Services Working Families Project
Seattle, WA
Antonia Macias is working with the Columbia Legal Services (CLS) Working Families Project to protect the rights of farm workers in Central and Eastern Washington. CLS is a non-profit civil legal aid organization serving low-income people in Washington. CLS engages in systemic advocacy through multiple legal forums including legislative, administrative rule-making, litigation, transactional and special project based work.
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 Karen Marin
Unemployment Law Project
Seattle, WA
Karen Marin works as a law clerk intern at the Unemployment Law Project, an organization dedicated to providing free legal services to the citizens of Washington State who are challenging denials of their unemployment benefits. As a law clerk, Karen obtains hands-on experience in interviewing clients and witnesses, researching in preparation for administrative hearings, representing clients in administrative hearings, and filing petition for reviews if necessary. Through this opportunity, Karen is able to assist individuals in navigating the legal administrative process and is able to help vulnerable individuals who may not be able to afford an attorney to challenge their rights to unemployment benefits.
Karen was born and raised in Espana, San Fernando, Romblon, Philippines. She and her family moved to the United States in 2001. She obtained her undergraduate degree from University of Washington in Social Work, with a minor in Japan Studies.
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 Thomas McKay
Northwest Justice Project's Foreclosure Prevention Unit
Seattle, WA
Thomas McKayis returning to work this summer at Northwest Justice Project's Foreclosure Prevention Unit (FPU). FPU continues to expand to serve the increasing numbers of low and moderate income clients facing foreclosure throughout the State of Washington. In addition to pairing volunteer attorneys to represent low- to moderate income clients who face foreclosure, the project also employs staff attorneys to negotiate and litigate with banks and servicers on behalf of clients, including representing clients at mediation under the evolving state foreclosure mediation law. Under the supervision of a staff attorney, Thomas will handle a caseload of clients to advise them throughout the foreclosure process. This will include negotiating with trustees and servicers to postpone foreclosure sales and to secure home loan modifications, to assist with foreclosure litigation, and to employ other means to ensure that clients have control during the foreclosure process and have every chance to avoid unnecessary foreclosure. Thomas will address the long-term interests of clients as they navigate the foreclosure process. This will complement his experience as a paralegal at a legal services clinic, where he was only able to address each client's short-term goals. This summer at FPU, Thomas hopes to cultivate strong client advocacy skills that will serve him well in his legal career.
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 Jonathan Nichols
The King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office - Domestic Violence Unit
Seattle, WA
Jonathan Nichols is working for the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office in the Domestic Violence Unit in downtown Seattle. The DV Unit works to prosecute individuals whose alleged criminal acts have a domestic violence classification as defined under the Revised Code of Washington. Jonathan’s interest in the unit is twofold. First, in his continuous fight for full LGBTQ equality, he would like to see all states treat domestic violence in same-sex relationships the same as any other relationships. Washington does this classification and he can see how this system works. Second, he wants to gain a better understanding of how the criminal justice system can work in a collaborative manner to reach better outcomes. His work responsibilities will include researching and drafting for supervising attorneys, organizing trial materials and evidence, and assisting prosecutors with all aspects of trial. As a tireless advocate for social justice with a passion for oral advocacy, working with the Prosecuting Attorney’s Office is a great place for him to learn about the anatomy of a trial and how to put the legal research and writing skills from 1L to good use while pursuing his passion.
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 Marisa Ordonia
Unemployment Law Project
Seattle, WA
Marisa Ordoniais working at the Seattle office of the Unemployment Law Project (ULP). The ULP has offices in both Seattle and Spokane, and provides free legal assistance and information to people in Washington State who have been denied unemployment benefits or whose award of benefits has been challenged. As an intern at ULP, Marisa has conducted client intake interviews, participated in case review meetings, researched legal theories, and provided direct representation at administrative hearings. Marisa is excited about this internship not only because she wants to defend the rights of workers, but also because of the skills she will gain as an advocate through representing claimants in administrative hearings.
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 Camilo Ortiz
National Center For Lesbian Rights
San Francisco, CA
Camilo Ortiz is working as a law clerk at the National Center For Lesbian Rights (NCLR). NCLR is a national organization that advocates for the most vulnerable members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community, including the poor, young, and of color LGBT individuals. Specifically, Camilo is working alongside NCLR’s policy counsel on a variety of issues including: obtaining fair Section 8 housing for lesbian and gay families, fair shelter programs for transgender individuals, and fair treatment for all LGBT individuals under state-specific laws. Camilo is the first Seattle University law student to clerk for NCLR. Prior to joining NCLR, Camilo worked at various organizations including the ACLU of Southern California and Just the Beginning Foundation. Most recently, Camilo was a Rule 9 Intern at Seattle University's Ronald A. Peterson Law Clinic where he provided public defense for juveniles. Camilo also authored a law review article, titled "Latinos Nowhere in Sight: Erased by Racism, Nativism, the Black-White Binary, and Authoritarianism," which will be published in the Rutgers Race & the Law Review (forthcoming). This Fall, Camilo will continue his passion in the area of civil and human rights law and work as a law clerk at the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Alabama.
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 Patrick Patton
Center of Development Consulting
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Patrick Pattonis interning at the Center of Development Consulting (CDC) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The CDC is an organization committed to providing need based research, advising, training, and management services in the areas of sustainable human development, good governance practices, and economic growth. The CDC assists governments, private sectors, non-governmental organizations, and multi-lateral and bilateral aid agencies in developing innovative, yet workable, solutions to multifaceted problems. While at the CDC, Patrick has been doing research, writing portions of proposals, and working on projects in a variety of fields including peace and security, capacity building of civil society organizations, poverty and livelihood, governance and public sector reform, economic and social development, education, and health. Patrick hopes to use this experience to improve cross cultural awareness, further international relations, and practice international law. Patrick received his BA from the University of Miami, Coral Gables, with a major in International Finance and Marketing and a minor in Music Business and Entertainment Industries.
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 Matt Pogar
Missoula County Attorney's Office
Missoula, MT
Matt Pogar is working for the Missoula County Attorney’s Office this summer. His work has been divided primarily between motion writing and handling misdemeanor cases up to and including trial. Motion writing assignments have included preparing responses to a broad range of defense motions, including motions to suppress evidence, a motion to dismiss based on double jeopardy, and a motion to dismiss based on a robbery suspect asserting the affirmative defense of abandonment. He has participated in two trials so far: a DUI/Minor in Possession and a Disorderly Conduct. Matthew hopes to continue gaining a better understanding of the criminal justice system and how responsible prosecution can encourage rehabilitation.
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 RedWolf Pope
Nanish Shontie
Blachly, OR
RedWolf Pope is interning with Nanish Shontie, a native nonprofit cultural center focused on outreach to non-natives. He is working with Professor Thomas Antkowiak and Antkowiak's wife Alejandra Gonza on a project analyzing canadian mining practices in indigenous areas. This work is close to home since the world's largest gold mining company Barrick has been extracting billions in gold out of the Nevada reservation on which RedWolf's father is from. RedWolf's aunts, the Dann sisters fought to the supreme court in Dann v US and helped form the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, through which the tribe secured a CERD (Committee to End Racial Discrimination) ruling asking the US to immediately cease its actions on the Shoshone homelands.
RedWolf is focused on tribal and international indigenous law since "the struggles are the same everywhere." It is his hope this research project will assist other groups facing similar issues such as the Huichol in Northern Mexico, and one day find the key to holding Canada accountable for the mining actions and human rights violations it directly supports through subsidies and PR campaigns.
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 Kate Rich
Northwest Immigrant Rights Project
Seattle, WA
Kate Rich is a 3L and a graduate of Oberlin College. This summer she is working at Northwest Immigrant Rights Project (NWIRP) in downtown Seattle. NWIRP promotes justice for low-income immigrants by pursuing and defending their legal status. Kate is part of the VAWA Unit, which provides free, comprehensive immigration services to immigrants who have been victims of certain serious crimes, including domestic violence. Because of her background in Spanish, Kate works primarily with Latino/a clients who do not speak much English. There are several types of applications that Kate pursues on behalf of clients at NWIRP but a common one is called a U Visa. A U Visa may be granted to an immigrant who is a victim of a serious crime and cooperates with police and prosecutors in the investigation. Successful applicants receive a 4 year work permit and, at the end of that term, may be eligible to apply for a green card. Part of the rationale behind the U Visa is to encourage immigrants who are crime victims to come forward. Apart from her work at NWIRP, Kate is actively involved with the Latino Bar Association's monthly legal clinics, doing intake for Spanish speaking clients looking for free legal advice.
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 Frank Ruiz
Riverside County Law Offices of the Public Defender
Riverside, CA
Frank Ruiz is a third year law student, father, and husband. This upcoming summer he will be returning to the Riverside County Law Offices of the Public Defender to do his second summer with their office. This summer he will be working with a different department, and will be assisting in the Juvenile Division. His work will include research, client interviews, writing motions, and trial preparation for supervising attorneys in the office. Working with Juvenile delinquents is a rewarding opportunity for Frank, because prior to law school he worked as a facility manager at a group home where he interacted daily with troubled youth. Having grown up in the same Southern California neighborhood that he is currently working in, Frank would love to return to this community after graduation to help give back.
The Riverside community is predominately Latino, and last summer Frank was able to help walk a number of Spanish speaking clients through their misdemeanor arraignments each day. As the former VP of the Latino Law Student Assoc., he has demonstrated an interest in giving back to the Latino community.
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 Kelsey Ryland
National Network To End Domestic Violence
Washington, D.C.
Kelsey Ryland is a summer policy intern at the National Network To End Domestic Violence (NNEDV). NNEDV, a social change organization, is dedicated to creating a social, political and economic environment in which violence against women no longer exists. NNEDV was created to be a national voice for statewide coalitions to ensure that the needs of domestic violence survivors are heard on Capitol Hill. As a summer policy intern Kelsey will help facilitate NNEDV’s annual advocacy day conference, attend national taskforce meetings to ensure that the Violence Against Women Act is reauthorized, and work on appropriations for domestic violence programs. She was a domestic violence advocate with AmeriCorps for two years before coming to law school. This summer internship is closely aligned with her commitment to working with organizations that are trying to end violence against women. Kelsey hopes to practice public interest law after graduation, working with the intersections of domestic violence and reproductive justice.
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 Michael Schueler
Moderate Means Program
Seattle, WA
Michael Schueler is a student fellow with the Washington State Bar Association Moderate Means Program at Seattle University. The Moderate Means Program works to provide access to lawyers to individuals falling between 200% and 400% of the Federal Poverty Level by working with attorneys who agree to work on a sliding fee scale. The Moderate Means Program covers a wide range of civil issues focusing on: Consumer Law (bankruptcy, contract disputes, and auto issues); Family Law (dissolutions, modification of support orders and parenting plans, and adoption/parentage issues); and Housing Laws (landlord/tenant disputes, evictions, and foreclosures) in the hopes of acting as a catchall for a wide range of issues facing people of moderate income. Michael will conduct client intakes where he will speak directly with clients to ascertain their legal issues and attempt to quickly pinpoint solutions to their issues. Further, Michael will work with Moderate Means Program participating attorneys to find willing attorneys to represent clients. Finally, he will work to update training materials for new interns, focusing on creating guides and flow charts for how to resolve various civil issues, citing specific laws and standards used in court. This position is helpful for Michael because it grants him invaluable experience interacting with both clients and attorneys in a fast paced, intense environment while helping Michael learn relevant rules and standards for a wide range of common civil issues.
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 Mina Shahin
Justice Mary E. Fairhurst PILF Grant grantee
Northwest Justice Project
Seattle, WA
Mina Shahin is interning at the Northwest Justice Project (NJP) this summer. She is working on the Coordinated Legal Education Advice and Referral (CLEAR) hotline. CLEAR is a statewide hotline that provides free advice and referral service for low-income people seeking legal assistance for civil legal problems. She is focusing on housing problems. Mina will provide legal advice and brief services for clients who call with housing problems. Brief services include negotiations with landlords and attorneys for landlords, writing requests for reasonable accommodations, writing answers for unlawful detainer actions, and any assistance that can help prepare a client for a hearing. She is excited about gaining real-world exposure to public interest lawyering and thrilled that she is in a position where her assistance may make a critical difference for a family or individual trying to avoid homelessness.
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 Archita Taylor
Congressional Black Caucus
Wasington, D.C.
Archita Taylor is a rising 3L and is working as a legal fellow with the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC this summer. The CBC brings its members together to form a united voice and a voting block on a range of issues, including the economy, health care, and voting rights. Since this is an election year, the CBC is focused heavily on voter protection. As a result, Archita has done a great deal of research and writing on this subject matter, including looking into the various state voting laws, specifically the ones requiring photo identification to register to vote or cast a ballot. Archita is very interested in the intersection of law and policy, and is glad to have the opportunity this summer to get experience in this area. Upon graduating from law school, Archita would like to work for the federal government in one of a few different issue areas: immigration, health care, or voting rights. Archita is honored to be a PILF grant recipient this summer, and she looks forward to working with PILF over the course of this year.
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 Larkin Vanderhoef
Central American Institute of Social Studies and Development
Guatemala City, Guatemala
Larkin Vanderhoef is working with INCEDES (Central American Institute of Social Studies and Development) in Guatemala City. INCEDES is a non-profit organization whose focus is to create a better understanding of migrations in the region through investigations, reports, and symposia in order to reform national legislation and international agreements to better protect individuals’ rights to migrate or not migrate. Larkin will be performing an investigation into various forms of temporary work authorizations for migrant workers in the region and will produce a report comparing the protections those forms provide migrant workers.
Larkin is from Seattle and received his undergraduate degree from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he studied philosophy and Spanish language and literature. He is interested in immigration and international human rights issues.
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 Rana Wahdan
National Asian Pacific American Women’s Fund
Washington, D.C.
Rana Wahdan is a legal intern at the National Asian Pacific American Women’s Fund ("NAPAWF") in Washington, D.C. NAPAWF is the only national, multi-issue Asian and Pacific Islander nonprofit women’s organization in the country. NAPAWF’s mission is to build a movement to advance social justice and human rights for API women and girls. While working for NAPAWF, Rana has been tasked with projects, which require a high level of legal analysis in support of NAPAWF’s advocacy work. Working at NAPAWF, as well as enrolling in the Legislative Law and Policy course, have been both a challenging and rewarding experience for Rana. In addition, her exposure to the world of policy has provided her with a strong foundation in legal analysis. The skills she gained through legal analysis will prove to be invaluable in her effort to fulfill her passion of protecting the rights of those who have been silenced. With this internship, Rana recognized the importance of having a strong foundation in legal analysis to be able to interpret the impact that legislation will have on society. She also recognized the true value of Seattle University’s legal writing program because the program provided her with the tools necessary to address the concerns and suggest solutions in response to legislative decisions. It is through the generosity of the individuals who donated to the Public Interest Law Foundation that Rana has been given the privilege of spending the summer in Washington, D.C. With this valuable experience, Rana is confident that her experience will enable her to play a greater role in addressing imperative social issues facing our community.
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 Hannah Zommick
Seattle Community Law Center
Seattle, WA
Hannah Zommick is working this summer at the Seattle Community Law Center. SCLC is a non-profit legal aid organization dedicated to providing high-quality Social Security and SSI representation to the people who need benefits the most and are least likely to secure representation due to barriers preventing them from accessing the justice system. SCLC provides services for people with disabilities who are homeless or low income. Hannah is working for SCLC’s Social Security Advocacy Project. SSAP provides legal advice, advocacy, referral and direct legal representation to low-income individuals facing disputes with the Social Security Administration regarding their benefits. Hannah is working on all aspects of such social security cases, from client intakes and interviews to preparing memos and briefs for administrative hearings. Hannah is also working at SCLC’s weekly Overpayment Clinic, which provides assistance to clients who have the ability to advocate for themselves but still need some assistance and advice. Hannah has already learned a lot about the administrative appeals process and how important access to representation is during this process.
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